slaughter as a spectator sport

[mhgaffney]

January 13, 2009

London Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5505390.ece

The Hill of Shame

where Gaza bombing is spectator sport A beauty spot has turned into a vantage point for viewing of Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip

Martin Fletcher and Yonit Farago in Sderot

In times of peace Parash Hill is a beauty spot where Israelis from the nearby town of Sderot come to picnic and enjoy the magnificent view across a nature reserve and bright green fields to distant Gaza City and, beyond, the deep blue Mediterranean.

There are benches for sightseers, a swing, a sculpture of a man on horseback and fences to stop children tumbling down the steep northern slope.

Today the hill attracts a very different sort of visitor — the ghoulish and vengeful, the curious and anguished, not to mention television crews. They come not to enjoy the flowers or birdsong, but for a spectacular panoramic view of Israel's relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip. It is, for those that like that sort of thing, the ultimate spectator sport.

Armed with binoculars and zoom lenses, they watch F16 aircraft streak across the sky, trailing flares, before unleashing their missiles on one of the distant white buildings.

Periodically the air reverberates with the boom of artillery fire and a few seconds later another plume of smoke rises amid the densely packed apartment blocks on the skyline. Apache helicopter gunships attack unseen targets. A whine betrays an unmanned drone circling overhead.

Now and again the fire comes the other way. There is a flash, and a Qassam rocket trailing smoke arcs up towards Sderot, Ashkelon or one of the other settlements of southern Israel. In no time Israeli shells rain down.

The disapproving have renamed Parash Hill the “Hill of Shame”, and some visitors undoubtedly come for the thrill. “People in Israel are addicted to violence,” Eran Shalev, 27, a student, said as he surveyed the crowd on the hilltop. “The way we try to resolve everything with force is not the right way to do it.”

But most have been on the receiving end of the Hamas rockets. Most know people who have been killed, injured or had their homes destroyed by rockets over the past eight years. Most are worn out by the 15-second warnings that send them rushing to shelters several times each day.

Rafi Twitto was watching the offensive yesterday with his wife, Iris. From his belt hung a photograph of his son, Osher, nine, who had a leg blown off by a Qassam rocket 11 months ago. “I'm glad Hamas is being destroyed but sad that women and children are suffering,” he said. “But when they grow up they'll also probably be terrorists. They are taught very early to hate Israelis and how to hold weapons.” Iris agreed. “If I could have, I'd have gone in with our soldiers.”

David Kunin, 26, an ultra-Orthodox Jew with long black beard and coat, had come to the hill to take pictures. He said that a rocket shattered the windows of his home in Ashdod last week. “Of course I'm happy,” he replied when asked how he felt as he watched the bombardment.

“It would be better if innocent civilians weren't hurt, but the ones who co-operate with Hamas - that's their problem.”

Others were clearly distressed. Tanya Zaltzman, 44, a teacher who emigrated from Russia 20 years ago, was there with her boyfriend. One of her students was killed by a rocket last March. Her soldier son had just left Gaza and several of his comrades had been injured. “I think Hamas is a terrorist organisation and there's no other way to treat it,” she said, but continued: “When I see how many people and children are being killed in Gaza I feel very unhappy.”

[spdirty]

Thats a bummer.

[Spider]

Better them then me ............

[Hotrod]

****'em stop letting your neighbors use you as pawns and blowing **** up then maybe I'd give a damn.

[Paladin]

Isn't it remarkable how these people in Gaza are marked as victims with no reference to the atrocities of Hamas or Hezbollah? I guess I just don't give a rats arse about what happens there now because those bustards keep kicking over the ant hill.

"Send another suicide bomber in, will ya? We need Israel to really get riled up and retaliate so we can get some more free bread and honey in here."

That how it works?

[theAPAOps5]

Can we bet on this in Vegas?

[cutthemdown]

Even in a story that mentions a little Israeli baby who had leg blown off Gaff still is 100 percent all for Hamas. Screw Hamas and the train the rode in on. The Palestinians should rise up against Hamas, if they don't then they will have to take there Israeli medicine in the form of F16's and M1 tanks. I hope it goes down smooth.

Hamas is defient, all they care about is wethering the storm and trying to exist to fight another day. They could care less if 10 thousand Palestinians die in the process as long as they look good in the twisted world of Arab politics.

[mhgaffney]

Cut,

You and the other knee jerks on this board are demogogues and hypocrites.

What I think about Hamas is irelevant. What you think is also irrelevant.

The only fact that matters is that Hamas won the 2006 election fair and square.

You either support democracy or you don't. No maybes. No IFs ANDs or BUTs. You do or you don't.

Israel does not get to decide who represents the Palestianians. They can always find some lackey or uncle Tom who will keep his head down. I'm sorry -- that is not acceptable.

There is a lot of history here -- and you clowns have missed it .

The Palestinians watched during the 1990s -- the way the US and Israel humiliated their secular leader Arafat -- and how they made him into a scapegoat because he refused to behave like a house ****er.

The Palestinians wanted peace and the US and Israel ****ed them in the ass. Not too surprising that the rigged game we called a peace process radicalized the Palestinians. So they elected Hamas and now you have to deal with Hamas.

MHG

[Spider]

Cut,

You and the other knee jerks on this board are demogogues and hypocrites.

What I think about Hamas is irelevant. What you think is also irrelevant.

The only fact that matters is that Hamas won the 2006 election fair and square.

You either support democracy or you don't. No maybes. No IFs ANDs or BUTs. You do or you don't.

Israel does not get to decide who represents the Palestianians. They can always find some lackey or uncle Tom who will keep his head down. I'm sorry -- that is not acceptable.

There is a lot of history here -- and you clowns have missed it .

The Palestinians watched during the 1990s -- the way the US and Israel humiliated their secular leader Arafat -- and how they made him into a scapegoat because he refused to behave like a house ****er.

The Palestinians wanted peace and the US and Israel ****ed them in the ass. Not too surprising that the rigged game we called a peace process radicalized the Palestinians. So they elected Hamas and now you have to deal with Hamas.

MHG

Boy you never pass up the chance to be an Idiot do you

[lazarus4444]

Cut,

You and the other knee jerks on this board are demogogues and hypocrites.

What I think about Hamas is irelevant. What you think is also irrelevant.

The only fact that matters is that Hamas won the 2006 election fair and square.

You either support democracy or you don't. No maybes. No IFs ANDs or BUTs. You do or you don't.

Israel does not get to decide who represents the Palestianians. They can always find some lackey or uncle Tom who will keep his head down. I'm sorry -- that is not acceptable.

There is a lot of history here -- and you clowns have missed it .

The Palestinians watched during the 1990s -- the way the US and Israel humiliated their secular leader Arafat -- and how they made him into a scapegoat because he refused to behave like a house ****er.

The Palestinians wanted peace and the US and Israel ****ed them in the ass. Not too surprising that the rigged game we called a peace process radicalized the Palestinians. So they elected Hamas and now you have to deal with Hamas.

MHG


This is about Islam vs. Everybody Else, has nothing to do with anything else. Hamas is a terror organization and it will be treated as such. Sure, if i had thousands of militants with guns at the polls i could win an election too. Don't know what planet you live on but that is NOT democracy.

[Spider]

This is about Islam vs. Everybody Else, has nothing to do with anything else. Hamas is a terror organization and it will be treated as such. Sure, if i had thousands of militants with guns at the polls i could win an election too. Don't know what planet you live on but that is NOT democracy.

Well the Jews are not innocent , by any means .........My Problem with Ghaff is he refuses to place any blame on Hamas ........ it takes 2 to tango

[lazarus4444]

Well the Jews are not innocent , by any means .........My Problem with Ghaff is he refuses to place any blame on Hamas ........ it takes 2 to tango

True, but they did show a lot of restraint (read, lack of leadership with balls) to not do this a year ago. Israel is the front lines of a new world war that will be fought against Islam. All the signs are there. I'm just hoping Iran makes a mistake so we can take them out.

[watermock]

Islam makes its case in the gutteral.

It's a darker religion than the occult.

[lazarus4444]

Yes, Islam is a death cult who will rule us all, IF we let them. Stonings in Iran and Pakistan. Honor killings, sharia law, women and childern as property, young girls in saudi and pakistan and elsewhere being married off at 8 years old. Islamic children are raised to kill themselves trying to kill everybody who isn't islamic.

Its coming and soon. I thought 9/11 would wake up the western world but it didn't. It's going to take something bigger and more vicious to wake the west up out of its PC slumber.

[Spider]

True, but they did show a lot of restraint (read, lack of leadership with balls) to not do this a year ago. Israel is the front lines of a new world war that will be fought against Islam. All the signs are there. I'm just hoping Iran makes a mistake so we can take them out.

If it is , then it is self-fulfilling prophecy fueled by land and boarders ...... I think religion is just the excuse here , bothsides want it all and they want it now ........

[watermock]

Yes, Islam is a death cult who will rule us all, IF we let them. Stonings in Iran and Pakistan. Honor killings, sharia law, women and childern as property, young girls in saudi and pakistan and elsewhere being married off at 8 years old. Islamic children are raised to kill themselves trying to kill everybody who isn't islamic.

Its coming and soon. I thought 9/11 would wake up the western world but it didn't. It's going to take something bigger and more vicious to wake the west up out of its PC slumber.

"but, but, it's just like every other religion, with a SAVIOR.."

A Savior that murdered, raped, stole, pillaged, burned, tortured, engaged in polygomy and peophelia, and named himself the savior as he struck fear in all thosewho would oppose him

[epicSocialism4tw]

"but, but, it's just like every other religion, with a SAVIOR.."

A Savior that murdered, raped, stole, pillaged, burned, tortured, engaged in polygomy and peophelia, and named himself the savior as he struck fear in all thosewho would oppose him

There is alot of truth in what watermock says here.

Mohammed was little more than a warlord born out of war between tribes.

War is a way of life for these idiots.

[jhat01]

Cut,

You and the other knee jerks on this board are demogogues and hypocrites.

What I think about Hamas is irelevant. What you think is also irrelevant.

The only fact that matters is that Hamas won the 2006 election fair and square.

You either support democracy or you don't. No maybes. No IFs ANDs or BUTs. You do or you don't.

Israel does not get to decide who represents the Palestianians. They can always find some lackey or uncle Tom who will keep his head down. I'm sorry -- that is not acceptable.

There is a lot of history here -- and you clowns have missed it .

The Palestinians watched during the 1990s -- the way the US and Israel humiliated their secular leader Arafat -- and how they made him into a scapegoat because he refused to behave like a house ****er.

The Palestinians wanted peace and the US and Israel ****ed them in the ass. Not too surprising that the rigged game we called a peace process radicalized the Palestinians. So they elected Hamas and now you have to deal with Hamas.

MHG

Nice post Tool. Why don't you start every post with, "What I think about_______irrelevant."

[TheReverend]

Thread title sounds interesting, but Gaff, I checked ticketmaster and couldn't find any results?

[Hotrod]

Ok now this is just funny

http://www.thereheis.com/nucleus3.22/media/gallery/20070626-freedom%20of%20expression%20extreme%20irony.jpg

[alkemical]

Islam makes its case in the gutteral.

It's a darker religion than the occult.

?

The occult isn't all dark bro.

[alkemical]

Thread title sounds interesting, but Gaff, I checked ticketmaster and couldn't find any results?

The "weather event" is opening....

[Bronco Bob]

There is alot of truth in what watermock says here.

Mohammed was little more than a warlord born out of war between tribes.

War is a way of life for these idiots.

Not originally. He started out as a merchant. He sort of got forced
into being a warrior by the fact that a lot of people were out to kill
him.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Not originally. He started out as a merchant. He sort of got forced
into being a warrior by the fact that a lot of people were out to kill
him.

He wasnt a warlord until he married into wealth, then he started conquering tribe after tribe.

Dude is a political figure ala Adolf Hitler more than he is a spiritual figure like Ghandi.

[Bronco Bob]

He wasnt a warlord until he married into wealth, then he started conquering tribe after tribe.

Dude is a political figure ala Adolf Hitler more than he is a spiritual figure like Ghandi.

Actually it was after he formed Islam. Up until that time there were
various pagen religions in Arabia. Each had a temple and people
would pay to worship at these temples, and for items to offer
as sacrifice. When Mohammad began preaching of the one true
God, and starting gaining in popularity, the priest of these pagen
religions started losing money and decided something had to be
done about it. So they attempted to kill Mohammad and his
followers. It was only after this that he and his followers realized
that if they and their new religion weren't going to be entirely
wiped out, they would have to fight back. Really, how is
this any different than what the Christians eventually ended
up doing after the persecution they initially faced.