Which words? "Bottle Rocket." "Ceasefire."
These are used repeatedly in the I/P debates, always to maximize Israel's guilt and minimize Hamas'. Let's take a look at them, shall we?
Bottle Rocket
As in:
Qassam Rockets?
Those suckers are Soooo Scary! If you're not careful they can take out an eye just like a bottle rocket!
"If it ain't broke, fix it 'till it is."
by Mom Calls Me Slick on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 08:27:36 AM PST
I don't know
Maybe they did. A Katusha is like a big bottle rocket with a 60 lb warhead(designed in the 30's used extensively by the Russians in WWII) the Israeli munitions are much more substantial.
CHRISTIAN, n. One who believes that the New Testament is a divinely inspired book admirably suited to the spiritual needs of his neighbor. A. Bierce
by irate on Wed Aug 02, 2006 at 04:00:04 PM PST
Am I missing something here?
Of course Katusha's exist, so do bottle rockets. What's your point?
"If it ain't broke, fix it 'till it is."
by Mom Calls Me Slick on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 12:10:28 PM PST
Bottle rockets are toys. There are two kinds. First, there are water bottle rockets:
Second, there are firecracker bottle rockets:
Then there are the rockets Hamas is firing into Israel. Bottle rockets don't punch volleyball-sized holes in concrete:
Say what you want about what is happening in Gaza, but don't pretend Hamas is a bunch of innocent kids playing outside on the Fourth of July. They are firing deadly weapons at a civilian population.
You keep saying "bottle rocket." I don't think that word means what you think it means.
And that leads us to the second word ...
Ceasefire
as in:
Israel rejected a proposed ceasefire with Hamas in December
"Contrary to Israel’s argument that it was forced to launch its air and ground offensive against Gaza in order to stop the firing of rockets into its territory, Hamas proposed in mid-December to return to the original Hamas-Israel ceasefire arrangement, according to a U.S.-based source who has been briefed on the proposal..."
Can Congress Speak Out Against Gaza Violence? Yes, They Can!
Should the U.S. support an immediate ceasefire (international opinion) or should the U.S. insist that the violence continue (Bush Administration position.)
US Blocks Call for Ceasefire in Gaza
The United States late Saturday blocked approval of a U.N. Security Council statement calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, diplomats said.
Making Israel Pretty
Hamas did not violate the ceasefire; Israel violated it when it sent troops into Gaza in November 2008, and Hamas did not refuse to extend the ceasefire in December. Hamas offered to renew the peace agreement and Israel spurned the offer.
You might think "ceasefire" means "everybody stops shooting." I might think "ceasefire" means "everybody stops shooting." But unless both parties think "ceasefire" means "everybody stops shooting," then that word doesn't mean what we think it means:
from al Jazeera (in case anybody wants to question the source):
... at the organisation's headquarters in Damascus, 100km from the territory, Musa Abu Marzouq, the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, told Al Jazeera why he believes his organisation is on the verge of victory against Israel.
Al Jazeera: Under what conditions will Hamas agree a ceasefire with Israel?
Abu Marzouq: We have three conditions for any peace initiative coming from any state.
First, the aggression of the Israelis should stop. All of the gates should be opened, including the gate of Rafah between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Finally, Israel has to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
We are not saying we will stop firing rockets from the Gaza Strip to Israel - we are only talking about stopping the aggression from the Israelis against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
When others talk about a ceasefire, they are saying all military operations should stop.
But we are sending a message [by firing rockets]: "We will not surrender. We have to fight the Israelis and we will win this battle."
We know we are going to lose a lot of people from our side, but we are going to win, inshallah.
Members of Hamas have said that Israel is using collective punishment by targeting civilians who support Hamas. But is Hamas' targeting of Israeli civilians also not a type of collective punishment?
We are defending ourselves.
When you talk about any occupation, people should resist the soldiers and the army who occupy their country.
We don't have weapons sophisticated enough to launch at exact targets.
We are sending a message: "You can't provide security to your side until you bring security to the Palestinian side."
We are looking for freedom and for security for the Palestinian people. This is our message to Israel.
They need to understand that we are working for an independent state.
How do you think Israel's war on Gaza will affect Hamas' position?
The Israeli push against Hamas has increased our popularity sharply among the Palestinian people and throughout the Muslim world.
After the Israelis killed Hamas leaders like Ahmed Yassin and Ismail Abu Shanab, Hamas won the elections with 76 seats out of a 132-seat parliament.
Using these means doesn't decrease the popularity of Hamas, it increases it.
What exactly would you consider to be "victory" for Hamas?
A victory for Hamas would mean the Israelis did not accomplish their objectives.
If they can't stop rockets from coming into Israel, that means they failed.
You keep saying "ceasefire." I don't think that word means what you think it means.