in re Submitted by Irish Savant (United States), Oct 11, 2007 at 15:26

Submitted by argawarga (United States), Oct 12, 2007 at 09:35

Regarding Israel and Zionism, and the comments in the earlier response:

While war is never a good thing, how many countries have prospered because they occupied and held land? Essentially, all of them. Without some conqueror hiring a mapmaker, the borders would not exist. How many countries have handed back to openly hostile enemies territories won in non-terrorist, shall we say legitimate war? Not counting those who invaded and failed, those who were defeated in war, etc. I know of only one: Israel.

And how many years must a nation endure snipers, artillery, rockets and suicide bombers before clearing out the spiders' nest(s) they originate from? Israel has been FORCED to act in the ways it has. Is it good or desirable to defend yourself in this manner? Arguably not. Has Israel been the aggressor? Only in the minds and propaganda of its rabid enemies and those taken in by their hatred. And sadly, by those in Israel who, either from good intent, jaded sense or lazy thinking, have given up on their own country's heritage.

Are there criminals, violent perpetrators of terrible deeds in Israel? Well, they're humans, so of course there are. They are no more despicable than any other group, and far, far less than most. Americans would have annihilated any enemy who'd attacked us in the same way Israel endures daily. (Well, let's not talk about W's bad aim in shooting at enemies. Iraq is a whole other topic.)

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