Please, for the sake of the issue at hand, I very much prefer this to not become a political debate. As I understand that that is not very likely, keep it far above the average level of civility and respect.
Tonight, three Arab terrorists went into a Yeshiva (Jewish place of study) in Kiryat Moshe, with explosive belts and guns, and started shooting. As of now, two are dead, and the third is expected to be apprehended within the next half hour perhaps. The estimated death toll is eight as of now, with a few others wounded.
Earlier in the past two weeks, Israel made a military move into Gaza to take out various militants. Around 100 people are said to have been killed, of which Israel claims 90+% were militants. Other sources claim various percentages from 50% up to Israel's claimed 90%. Regardless, there WERE innocent lives lost in the move. The move was in response to the advancement in the range and choice of targets by Arab rockets, as they are now hitting the city of Ashkelon. This puts the number of civilians in range of these rockets up from 25,000, to somewhere around 250,000 who are threatened.
Both the Israeli government and Hamas proclaim that they will be pushing much harder in the future against their counter-part.
For nearly two years there was a relative calm in Israel, until these past two weeks. Now, it has been broken by both sides, and this beautiful country is being torn apart by baseless hatred again.
I feel no side is in the right, and that both sides are in the wrong. All of these events are tragic. That nearly three rockets a day have been falling on Sderot (an Israeli town), that innocent lives had to be lost in a move that was quite obviously a revenge attack, and that three men could walk into a house of worship and study, and shoot un-armed men.
I would just like to take a figurative moment of silence here, in mourning for all the lives lost, Palestinian or Israeli, Zionist militant or radical Muslim. Life is life, and while its loss is inevitable, this whole situation need not happen.
I am on a two month study-abroad program in Jerusalem, and today we went to see the places where Christianity was born.
Today we went to see the birth places of Christianity, the Church of Ascension (from afar), and went inside the place where the Last Supper was to have happened, the Church of Visitation/John The Baptist, and the Church of Mary Magdalene. At the place of the Last Supper, a Christian group of pilgrims went in after us and started singing prayers. It was beautiful, watching them. I have never had the opportunity to see anyone but Jews pray with passion before, and that too is beautiful, but this was new. Afterwards, we sat outside the supposed "Tomb of King David" (Jews do not believe that is his burial place, but many Christians and Muslims do), and got a small lecture. As my teacher was finishing his lecture on a personal view on the anti-Judaic feelings many early Christians had, an Orthodox Yeshivanick was listening (the site is owned by the Diaspora Yeshiva). He listened as my teacher said things along the lines of "It is sad that Jews and Christians have had such bad relations over the past two thousand years, because really, they are simply two ways of loving the same God".
The man who was listening was what I would call a Zionist militant (except for his age). He does NOT represent the typical Israeli at all, just as a very important note. Why is his mention important? He said what my teacher was saying was horrible and disgusting. He said "how could you (my teacher) say such nasty things about Jews? The Europeans killed all of their Jews, how could you love them!" My teacher responded that he was in fact a Jew, and the man responded, "I sincerely doubt this...."
It is absolutely disgusting....that murder happens, almost easily, here, and that there is so much hate. Not even for the "other guys out here", but for each other, too. And that the extremists get their voice heard by the news, and that somehow, the government is at least doing what they ask even somewhat.....
Discuss if you want, share similar stories or thoughts. Just please, for the sake of the eight dead tonight, and the hundred dead from before....keep this discussion at the utmost level of respect
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Originally Posted by CdocZ
