Miguel Olivares said:"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." And
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.�-- Herman Goering.
It is painfully obvious that Bibi and his ilk have taken a page from Goering’s book.
Documentary: Israeli Military: treatment of Palestinian Children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5AkFlAeCHE
“Well Miguel, I guess we agree to disagree."I hope we can agree that both sides are responsible for committing crimes against humanity. I do not condone Palestinian militants using deadly force against Israeli civilians. I realize both sides are suffering. However:
“I mean I thought, perhaps, the Hamas using Palestinian kids as human shields� Do you have a reference for that statement? Here is something about the IDF using Palestinians as human shields:
Golani Warrior's testimony: IDF used Palestinians as human shields contrary to the Supreme Court http://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/1.1271184 --
http://www.hrw.org/news/2010/11/26/israel-soldiers-punishment-using-boy-human-shield-inadequate
“ Israeli soldiers have systematically used Palestinians as human shields. Since Israel’s incursion into the West Bank in 2002, it has used Palestinians as human shields by tying young Palestinians onto the hoods of their cars or forcing them to go into a home where a potential militant may be hiding.� http://www.thenation.com/article/180783/five-israeli-talking-points-gaza-debunked
“An investigation into the incident was launched last July, after a United Nations report on children in armed combat brought the details of the event to the military police's attention.
The indictment also relied on a complaint filed by the Israeli chapter of the Defense for Children organization. “ http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-soldiers-convicted-of-using-11-year-old-as-human-shield-in-gaza-1.316867
Most Palestinian children arrested are accused of having
thrown stones, an offense which can
carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, the committee said. Israeli soldiers had testified to the often arbitrary nature of the arrests.
The U.N. committee regretted Israel's "persistent refusal" to respond to requests for information on children in the Palestinian territories and occupied Syrian Golan Heights since the last review in 2002.
Many are brought in leg chains and shackles before military courts, while youths are held in solitary confinement, sometimes for months, the report said.
“in a war zone of their own doing might quaLify as "terrorism" but that's just my take on it."Their own doing? Surely you meant Israel’s doing: In the 1990s Israel accelerated the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements – unlawful under international law – on confiscated Palestinian land in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, virtually doubling the number of Israeli settlers there, and built an extensive network of roads to serve these settlements. The Israeli authorities also demolished hundreds of Palestinian homes, claiming that they were build without permits – which the Israeli authorities denied as a matter of policy.
https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/68000/mde210202007en.pdf
I guess an Israeli soldier asking a kid what his name is qualifies as something more in your mind.It’s more than just “asking�:
"continuous use of Palestinian children as human shields and informants", saying 14 such cases had been reported between January 2010 and March 2013 alone.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-palestinian-israel-children-idUSBRE95J0FR20130620
“ And the fact that videos of suspected perps, ie rock/bottle throwers, is a practice that just doesn't add up in your book.�No is does not add up AT ALL. The asymmetrical use of force is not justified according to human rights watch organizations like Amnesty International and Unicef. The violation of human rights by the IDF, and the Israeli government simply cannot be tolerated. It is disgraceful that the U.S. government, with its incessant propaganda machine claiming to be a champion for human rights and “democracy�, stands by a nation that repeatedly oppresses twelve million Palestinians. This double standard discredits both Israel, and the U.S.--in the face of irrefutable evidence.
