Words by me

You may have read about the recent Israeli bombardment of Gaza. I always follow the developments in this part of the world with interest, partly because they never fail to reveal the worst in mankind, and the most breathtaking stupidity, generally in the name of one or more gods.

The trophy for Greatest Moron of 2008 must be given to Meir Sheetrit, a man who said:

“The Israeli army must not stop the operation before breaking the will of the Palestinians, of Hamas, to continue to fire at Israel,”

Why is this so stupid? Well, the best explanation comes from Tom Segev, an Israeli historian:

“Since the dawn of the Zionist presence in the land of Israel, no military operation has ever advanced dialogue with the Palestinians.”

If the Israeli government want to break the will of the Palestinians to fire rockets at Israel, perhaps they should consider removing their motives, rather than giving them more. What better way to radicalise a people, to fire up a populace, than by using excessive force against an already beleaguered nation?

Bizarrely, I find myself cheering the good sense of THE POPE:

The pontiff urged both sides to restore a truce and not to yield to the “perverse logic of confrontation and violence”.

Sources:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/29/israel-gaza-military-strategy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/30/israel-gaza-attacks