Hell has officially frozen in Gaza

[TOrrock]

I realize that the Palestinian people aren't a monolithic block, with the same ideas and attitudes, but I NEVER thought I'd see this......

[Buckaroo]

It sounds like these guys are at least as bad as Arafat in his prime!

[Bulldog1967]

We need to make sure both sides have enough ammo to finish the job.

[Grendelizer]

We need to make sure both sides have enough ammo to finish the job.

I second that emotion!

John

[cdvanns]

What? You can't trade land for security! Oh hell, why didn't somebody tell me? DAH!!!!!!!!!!

[Voodoochild]

I am suprised it took hamas this long to take over.

[Rmplstlskn]

I realize that the Palestinian people aren't a monolithic block, with the same ideas and attitudes, but I NEVER thought I'd see this......

Actually, when one fully understands the The Secret History of Islamic Terrorism, it makes perfect sense. They are a brutal, barbaric people with an even more violent religion that makes peace with NO ONE, not even their Arab brothers with different doctrinal beliefs. There is a power struggle within Islam that goes backs centuries...

I will say that the pics I have seen, besides the idiotic firing into the air, have shown decent weapon handling and tactics. I would bet that these guys in the pics are well trained and part of their elite forces... Not the usual rag-tag ghetto-blasters.

Rmpl

[Striker5]

The Palestinians have to choose between the crooked thugs of Arafat's old regime and the extremist nuts of Hamas. Hamas was elected because of their grass roots support system for the average joe. While it may be of dubious effectiveness and double as a terrorist recruiting system it seems to be actually helping some people which is more than the Fatah govt has done. It was also a sort of "no confidence vote" in the old guard of Palestinian leadership. While I am no fan of the Palestinians, Hamas has been around for some time and was never elected to a majority until very recently. Hamas will win the gunfight, lose the political battle and the Israelis are smart to stay out of it and let it play itself out.

It also bears mentioning that part of the problem is that these people were systematically booted off their own property a few decades ago. Brutal and ignorant savages they may be but they have been and are being royally screwed. If some guy kicked me off my property and made me go through checkpoints in my own land because of some passages in a Koran he doesn't even read anymore I would be pissed off, wouldn't you?.

[Rmplstlskn]

It also bears mentioning that part of the problem is that these people were systematically booted off their own property a few decades ago.

In 1844 - when the Land of Israel was controlled by the Turkish Muslims - the Turkish census counted 7,120 Jews and 5,000 Muslims living in Jerusalem.

Uh, yeah, right. But I won't hijack any further...

Rmpl

[Striker5]

We can exchange PM's if you want because I don't want to make anyone sit through rabbit chasing but you are way off. History is pretty clear. Jews and Arab Palestinians coexisted peacefully for over a thousand years (from about the 1st Century AD to the early 20th Century). Google Balfour Declaration, Lord Rothschild and Palestinian Mandate and learn how the British amped up Zionism ( a loaded word now, but a viable and active socio-political movement back then). Tensions between Jews and Palestinians in its modern incarnation was started by the immigration of Jews seeking to return to their homeland as described in the Torah. They set off some bombs too (google King David Hotel). I'll let the history books make my case.

As military/LE/gun totin' guys, our admiration for the Israelis' toughness and our disgust at the Palestinians backwardness can, in my opinion, have a tendency to cloud the whole story of what it is going on over there. But that's just me.

ETA:You lost me on the 1844 thing.