Arab League to ask UN for no-fly zone in Gaza

[Bosonic]

Source: AFP

Arab League Chief Amr Mussa said the organisation will ask the UN to impose a no-fly zone over Gaza, which Israel has pounded with air strikes in response to rocket fire.

Mussa told an emergency meeting of Arab League ambassadors that “the Arab bloc in the United Nations has been directed to ask for the convention of the Security Council to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza and impose a no-fly zone.”

Read more: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/April/middleeast_April211.xml§ion=middleeast

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Israeli news sites with essentially the same story:

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=215986

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4054848,00.html

[Poll_Blind]

1. Ah hah hah! Playing us to show what hipocrites we are!

:rofl:

PB

[UndertheOcean]

2. Hey , what is good for the goose and all that jazz

[Keith Bee]

4. Hallelujah!

[DavidDvorkin]

3. Would the UN then have the responsibility to stop rockets

being fired into Israel?

[Poll_Blind]

7. I would hope so!

PB

[JackRiddler]

28. Hamas abided by the cease-fire until Israel violated it prior to launching the Cast Lead atrocity.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

5. So our first step is to blow up Israeli runways

and all the aircraft in the Israeli air force?

We'll need some naval vessels to observe, too. How about the USS Liberty?

Or, let's just stay out of this one, let the UN send its air force to bomb Israel. I 'll put $10 on Israel, any takers?

[backwoodsbob]

12. i wouldnt take that bet

minus the usa nato would get their ass handed to them by Isreal

[quakerboy]

15. I wouldnt take that bet even NATO+USA

Israel might not have the numbers for staying power in a long war, but they can throw some real shit into the air on very short notice.

[KareBear]

6. A no fly zone could only hurt Gaza

Hamas blindly shoots missiles at civilians, Israel retaliates with precision air strikes. The Arab League doesn't want precision air strikes? Um, ok, Just blindly launch missiles back and let them fall where they may. Or maybe a nice sustained artillery barrage? As you just said, whats good for the goose is good for the gander. There are 750k people running for bomb shelters daily, living their lives in fear that any second a missile could fall on their homes. This is madness. Ask for a no missile zone and see how long that lasts. Hypocrites indeed. No other nation in the world would stand for this and yet Israel is not allowed to fully defend itself. The gut reaction is to fight for the "little guy" or the "oppressed" and thanks to some really great PR work its easy to think that that is the Arab population in the Gaza situation. When you look at the details, it is not. This is a struggle for a native population to regain and live in its own homeland against a foreign occupier, a 13.4 million native Jewish population versus 1.57 billion Arabs. The UN can't help Israel, there are 57 Muslim nations voting against the 1 Israel. Somehow the world can't see this for what it is. I can only guess they are blinded by oil.

[Change Happens]

10. WOW!!! I think poor Israel has suffered enough! Don't you think?

Over 60 years of having to occupy those damn people...

[quakerboy]

16. You misrepresent the situation

Precision airstrikes is not an accurate description of all the actions of the Israeli Military. Not by a long shot.

Israel does not stand alone in the UN. The US, with a permanent veto and the loudest voice and the biggest military stand behind them at every step of the way. Name any one of those 57 muslim nations with the power of the USA.

The land there is the native homeland to BOTH sides.

There is no "good guy" or "bad guy". Both sides are both. There is no little guy/big guy. Again, both sides are both.

[KareBear]

19. I humbly disagree with all three points

I tried to find out if this quote was factual or not and could find no articles refuting the it, so I'll let it stand for itself.

"March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview with Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The land is not a native homeland to both sides. The west is being played for a sucker, yet again. We're fighting war after war in a region few people in the US understand and going bankrupt for it both morally and financially.

Also to your first point, Israel is making the greatest possible effort at precision counter attacks. As we've seen even with the US's systems, 100% precision can't be guaranteed. Anything is better than wildly shooting missiles and hitting school bus's and kindergartens however.

[quakerboy]

23. You are entitled to do so.

I will take my information on the topic from people I personally know and personally trust, who have lived there.

There are homes that have been family homes for years, generations, that are forced to empty and are then taken over by Israeli's. And if the PLO had its way, the reverse would also be true. The only thing that keeps Palestinians from taking over homes and land that have been Israeli for many years is the fact they have no force to do so with.

Whether there is a separate independent Palestinian people has nothing to do with whether a particular family may have a claim to this or that bit of land that has been claimed by another family. The area is a native homeland to both groups of people, but neither wishes to share it. At this point the Arabs involved have no choice, lacking force to change the situation.

Also, in regard to your specific quote, things may change in 34 years(44 since the 6 day war that changed the boundaries drastically). That is 2 generation of Palestinians, born and grown up separated from other Arabs, who are living in a tough situation and are blocked out of Jordan, Syria, etc. I think it is reasonable to think that these Palestinians may have no great love of nor wish to join their neighbors today, even if given the chance, knowing that they were rejected when the need was greatest. But that is a separate argument.

As for missiles... sure. They try, but mistakes will be made. But fact is that the Israelis do not use only missiles. They use guns and tanks and bulldozers. And they do not use those with precision. They use them with brute force, and anyone in the way is destroyed whether they be terrorist or kindergartner. They have their reasons, but it still happens.

I stand by what I have said. There are many Black hats in this situation, and neither side is "good" or "innocent". The ones perpetuating violence on both sides of it are wrong. And the kids and other civilians that get blown up, shot, etc are the victims, no matter their religious heritage.

[KareBear]

30. This is not a conflict defined since the 1940's

The problem is this isn't a conflict defined in range beginning with the 1940's. Yes its sad that two generations were born and raised on land that wasn't theirs to begin with, but it doesn't change the overall big picture of the situation. I spoke to a friend from Syria and he fervently believes that Zionist Israel wants to take over the entire Middle East. This is ridiculous. All Israel wants is a Jewish Homeland on their own ancestral land.

I think we can all agree that Britain royally screwed up the whole region post WWII and we're still trying to figure things out because of it. In my opinion, if this were any other nation, or any other peoples, there would be genocide. In Europe, historically, there is only a peaceful democracy so long as there is a 70% ethnic/religious majority. When the mix becomes less than that civil war and genocide tends to break out until things are back into that ratio again.

The basic problem comes down to big picture historical fact. There are only two ways to take and keep land.

1) Interbreed with the people that are there and push your culture into theres - This works for awhile and has many examples such as most of South America, Scotland, Northern Ireland, all of North Africa etc. China is currently trying to do this to Tibet. This almost always comes back to bite the invader in the long run. From a religious point of view a Jew is not allowed to marry a NonJew so this is clearly not an option (yes some do, some of my Hindi friends eat Big Macs too).

2) Decimate the population of the people that are there, then replace it- The US did this to the Native Americans, the Spanish to many Caribbean Islands, many countries in Africa are doing this to each other every day. While obviously the most successful way of doing things, it clearly is not a moral option by todays sensibilities.

So we are left with no options. This horrible stalemate will continue indefinitely. Had this conflict began in 1840s and not 1940s things would have been entirely different, not saying that it would have been RIGHT, just that other nations have done far worse with apparently no backlash. I don't think that modern society has learned a third option to these two choices yet for taking and holding large sections of land.

[quakerboy]

31. That i would agree with, I think

Its a problem without an immediate solution. Both sides see that they are right, and both sides stop considering and start acting at that point, without considering that the other side might be right as well.

I don't know what could solve the problem. I have on occasion proposed flippantly drastic solutions(eg, country swapping), so perhaps it it is best I do not have the power to enforce my ideas. I do feel certain that maintaining the status quo will not change anything in the near term future, and the tragedy will be continued. But the available solutions seem likely to be even worse. So what to do?

[brandywine]

8. Never gonna happen, though it is a logical plea, considering recent events.

Israel's actions against the Palestinians, reminds me of our actions against the native Americans.

[KareBear]

20. except completely in reverse

In this case it would be more like the Native Americans, having retaken what was stolen from them by the Europeans, being constantly bombarded with missiles from the remnant of the European strongholds.

[brandywine]

21. Not

[Kurska]

33. A mature and insightful response if I've ever seen one n/t

[tootrueleft]

34. Cheers. Its easy to forget looking at gaza that Israel is the real victim here.

What a joke.

[Change Happens]

9. ROFLMAO: A good one!!!

Good luck...

[Baclava]

11. Fuck you Arab League. You got your 'no-fly zone' for the year in Libya, your credit is used up

How about we just light off another couple hundred Tomahawks into Syria instead?

You know, to save all those innocent protestors being slaughtered.

[hack89]

13. So Israel uses less accurate artillery to attack rocket launching sites

better be careful what you ask for.

[Kurska]

This exactly this. n/t

[Kurska]

17. This exactly this. n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

14. More stupidity from the Arab League.

[dipsydoodle]

18. I assume this is based on

either you play ball or we stop playing ball.

[rayofreason]

22. I'd love to see....

...the UN bomb Hamas rockets sites shooting indiscriminately at Israeli civilians instead of having Israel do it.

Under those conditions (as long as the UN really follows through) I am sure the Israelis would be happy to stop bombing Hamas themselves.

[King_David]

25. yep,I agree.

[KareBear]

26. I second that

The problem is the UN has shown itself incapable of dealing with terrorist organizations like Hezbollah who rearmed right under their noses.

[The abyss]

24. Recommend! Now this is an idea we should bring to the forefront!

If the US ever needed any credibility it would certainly be in the here and now.

After all - how many billions do the US taxpayers pour on to the nation of Israel?

A whole lot of "democracy" going into gaza :evilfrown:

[KareBear]

27. Let Egypt take Gaza then

This is a great opportunity for Egypt to ask for and receive Gaza now that they have changed governments. Israel has tried to give it to them many times but they refuse. I'm sure their Arab brothers and sisters will welcome them gladly right? Right?

[The abyss]

29. yes, a possibility. The mubarak regime is, after all, no longer in power

Perhaps Egypt will return to the diplomacy years of anwar sadat?

Perhaps Egypt will strike off on a totally different course - creating new history?

Perhaps the US taxpayers will wake up!

[defendandprotect]

32. It's Israel's to give away? Interesting concept!

[nalnn]

35. Sorry about my dupe topic but here's my question.

I may not be all that familiar with how a NFZ works, but I do know that Gaza is a relatively small place. Also, that Israel has precision guided missles and bomds in their Air Force arsenal. It seems that the IAF would not have to fly "over" Gaza to continue bombing it, no?