Palestinians painted as animals while Israel goes scot-free

[shaayecanaan]

Over the years, Palestinians have been accused of terrible things. The Israelis claim that we use our children as human shields. Despite propagating this lie repeatedly, Israel has never provided conclusive proof of it. Nonetheless, the lie has come to be accepted as ''truth''.

Yet contrary to such misconceptions, Amnesty International says in its report ''Israel/Gaza Operation 'Cast Lead': 22 days of death and destruction'' that it was Israeli soldiers who used Palestinians as human shields.

Amnesty's conclusion was unambiguous. It "did not find evidence that Hamas or other Palestinian groups violated the laws of war to the extent repeatedly alleged by Israel … In particular, it found no evidence that Hamas or other fighters directed the movement of civilians to shield military objectives from attacks." But it did find ''that Israeli forces on several occasions during Operation 'Cast Lead' forced Palestinian civilians to serve as 'human shields'.''

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/palestinians-painted-as-animals-while-israel-goes-scotfree-20100304-plog.html

[IndianaGreen]

1. There is plenty of blame to go around

Both sides, and their backers, have demonized their opposites.

A point being missed is that the 2-state solution has become a pipe dream. No Israeli government can withdraw from the West Bank without triggering a civil war. No Palestinian government can be trusted when it comes to its ultimate goals towards the existence of Israel.

While there are genuine peacemakers on both sides, they are not enough to make a difference.

[Violet_Crumble]

2. I read that article this morning and it's really excellent...

I totally agree with his view of Rudd's wimpiness when it comes to the govt's attitude to Israel...