Will this increase or decrease the likelihood of terrorist actions in America, Europe and the rest of the world?

If you were a member of a family murdered in this conflict, would you be seeking revenge?

Should Tzipi Livni and Ehud Olmert, be tried for war crimes if or when this conflict comes to an end?

What will the price of oil be in 4 weeks time?

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Israel's long term aim appears to be that all of the area including the West Bank and Israel should be called Israel with Palestinians living there as they do in Israel (which is effectively as second class citizens). Hamas and many other Palestinian groups want all of the same combined area to be called Palestine with Israeli's living within it.

It is wrong to assume that Hamas or any other Palestinian group is anti-semetic. They have said many times that they are happy for Jews to live in a land called Palestine. When control of Gaza was handed back to Palestinians, Israel ordered all Israeli settlers and citizens to withdraw back to Israel. This was not a request from Hamas. Interestingly, a few months ago, Israel offered all Jews living in Tunisia the option of leaving and going to Israel. The Jewish community in Tunisia turned Israel down saying that they were perfectly happy in Tunisia.

The area is stuck in an impass. Obama and Netenyahu both have looming elections and cannot upset their backers. The Arab Spring and all that has brought and will bring with it could not have come at a worse time for either leader. Their hands are tied and their destinies set while the Palestinians are on the point of a major change in tactics and attitude. Israel over the last couple of years has managed to upset the international community in so many ways. The US is committed to support Israel like it or not and it seems that Obama in particular doesn't like it.

Israels deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon has said that his government would not halt building in occupied Jerusalem.

He said in a press statement on Saturday that building in Jerusalem is out of the discussion about construction or settlement expansion in the West Bank.

Israel will continue building in Jerusalem and all its suburbs now and in future, he added.

The Israeli government recently endorsed the building of a new suburb south of occupied Jerusalem that would isolate the city from the West Bank and would include the construction of 2610 housing units.

Does the liberation of 1000 Palestinians for 1 Israeli soldier have any relevance to the value the Israeli administration places on the individual value of human life. Especially in that of Arabs and Israeli.

Although the liberation of the prisoners is welcome, it also points out the arrogance and values of the present administration.

When the Israeli was captured, Hamas wanted 250 prisoners for him. Israel was warned by their own defence experts to go for the deal as they would probably pay 1,000 soliers in years to come. Israel thought they could find him and virtually every Israeli spy discovered in Gaza had an additional task, which was to find the soldier. Of course they didn't find him and Israel has released 1,027 prisoners. They still hold around 11,000. The Israel soldier made a point of saying that he was well treated after he was released. That is better treatment than the Palestinian prisoners get in Israel jails. It is to be expected that more soldiers will be captured. It is a good bargaining chip. Lebanon captured and exchanged prisoners over quite a long time, freeing around 5,000 Lebanese held in Israeli jails.

There has been much said about freeing terrorists, but the bulk of prisoners are held without charge under administrative detention. Just being a supporter of Hamas is enough to get a whole family detained. If a Palestinian in the West Bank is asked to go to be interviewed by the occupation forces and refuses then they arrest his brother, sister, mother etc and hold them until he reports for a dose of questioning and torture.

Netenyahu has only agreed to the deal because his popularity is at rock bottom and he has elections looming.

I would judge the decision Netenyahu made, will add to his popularity.

His judgement and actions seem to belong to a bygone age.

May he go with them.

It's the UK and international strong presence in these processes, by displacement of these people which remains the most effective policy . A large proportion of Identity checks are are made but are still able to transfer cross border because country boundaries don't really exist now. imo

But no one wishes to recognise this now.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/unesco-grants-palestine-full-membership-1.392974

Out of 173 countries voting, 107 were in favour, with 14 opposed and more than 40 abstentions.

At Unesco, the US does not have veto power.

UNESCO grants Palestine full membership

United States, Canada, and Germany vote against Palestinian membership.

The United Nations' cultural agency decided on Monday to give the Palestinians full membership of the body, a vote that will boost their bid for recognition as a state at the United Nations.

UNESCO is the first UN agency the Palestinians have sought to join as a full member since President Mahmoud Abbas applied for full membership of the United Nations on Sept. 23.

The United States, Canada and Germany voted against Palestinian membership. Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa and France voted in favor. Britain abstained.

U.S. lawmakers had threatened to withhold some $80 million in funding to UNESCO if it approved Palestinian membership.

U.S. officials opposed the Palestinian UNESCO request and say it could harm renewed efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Palestinian officials are seeking full membership in the United Nations, but because that effort is expected to take some time, they separately pursued membership at Paris-based UNESCO.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15518173

The UN cultural organisation has voted strongly in favour of membership for the Palestinians - a move opposed by Israel and the United States.

The Palestinian move has put Unesco in a bind.

Following a US law passed in the 1990s, America says it would cut funding to any UN body that admitted Palestine as a full member.

That amounts to $70m (43.7m) a year - over 20% of Unesco's entire budget.

I wonder if USA would passed a law to restrict subsidies to Israel.

This is an interesting story, bearing in mind Israel's paranoia about Iran having nuclear weapons, especially as Israel is probably the most war like country in the ME.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-israel-seeking-to-upgrade-its-nuclear-weapons-capabilities-1.392957

Report: Israel seeking to upgrade its nuclear weapons capabilities
Israel is extending the range of its Jericho 3 missiles and upgrading its sea-based cruise missiles, according to an independent U.K. commission report published in the Guardian.

Israel is working on improving its nuclear weapons capabilities, according to a report by the independent Trident commission in the United Kingdom that was published in the Guardian newspaper on Monday.

According to the report in the Guardian, Israel is extending the range of its Jericho 3 land-to-land missiles so they will have the capabilities of transcontinental missiles.

Transcontinental missiles are generally thought of as missiles with ranges of about 5,000 miles.

The Guardian also reported that Israel is also striving to improve and expand the capabilities of its cruise missiles, designed to be launched from submarines. Israel currently has three submarines and two more are under construction in Germany. Israel and Germany are holding talks about the construction of a sixth submarine.

According to foreign media reports, Israel's submarines are meant to give Israel a "second strike" nuclear option, meaning that Israel can strike back with nuclear weapons from submarines at hidden locations at sea even if its nuclear weapons stored on land are harmed in an enemy nuclear strike.

According to the report in the Guardian, the world's nuclear states are planning to spend more than $800 billion in the coming years to modernize and upgrade their nuclear arsenals. The United States itself will spend $700 billion dollars on such projects. Other countries that will reportedly invest in upgrading their nuclear arsenals are Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Israel, France and Britain.

A UN report has affirmed that Israel's blockade on the impoverished Gaza Strip is illegal and demanded an immediate end to it.

This came in the 43rd report that was submitted to the UN general assembly during its 66th session by the special committee that is commissioned to probe and report about Israel's violations against the Palestinians in the occupied territories.

The report mentioned at length the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza and its impacts on education, health, housing, employment and human development.

It condemned Israel's actions against Gaza as mass punishment against civilians, and a violation of the international humanitarian law, adding that Israel also violated its obligations under international law of human rights.

The committee demanded Israel to end its illegal blockade on Gaza and ensure regular and adequate entry of food, medicines and other vital need to it in compliance with resolution 1860 that was issued by the UN security council in 2009.

The committee also called on Israel to end its restrictions on fishing activities in Gaza territorial waters and allow Palestinian fishermen to go 20 nautical miles out to sea according to the Oslo accords it signed in 1994.

The committee recommended in its report that the UN security council and its general assembly should consider imposing sanctions against the Israeli government for its persistent refusal to cooperate with UN bodies and respect their resolutions.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/with-unesco-membership-granted-palestinians-seek-to-join-16-more-un-agencies-1.393134

With UNESCO membership granted, Palestinians seek to join 16 more UN agencies

World Health Organization, Intellectual Property Organization and Atomic Agency are among the organizations where the PA will request full membership.

After being granted full membership at the United Nations' cultural agency UNESCO, the Palestinian Authority is seeking to become a member of the World Health Organization and of 15 smaller UN agencies. The forum of eight senior Israeli government ministers will convene later on Tuesday to discuss Israel's response to the matter.

A source at the foreign ministry said that the Palestinian Health Minister, Fathi Abu Moghli, was sent last week by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to meet with the chief of the WHO office in the West Bank, and updated him on the Palestinians' intention to apply for full membership in the organization.

Excellent thread. Some home truths being posted, about the vile Israeli government's policies against the dispossessed and oppressed.

Keep up the good work Haystack and co.

Excellent thread. Some home truths being posted, about the vile Hamas government's policies against the dispossessed and oppressed.

Their own people.

By the way did you notice how thin and pale Gilad Shalit looked like compared to the well nourished palestinians who were released??

And did you notice how thin and pale he has always looked especially in the photos and video of him before he was even captured? Some people are just pale and thin. He did say that he was well treated.

You might also like to see the torture scars that Palestinians bear after being in Israeli prisons.

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http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-navy-tracks-new-gaza-bound-flotilla-1.393365

Israel Navy tracks new Gaza-bound flotilla

Two ships leave Turkey carrying between 20 to 30 pro-Palestinian activists; IDF says plans to intercept vessels, offer them to dock at Ashdod or port in Egypt.

The Israeli Navy is tracking two ships, believed be part of a new flotilla to Gaza, that departed Wednesday from Turkey headed for the Gaza Strip, according to the IDF spokesperson.

The IDF intends to intercept the vessels if they continue on their course.

According to information obtained by security services, the two ships left Turkey after announcing their intentions to sale to Rhodes. There is no information presently that indicates Turkish involvement in the flotilla.

The passengers on the two ships are believed to be activists in two pro-Palestinian organizations from Ireland and Canada.

According to IDF estimates, the two ships - a small ship named Al-Tahrir and a yacht are carrying between twenty to thirty people. Judging by the speed of the ships and the conditions at sea, the IDF estimates that the ships will arrive in Gaza between Thursday night and early Friday morning.

The Israeli Navy intends to radio the ships and offer them to dock and unload equipment at the port in Ashdod or in an Egyptian port. A senior defense official said Wednesday that in any case, we will not let them reach Gaza. The naval blockade is legal and was even recently approved by the Palmer committee. This is an incident that is intended mainly to draw media attention, he said.

The first Gaza flotilla set sail from Turkey in May 2010. The six-vessel convoy had the intention of breaking through a comprehensive blockade Israel had placed on the coastal territory.

The navy took control of five of the ships without incident, but resistance by activists on the sixth vessel led to clashes that claimed the lives of nine of the boat's passengers, and left dozens of activists and soldiers wounded.

Israel had requested that the flotilla turn off its course, and head for the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the aid it was carrying could be transferred via land to Gaza. This was rejected by the flotilla, leading Israel to dispatch its troops to intercept the ships before they reached Gaza.

The action was condemned internationally, in particular by Turkey, which recalled its ambassador and branded Israel a "terrorist state."

The most recent flotilla attempt in July 2011 did not reach Gaza shores.

When Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas presented their case at the United Nations, and beg in the most humane manner for any crumb which might fall from their table. Palestinians came to the negotiating table and the Israelis to discover the centrality of historical narrative in the conflict.

Reconciliation, we have by finding their identity and to borrow a metaphor from our tardy spring is strutting about in borrowed plumes. We saw elements of the Israeli and Palestinian historical narratives in the recent UN speeches, some political cuckoo if I may without disrespect . they are mirrors of each other? we need to learn this delay entailed the loss .

One side is reasonable, the other unreasonable?

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Israels new Cutting Edge Airport Security



TEL AVIV, Israel The Israelis are developing an airport security device that eliminates the privacy concerns that come with full-body scanners. It's an armoured booth you step into that will not X-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on your person.
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> Israel sees this as a win-win situation for everyone, with none of this crap about racial profiling. It will also eliminate the costs of long and expensive trials.
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> You're in the airport terminal and you hear a muffled explosion. Shortly thereafter, an announcement: Attention to all standby passengers, El Al is proud to announce a seat available on flight 670 to London . Shalom!