So sue me, I reposted this from the foreign affairs spot because I was unhappy with the discussion (or complete lack thereof) over there. Come on, you guys have ideas. I think we should talk about this.

Also, for a pro-Palestinian view (and yet very informative regardless of your opinion), please watch link. It will fascinate you. I loved it so much when I saw it live in Seattle, I bought the script.

I'm Pro-Israeli. They have been attacked by Palestinians for ages. They have tried to be peaceful but the palestinians have been killing innocent people for ages who represent freedom and democracy.

It is pro-Israelis I think who should especially watch the video I linked, meg.

Just to argue for the Palestinian point, meg, a few facts.

There are Israeli terrorist attacks that are less likely to make the American news due to the media bias. The 1947 agreement that pro-Israelis claim would have stopped the conflict would have given the 1/3 Israeli minority fifty-five percent of all the land, which would have still been about fifty percent Muslim anyway. The Israeli army and government has engaged in less than savory means in order to keep the population in check. For every two Israeli lives lost, there are seven Palestinian lives lost. And granted, while the Palestinians have a greater population, those are still people dying and no one is doing anything about it.

In conclusion, I leave you with a Rachel Corrie quote:

"You asked me about non-violent resistence, and I mentioned the first intifada. The vast majority of Palestinians right now, as far as I can tell, are engaging in Gandhian non-violent resistence... Who do you think these families are that I tell you about, who won't take any money from us even though they are very, very poor, and who say to us: 'We are not a hotel. We help you because we think maybe you will go and tell people in your country that you lived with Muslims. We think they will know that we are good people. We are quiet people. We just want peace'? Do you think I'm hanging out with Hamas fighters? These people are being shot at every day and they continue to go about their business as best they can in the sights of machine guns and rocket launchers. Isn't that basically the epitome of non-violent resistence?"

Rachel Corrie, in an e-mail response to her mother while staying in Rafah.

No offense Cinders, but right now I don't have 90 minutes to watch it. If there was a transcript version I would read it. I am not one-sided I am aware of the situation on both sides. In order to create peace between both sides Jerusalem will have to become a neutral city. We all have different beliefs and backgrounds. There's an article about how the Palestinian's are brainwashing the children. They need to be taught both sides not brainwashed by hatred.



****Israel and Palestine should be one state, with a government that is shared by both Israeli and Palestinians. The two people must fuse. Otherwise, they will destroy each other.(Ananda Tara Shan)***************

If your going to argue for the Palestinian why have you picked It's complicated. Shouldn't you be arguing for both. Please don't contradict yourself.

I DO believe that Israel has grievances. Palestine is NOT innocent in this at ALL, but neither is Israel. And since I like a healthy debate, I tend to argue the opposite side when someone else chooses one.

You don't have to watch it, but if you want to pick up the script, it exists. I own it.

Also, while I believe Israel has rights to the land, as much as the Palestinians, I also have to admit I do have a slight bias considering most of my Mid-Eastern friends are pro-Palestinian. Interestingly, most of my American friends are pro-Israeli. But after seeing American news on the conflict and Egyptian news on the conflict, and watching Rachel Corrie and subsequently purchasing the script, I try to get as well-rounded a view on the topic as possible but I still find I lead towards the Palestinian side because of the sheer magnitude of Palestinian deaths versus Israeli deaths.

EDIT: I don't mean to attack you. Sorry if it comes off that way. Like I said, when someone chooses one side, I'm going to argue the other for the sheer purpose of intellectual growth. :o) You're free to be pro-Isreali

I will definatley read the script. I like to know both sides of an arguement It's the only way for a fair debate. I just feel that the jews/israeli's have been persecuted enough.

Of course they have. And they suffer in Israel still, I agree. The reason I support both and don't support either at the same time is because both sides are suffering gravely, and I don't think it's fair to say that one Israeli death is more tragic than one Palestinian death simply because the Israeli is Jewish and his people have already suffered persecution. The death of an Israeli is just as tragic as the death of a Palestinian.

Admittedly we (as the Western World) are partially to blame for this conflict. Plenty of Jews fled to the Holy Land from Europe in WWII simply because they had nowhere else to go. They claimed the land as theirs, as it was theirs before the Muslims came to call it their holy land, even though it was populated at that time by a majority of Muslims.

In my opinion, it's irrelevant who was there first, the fact of the matter is that there are people-- all sorts of diverse peoples-- that are there NOW and they need to address that issue.

I agree with your Ananda Tara Shan quote by the way. I do think they need to focus on their similarities more than their differences to unite was one people, but that's easier said than done.

EDT: Another relevant Rachel Corrie quote:

“The scariest thing for non-Jewish Americans in talking about Palestinian self-determination is the fear of being or sounding anti-Semitic. The people of Israel are suffering and Jewish people have a long history of oppression. We still have some responsibility for that, but I think it’s important to draw a firm distinction between the policies of Israel as a state, and Jewish people. That’s kind of a no-brainer, but there is very strong pressure to conflate the two. I try to ask myself, whose interest does it serve to identify Israeli policy with all Jewish people?”

i think that not only should you watch rachel coorie but watch promises. it is not biased at all.in fact, it is a very interesting documentary about the children in both israel and palestine. also, you see some kids from both countries interact and beacome friends. very interesting

jamislife-- do you have a link? Is it on DVD? Where can I find it?

I've seen "Promises". I agree that it's not biased at all. Here's a link to the website: link

Wow. I watched the preview. Rest assured it is now at the top of my NetFlix list.

I like what that girl said in the video, about getting Palestinian and Israeli kids to meet. I think that was a... a good-- no-- BRILLIANT idea.

I have been thinking about this one for a while and have not solidifying my opinion yet... will get back to you.

Y'know before the 14 day Lebanese-Israeli war, I would've been totally Pro-Israel, but afterwards, now I'm kinda going, "What the hell!?" And even more, one time a guest speaker came to our school and began to tell us all about the curfews, and the walls, and the harassment caused by Israeli forces onto Palestinians. And just because there have been several terrorist attacks caused by Palestinians doesn't mean that is how all of them feel. They were there FIRST, they deserve a share of the land, too, assholes.

jeruslelum should go to..... wait for it.......................... the english that would stop everything

I definitely understand your point, brclnarocks, and as I've said and as megloveskyle has rightfully pointed out, while I believe both sides have suffered, and while I believe in discussions and forgiveness more than supporting a specific side, I do have pro-Palestinian leanings. Because of Rachel Corrie, because of the Egyptians, because of the lack of freedoms of the Palestinians, because of the prejudice against them in the Western world, I end up arguing pro-Palestinian most of the time.

There are instances when I argue pro-Israeli.

But generally only when the prejudice against the Israeli government extends to his people.

One thing I advocate more than all else is to separate Israeli and Palestinian policy from the people they supposedly "represent." Political propaganda encourages the people to hate each other, but most of them are tired of fighting. However they're both afraid to lay down their arms because then they'll be defenseless. It's a cycle perpetuated by Palestinian terrorism and the Israeli army and the US funding Israel, which forges mistrust amongst the Palestinians. With Rabin, we made real progress (Damn, I had to respect Rabin even though he was an Israeli official) and then he was assassinated-- by an Israeli, no less, who felt that in trying to negotiate peace with Clinton and Arafat he was betraying his own people. One step forward, two steps back.\

Robbie-- the English? LOL!

OK, I finished Promises the other day-- Fantastic movie, I loved it, really. Everyone should see it.

It should have won an Oscar in 2002, when it was nominated.

It's tough, because both groups were "promised" this land. I don't really know anything about the conflict other than that, but this is how I'll stay.

First of all who gives the Israelis the right to come and take another people's land and home. How would u feel if someone came, took your home, killed your husband and threw u out of your own homeland?
So I think the Palestinians have a right to fight back, so they can get their home back.

Really this whole thing is the UK's fault but whats done is done and both sides have to work together on this. However I do feel Israel has done work towards peace.

How do you think they've worked towards peace, lin_b, out of curiosity? Any more so than the Palestinians or Abu Mazan anyway?

sorry to say, but I hate it, Amoora, when people asume Isreali just came and took the land. Most Isrealis bought it. As in: it was sold voluntarily. And for the 'killed your husband' part... what the heck? they are at war, yes, but both sides have losses.

didn't mean to single you out, it's just that you're comment what something I've heard a little too much. :)

One side is no more innocent than the other. Both Israel and Palestine have done awful, horrendous things, and there's not a clear-cut answer as to "Which is right and which is wrong." Let's just say I'm Pro-Both Countries Coming To Their Senses. And I sincerely don't want to offend any Israelis or Palestinians, or people on either side, when I say that.

^^^^ Round of applause for that comment.

Really, no ones to blame. People on both sides have done terrible things, and now it's just a vicious cycle. It's unfair to say the Isrealis just siezed the land, which isn't entirely true, but it's also unfair to say that the Palestinians caused the conflict, which isn't entirely true either. I do think the people setting off bombs and murdering people are wrong, but those people are on both sides. On the other hand, you could argue that the so called "terrorists" probably think that they're protecting their people from a foreign goverment that is killing them. In the end, it really makes no difference whose fault it was. Taking sides is the opposite of what we want to do. People should be looking for solutions, not assigning blame.

i hate isreal their A group of criminals fighting and killing Sinless Palestinian who got nothing to Defend them selves with Except Stones they don't even have guns and Coward Israelis use a Sophisticated weapons on them fuck isreal their a Shame on humanity

I personally side with the Palestinians, I mean, it was their country, but then the Israelis came and basically took over, and now the Palestinians are suffering. It really doesn't seem fair at all to them.

i agree with this quote

****Israel and Palestine should be one state, with a government that is shared by both Israeli and Palestinians. The two people must fuse. Otherwise, they will destroy each other.(Ananda Tara Shan)***************

Then why do you claim to support Israel, over Palestine, if you think they should come together?

I feel bad for the Palestinians, but I understand why the isreal-people are doing that. :P

The Arab community is pitting Palestinians against the Israelites. The areas the Palestinians are allowed to travel was/is being so limited that it pushes many to poverty. This is to cause a stronger need to reclaim land from Israel. Not only that, but Palestinians are called traitors by the Islam community, not when they don't resist, but when they don't resist ENOUGH. This conflict was staged.

^^ Um, could you cite your sources? Palestinians are restricted to specific places, but that's the Israeli's doing, not the Arabs. See my many, many posts above.

Palestinians are NOT called traitors by Islam or Arabs when they don't resist. In fact, Arabs support the Palestinian struggle. But they DO condemn the terrorist acts of Hammas - THOSE are the "traitors" they don't support, not the Palestinian people. What's MY source you ask? Um, how about four years in Egypt, watching coverage of the war in Egyptian cafes, and chatting about the issue with Egyptian cabbies.

Not to mention Rachel Corrie and If Americans Knew.

By the way, how exactly can you stage this war? It was caused by (among other things) World War II, Western Guilt, and huge ethnic and religious tension. That's no script for some staged production, that's a friggen RECIPE for a war.

i support israel because for a couple reasons. first of all,many anti-zionist muslim and palestinian groups, call for the genocide of the jews. i can't support them since those groups are genocidal, and i wish the civilian palestinians would uprise against those groups.

secondly, i personally believe that some palenstinians have some jewish ancestry that they aren't aware of , since the romans weren't able to chase out all the jews in israel. so instead of fighting against their distant relatives, they should assimilate in israeli society(even the non-jewish ones).

I'm with Grahamgirl2. I want the war to end. It's time to open a new chapter. This horrible chapter in their history needs to come to a close.

@ponyboy- There are also many anti-Palestine groups. You can't judge the whole of the Palestinians on the minority groups that always, funnily enough, seem to get excess media coverage.

How is ancestry relevent to the issue? If indeed it has, I could turn that comment on its heaad and say that since the Jewish people have common ancestors with the Palestinians, maybe the Jewish should assimilate into the Palestinian society- the Palestinians were there first, after all, and are not to pay for the misfortunes of history.

you got your history wrong, or maybe your history lessons were fraught with errors on purpose! The palestinians were never there first. The land were inhabited by long-extinct ancient civilizations, the Sumerians, and neighbouring city-states. They were conquered by the Israelis Kingdoms at around 3500 BC and has since been Jewish land until Roman conquest in the AD 60 -100. From that time on Jerusalem was taken by the Ottoman Turks hence the endeavours from Christian monarchs and the Roman Papacy to liberate Jerusalem in the Holy Crusades. In the early 20th century under the Balfour declaration the land was ceded to the Jewish exodus who came back to reclaim their land though there was already in place a local population we now called palestinians from the Ottoman period . In 1948 the Israelis declared the Sovereign State of Israel without expelling the local palestinians. However, Egypt, Syria, etc tried to destroy this "new state" (in terms of modern politics) 3 times (1948 Arab-Israeli war, 1967 Six-Day war and 1973 Yom Kippur War) but could not! So i think to really put an end to this conflict, the only solution is to actually expel all palestinians from the Golan heights and the Gaza strip and from Jerusalem and consolidate Israeli territory once and for all under international treaties. The palestinians should actually return to their land of origin, that is saudi arabia, syria, Egypt, etc

I'm sorry, but that comment was either very racist or very ignorant. You wouldn't just be repulsed at the idea of displacing millions of innocents that have already suffered, you'd actually support it. That's a "solution", is it? Maybe there's a reason people are able to be indoctrinated into terrorism- it's views like yours. I am being frank, I know, but if I didn't say this harshly I'd shrivel up with indignation- and guess what. I'm not even Muslim. Or Arab. I have no connection whatsoever with Palestinians. But i feel for their plight, the injustice that has been done to them all these years.

And what's with this "land of origin" crap? The Palestinians have been living on that land for thousands of years. They have already been forced out of their homes into small areas such as Gaza. I suppose you believe their are no such thing as a "Palestinian". That is completely false, and an idea spread by various right-wing media outlets.
I wonder if you have ever been on a website called "Bare Naked Islam"- if so, you probably got all your ideas from there. It's a website that spreads lies about Islam and incites extreme racism and xenophobia in people.

Don't get me wrong, I believe Israel has a right to exist. I believe in a two-state solution.

Read this article, and tell me if what they're doing makes you a little angry.
link

Oh, and I won't be on fanpop for the next three weeks. I'm going on holiday.

What i said before are facts....but some people tend to twist facts for nefarious purposes and others for whom the facts have been twisted gobbled up all that is being said to them without a grain of salt. The "palestinians" is a modern appelation for the people living in the land of israel during the resettlement by Jewish. They were not there for "a thousand years" from AD 100 to around 1100 there were different people who came to settle in the land of Israel, from 1100 to 1948 is only about 800 years the Ottoman turks ruled besetted by the crusades.
I don't even know your website you are referring to....but i presume you must have been on websites where they feed you such views as yours....i got all my facts from historical records........let's put it another way in a concrete example which you can easily relate to....let's just say that your forefathers conquered some land and have passed it down to you by inheritance till today 1 acre to be precise! In 1948 you got your inheritance as you reached adulthood and went to study abroad....In the meantime some neighbours got into your property of 1 acre and built a house and has been staying there ever since 1948 up to now....so now in 2011 when you return what will you say and do?????

Is that even legal or sensible to take someone's else property? The "palestinians" are just a bunch of usurpers from neighbouring countries, whereas the Jews after the Roman conquest have suffered loss of land, have been driven away, they suffered dispersion to all over the world and wherever they went they were marked and persecuted for being a minority, like in Russia, England, France, etc..In england it was only during Oliver Cromwell's rule that Jews were allowed to come back to England after having been driven away by Edward Longshanks. And not to mention the Holocaust of 6 million Jews persecuted and butchered by Nazis. It is only fair that they should reclaim their land after nearly 2 millenia of absence though a few remnant Jews were left in the land. The only thing that the "Palestinians" are suffering from is an ongoing conflict with Israel on border clashes. On the very contrary when Syria and Egypt invaded to destroy the newly declared state of Israel, many Palestinians were agreeable to this and they even created palestinians agencies to combat Israelis army...the PLO, Hamas, etc....those have always been branded as terrorist groups by Westerners.....Israel does not have one single independent agency which is called upon to strike terror on its enemies.....Israel like every sovereign country in the world has a normal army with which it defends its territory and protect its citizens....this fact alone should be enough to show who has got nefarious purposes between the two.....

i've decided not to be pro-israeli or pro-palestinian. and yes ThePrincesTale, jews assimilating into a palestinian country would be fine with me too. i just prefer the holy land to be a place for both jews, muslims, and christians(btw, i'm a christian).

from the research i've done on this issue, i don't care who wins since many people on both sides of that conflict(not all of them are fortunately) are a bunch of racist assholes.I'm sorry for cussing, but learning the truth about this conflict is very upseting, and i'm a bit angered by issue.

Myth: Palestinians were not called Palestinians before the 60’s, but Arabs.
Fact: That is not true, but even if... so what? The Israelis were not called Israelis before 1948. The people of Myanmar were called Burmese. Many Sri Lankan people are called Tamil. The people of Taiwan are called Chinese. There are many similar examples in the world. So if the people of a certain country or region are not named after the name of the region, does that make them lose the right to their country? They lived on that land. Their land. So why then do you contain the word 'Palestinian' in apostraphes?

Myth: Jews are returning to their original home which has historically belonged to them
Fact: Jews have ruled major sections of Palestine for less than 10% of the time in the last 5300 years. They were a majority for even a shorter period. Ok- maybe they lived there long ago. Maybe some old book tells them that god wants them to have that land. But let's put it this way- you live in the USA. Hypothetically-I don't actually know where you live. Now, let's imagine that the Native Indian American tribes suddenly wanted their land back- which is, historically, theirs.
"No!" you protest "I was born here! As was my father! And my father's father! And his father as well. I've made my whole livlihood here.It's my land too!
But no- you are displaced, forced out of your home, among with millions of others, and forced into narrow strips of lands, into refugee camps, and it's much too crowded, and there's not enough food, and...etc, as these people take your home.

You see the point I'm getting at?

Argument:Palestine was not a country before 1917, but a province of the Ottoman Empire, so it is up for grabs.
Fact: Actually Palestine was a country in the making. The British mandate of Palestine was one of 16 mandates created by the League of Nations after WWI. All these mandates became countries afterwards. The UN voted to partition Palestine into two states, but the Jewish state stole most of the land allocated to the Arab state. And even if Palestine was not an independent country, but a province of another country before WWI, the whole world is made up of provinces of other countries. Scotland is part of the UK. Montana is part of the US. Bavaria is part of Germany. You can state thousands of examples. Does it mean that such provinces are up for grabs? Does it mean that a certain religious group can come and settle in one of these provinces, claim it as their country and ethnically cleanse the native people out of it?

Because that is what the Israeli's did- ethnically 'clensed' the land. Forgive me, but- is that not the ideology that the Nazi's had in mind too?

Israel forcibly destroyed and depopulated more than 400 Palestinian villages in 1948. Despite many UN resolutions to allow these people to return to their homes, Israel never complied.


I see that you are using rhetoric on Jewish suffering to justify ruining the lives of millions of people. Don't get me wrong- the Jews have suffered greatly. But does that give them the right to drive innocent people from their homes, and make them suffer for what others did? No. It doesn't.

You said "The only thing that the "Palestinians" are suffering from is an ongoing conflict"- ha! Not to mention complete lack of freedom and justice, lack of life oppurtunities for so many young people, media bias against them- to name a few.

Ummm, actually, the PLO is not a terrorist organisation. It used to be, until 1991- quite a long time ago, actually. In 1993, PLO recognized Israel's right to exist in peace, accepted UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and rejected "violence and terrorism". Again, you've been listening to too many right-wing media outlets sprouting out crap like always.
And yes, Hamas may have a terrorist military wing that they must let go of- but still, Israeli scholar Reuven Paz estimates that 90% of Hamas activities revolve around "social, welfare, cultural, and educational activities." Social services include running relief programs and funding schools, orphanages, mosques, healthcare clinics, soup kitchens, and sports leagues.

"Israel does not have one single agency which is called upon to strike terror on its enemies"
No, of course not *coughMossadcough*

You know this organisation? Yes, I believe they have used underhand many a time to assinate many a person that doesn't share the views of Israel.They perpetrate targeted killings and paramilitary activities beyond Israel's borders- which, by the way, is against international law. Boy oh boy, just imagine if the world wasn't corrupt, how many crimes Israel could be charged with by the UN! But, unfortunately, the good ol' USA blatantly cover up for them, what with the selfish, unjust, greedy politicians they have there.

Oh, and by the way, I have not been on any websites that are pro-Palestine, just ones that are unbiased and contain both arguments. I, unlike you, form my own opinions from watching the news- seeing in truth what Israel is doing, and not relying on outdated, ancient history to support my arguments.

I just don't understand how people can be so blind. It's right in front of you, every day- did you even read that article I linked you to? I challenge you to defend Israel in these settlement issues.

Wooah, mess up with the bold lettering there. sorry.

umm the english goverment at the time was ran by a bunch of idiots. they were stupid to promise palestine to 2 different ethnic groups

^It was stupid to promise Palestine to two different ethnic groups than only give it to one.
I am still not sure whether I prefer a two-state solution or a one-state solution- the one state solution being a sort of Palisrael where the two live with equal rights, in harmony- but as I can't see the latter will happen, I'm more inclined to the first one, where they can both mind their own business.

I agree that the issue is incredibly complicated, but I can't be objective here. One of best friends is from Israel so naturally I'm pro-Israeli. But that doesn't mean I agree with them 100%.

Supporting Israel isn't supporting the people of Israel, just as supporting Hamas isn't supporting Palestinians.

I'm pro Palestinian people and pro Israeli people. But I am against both of their forms of "government" and how they choose to deal with the situations. I'm also disgusted and appalled by actions such as link, which are equally appalling when it's violence perpetrated by Palestinians on an Israeli child. But since the opposite is occurring here, we don't hear about it, and that's just wrong.

^No surprise you don't hear about it. Naturally, the media is biased, they're mostly owned by rich people, and many rich people are right-wing, which means, so is the media. It's happening right now in my country. In an utterly disgusting show of how money-oriented our world is, a massive mining magnate is taking over one of the only balanced media outlets left- the rest are owned by Rupert Murdoch. She's also an extreme righty who's made it clear she hates our "communist" government. Wrote an article here about it a few days ago, actually.

Getting ready for the climate change denial articles and the "mining is our economical saviour" ones too. Don't think I'm gonna be seeing any "Bulldozers come in for new Israeli settlement" news either. It's repugnant to see how propoganda-ish our media is and perhaps is actually the most worrying thing for our future.

Media is the last thing that should be privatised. Media is the greatest weapon. That poor child in the photo deserves for his story to be told just as much as if he was Israeli.

No offense but I'm pro-Israeli people and that's it because of what my friend has told me about what Palestinian people have done to her and her family, but I'm not gonna put the details on the internet. I know the Israeli people have done horrible things but I'm supporting her to support her country just as much as she would support me and my country when we'd be in a conflict this complicated.

Your friend's experiences, I'm sure, are heartbreaking. Just as the experiences of my many Arab friends are heartbreaking. Which is why you must make the conscious effort to look at the whole situation, from above, not from a limited perspective on the ground.

*124 Israeli children have been killed by Palestinians and 1,463 Palestinian children have been killed by Israelis from September 29, 2000 to September 17, 2011. [link]

*1,084 Israelis and at least 6,430 Palestinians have been killed between September 29, 2000 and September 30th, 2011. [link]

*During Fiscal Year 2011, the U.S. is providing Israel with at least $8.2 million per day in military aid and $0 in military aid to the Palestinians. [link]

*0 Israelis are being held prisoner by Palestinians, while 5,300 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by Israel. [link]


This is a personal conflict for me, as well. I lived in the Middle East for a long time. I know refugees. I love Rachel Corrie. And it takes serious effort not to let these experiences move me to the point of hate and disgust with the Israeli people as well as their government. So I seek out alternative perspectives - like those of your friend - who remind me of the crimes of the Palestinians, who remind me that the Israeli people are just as terrified, and who remind me that it's not, in actual fact, the people who are to blame anyway, but their government.

It takes effort for me to remain as impartial as I am, because I know that my limited perspective does not see the whole story. I could have easily chosen pro-Palestinian and given you a million more sob stories than just that one image I posted for perspective's sake. I didn't. I choose to stand in the middle because I choose not to blame the Israelis, as I choose not to blame the Palestinians, for their actions in a difficult situation.

It' not that I blame the Israeli's- they can be wonderful people, of course- it's that I blame the Israeli government for the bad situation they have gotten themselves in to. I believe they are at fault. Does that make me racist towards Israel? No, I don't think it does. May I be a tad biased? Probably. Do I agree with a two-state solution? Absolutely. I just describe myself as "Pro- Palestinian" because I feel much more for their plight- I think they have it harder.

@Cinders I mustn't do anything to look at the whole situation how many times do I have to tell you I'm just supporting my best friend and butting out of this conflict.

And I like your passion in these debates but your answers are always so long and I think you can actually make your point with 10 sentences.

I know I'm verbose, I've never claimed otherwise. But I'd rather get my point across in an essay than be misunderstood, or reply to someone else's comment "tl;dr."

And you're right, you don't have to do anything, but if you refuse to look at the big picture, you will always be a little blind. Your opinion will always be misinformed. That, of course, is your choice, but it's also part of the problem. Because by commenting on this pick, you aren't just "butting out", are you? You invited people to challenge you, and your world view - which I do all the time by commenting on picks - and so that's exactly what I did.

Yes, I am giving my opinion on this pick, but I'm not stating how things should be done(not that you are but I find that butting in).

Well, I'm not Jewish.

But I agree, the war should end. Especially if they have been fighting over one main thing for decades, which is basically land.

All the jews are going israel

Nice generalization. This Jew isn't. I think both sides do a lot to perpetuate the conflict, and to implicate a single side is to deny the litany of reasons thy are still at war. Granted, I feel a connection to Israel that's stronger than the one I feel to Palestinians, but that doesn't mean I implicate them less.

@Lt. You really do suck at debating... Honestly.

All the Jews are going Israel - that is one of the most meaningless statements I've ever read, or seen. If you were trying to crack a joke, then you failed... If you are trying to be a troll, then you fail at that, too.