What are Israel and Hamas representatives discussing at talks to end the current conflict in Gaza? Israel wants Hamas in Gaza to be disarmed. Given the lopsided death count of civilians, 1900+ to 3, shouldn’t Israel be disarmed?
Kill Ratio
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication, WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "The Stringer."
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Absolutely. Here’s my plan: all the civilized countries in the world should get together, roll into Israel/Palestine, and remove every last weapon. No guns, no bombs, no knives, nada. Take the body armor, etc, away from the IDF. Knock down the big walls and fences. Then roll back out & seal the border.
Wait a month & see whether the remaining Israelis are willing to talk peace for real.
Ted, any tips on how to keep your head while interviewing terrorists?
Ouch!
Only the obvious – it’s safer to interview the terrorists on your own side. At worst, they’ll just out your wife as a CIA agent.
@Tyler: The key in these things, while understanding that there are no hard and fast rules or ways to ensure your safety anything close to 100%, is to understand the local culture and the rules that might keep you safe. In Afghanistan, for example, the local tribal codes require people who consider themselves to be devout Muslims to provide hospitality and protection to any unarmed stranger. So it is safer to travel without protection in Afghanistan. One of the reasons that I have not gone to Syria is that I don’t feel confident in my knowledge of that particular Arab country. I feel like either there are no rules, or I don’t know what they are. Either way, I trust my instincts that I would be better off not there.
Ted, I don’t believe Israeli government representatives sit down at the same table as the representatives of the government of Gaza. By the way, ever notice that the Israeli government is always referred to in news articles about its war on Gaza as «Israel», never as «Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu/Yesh Atid/HaBayit HaYehudi/Hatnuah» (admittedly, that’s a mouthful), while the government of Gaza is always referred to as «Hamas», never as «Gaza» ? Reminds me of the way in which the government of the Russian Federation is usually referred to in the corporate media as «Putin», rather than as «Russia», while that of the United States is referred to as «the United States»….
Henri
It’s all part of the official narrative. If they didn’t say “Hamas” they’d have to admit that they’re targeting “Palestinians.”