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ORIGINAL: Starbuck09
I'm aware that i'm arriving a little late in the debate but nevertheless... Israel has every right to exist and ,if it chooses, to expand its territories.

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ORIGINAL: Starbuck09
Palastine has every right to exist and, if it chooses, to make war on Israel to reclaim it's lost land. Obama has every right to attempt to dictate policy to Israel. Right and wrong are subjective terms there is no monolithic construction that embodies all aspects of these concepts and so each nation has it's own values and implements them as it sees fit. I do not know what is right or wrong I have a moral code which I adhere to but it's inherent value is no more than that of anyone else's...I just believe it is.

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ORIGINAL: Starbuck09

Every country has the right to expand it's borders Cadenas just as every country has the right to defend them.

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ORIGINAL: Starbuck09
The strength of one's moral argument is only relavent to yourself and the society you live in if we had attemted to defeat the nazis with the strength of our moral reasoning I suspect the outcome of world war 2 would have been somewhat less favourable.

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ORIGINAL: Kirata

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ORIGINAL: jlf1961

The above link is a map of the original plan.

Even more interesting is this series of maps, which show how Israel has been systematically expanding its grip on territory throughout what's left of Palestine and into Syria and Egypt.

K.

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ORIGINAL: BadJezebel

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ORIGINAL: MissSepphora1

Lebanon just had a democratic vote today.  It's noting new, they've been having them for decades now.
So how exactly is Israel the "only democratic nation in the middle ease?"
Since, of course, Lebanon is in the middle east, right north of Israel.

WHAT????!!!??

What do you know about Lebanon? Are you kidding me?

Ghassan Tuéni is one of Lebanon's foremost statesmen and political writers. He was Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations, and is publisher of the Lebanese daily al-Nahar. He is also currently the chairman of the Executive Committee of Balamand University.

In his article entitled "Democracy in Lebanon: Anatomy of a Crisis", he writes:

A careful analysis of the mis-exercise of democracy in Lebanon leads us to a number of conclusions:
The checks and balances established between the executive and legislative branches were made inoperative by an 'evil alliance' between the two, and this took two forms:
- The first flowed from the executive towards the legislative branch of government: by practicing extensive nepotism and confessional favouritism, to the detriment of the rule of law, a corrupt undemocratic executive could secure re-election for its party or group in parliament. Hence, instead of emerging from a parliamentary majority, the governing clique "elected" its own majority, and thus could theoretically perpetuate its power unless a major crisis caused a para-constitutional emergency which brought about a change, usually through the dissolution of parliament, the appointment of a neutral coalition or even an opposition government, and the announcement of new elections. The dimension of the change, and its constitutional consequences, were inversely proportional to the importance and effectiveness of the president who was the guarantor of the constitution.

The second form of this 'evil alliance' flowed from the legislative towards the executive: because of the executive's control of electoral results and its generous dispensation of favours, parliament tended to act with complacency towards the former's actions, and save for some formal inconsequential oratorical performances, it avoided censoring the executive. Electoral laws, which were readjusted by self-serving legislatures with the complicity of the executive, were never allowed to reflect socio-political change, popular aspirations, and the emergence of new classes or political forces.

The stagnation of so-called democratic government, and its inability to exercise leadership, particularly in the socio-economic development of the country, were due to an ever-increasing divorce between the ruling clique and the emerging classes. Lebanese democracy was not only cut off from its historical and political roots, it was left floating in a cultural vacuum. Not only was there no genuine democratic society to nurture and renovate constitutional institutions, including political parties, parliamentary blocs, and the civil service, but the very ideals of liberal democracy were thrust aside by the onslaught of authoritarianism and violent change.

. . . .

The conflictive structures which defined Lebanese democracy unwittingly conspired to reduce the country to a mere vent hole for regional conflicts. The national covenant, originally an expression of confessional consensus, became a symbol of stasis. Lebanon's democratic institutions, which were intended to help prepare for the race towards economic progress and stronger democratic rule, became vehicles for the clashing interests of regional powers and their local pawns. The Lebanese parliament deteriorated from being a forum for partisan competition and debate into one for partisan confrontation. And, most significantly, Lebanese political parties, through ideological affinities or financial incentives, genuine fears or pure cynicism, ceded their decisionmaking capabilities to their so-called foreign allies. Gradually, the issues at stake for the Lebanese ceased to be Lebanese issues.


http://www.lcps-lebanon.org/pub/breview/br6/tuenibr6.html

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ORIGINAL: nelly33

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ORIGINAL: MissSepphora1

"Instead of Nazi Germany, you have our backs and brethren dying to prevent a global epidemic. We've done an amazing job so far. Were we given Northern Africa by grace? No. We want a small plot of land to call our own. Our God existed thousands of years before the Muslim God."

Don't you guys ever feel guilty knowing a christian country is supporting your "plot of land to call your own".  You did crucify our God, after all.

ummm... the Romans killed Jesus... not the Jews.  Congratulations... you're a misinformed racist!  PS... even if the Jews did kill Jesus, I'm pretty sure none of "us" were around for it.  You fail.

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ORIGINAL: MissSepphora1

I don't care what technologies the israelis have discovered, unless they found a cure for cancer, aids, or diabetes it's not worth the over 1 trillion dollars we've spent on Israel over the last fifty years. 
Israel says they had advanced notice of saddam invading kuwait, and they may have.  I also believe the israelis provided the info about saddam that got us into the iraq war.  they wanted saddam gone, and they got what they wanted.