virtue

 It's after six and I'm just starting to compose todays blog, a late start for me. I've been up for a while but the impulse to write hadn't arrived yet. I usually just write about whatever is on my mind or what is in the news. The protests are on my mind again this morning as I struggle to understand all of that. I get the part about wanting the hostilities to end, for those Palestinians not engaged in the warfare to be safe. I don't get how anyone, other than Hamas themselves, can support Hamas and their agenda. They are the ones that attacked Israel, took hostages and caused all of this turmoil. I just don't get how you can possibly say we support Palestine because they are innocent people but ignore the fact that it was Hamas that took hostages, civilians, those completely innocent of anything, and have held them for more than six months! How could you possibly call for Israel to simply quit, allow Hamas to occupy the land. How can you claim you are protesting for peace? What they are protesting for is a surrender. Would you abandon your family members? Would you simply quit, acquiesce if that happened to you? 

 These protests began in response to the large number of casualties in the Gaza strip. All of those people were warned to evacuate. None have been taken hostage. There have been efforts to spare those that are innocent, but Hamas has prevented that. Hamas has been using those people as shields in the hope that Israel will simply quit. They have done so because they are cowards that slink around in the dark, launch sneak attacks and realize that they cannot prevail in a war against Israel. I haven't heard any of those protesting calling upon Hamas to release all the hostages immediately or to negotiate a truce where non-combatants could leave the Gaza strip. I've heard nothing from other nations in the geographic area offering to take in refugees from that strip of land. 

 The Palestinians have rejected the two state solution. Palestinians have continually done so and will continue to do so. But just who are the Palestinians? That is something that can't be defined in any meaningful way. Palestine is a "de jure" sovereign state. It exists in law, if not in reality. It is recognized in legal circles but not necessarily in what actually exists. Israel is a sovereign state. It's true that 28 nations in the United Nations do not recognize that, 25 of those countries are Muslim nations so it is no surprise to anyone. Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela are the other dissenters. As long as the Palestinians refuse the two state solution, wars, conflicts and terrorism will exist. 

 Can a lasting peace be achieved by Israel surrendering to Hamas? Is that the only answer? The reality is the Jewish people will always be attacked by the Muslim people. Since the 7th century the Muslim people established a doctrine saying that land conquered by Muslim people can never be surrendered, ever. Non-Muslims living in the area can at best pay a special tax to live there, sort of protection money. That is only granted to Christians and Jews, other are either expelled, converted or killed. Yes, when it comes to Islam, you have to pay protection money if you are a Christian or a Jew or suffer the consequences. There is far more to that whole situation than that, however. 

 So just what are those students protesting? I'd suggest they really don't understand the situation at all. A bunch of kids that believe the world can be all rainbows and unicorns. Quick to jump upon the "virtue" wagon while ignoring the realities of life. Peace is never granted, it is won. Peace is also a temporary thing. Conflict is inevitable. Want to be virtuous? Condemn those committing the real atrocities. Condemn that. Israel has ever right and indeed an obligation to defeat Hamas, to eradicate that terrorist organization. Hamas is no government; it is nothing more than a bunch of thugs! It isn't Palestine. Who attacked Israel? Google that and the majority of the time the answer will be Hamas attacked Israel. You won't find many saying Palestine attacked Isarel. Are they two separate entities? Well, that is another whole discussion.