Originally posted by Zero
You imply that her goal was to die for propaganda purposes...
UH, no I made no statements about her having any goal to die. I did state she was martyred, which is fact.
One of teh biggest problems I see in Israeli-Palestinian confrontations is that the Israelis can shoot anyone over the age of 14, and label them a 'combatant', and there is no one who checks behind that.
I don't know why you think no one checks behind that, B'Tselem, as mentioned by jsccd does attempt to check. Although they are know to be erroneous e.g. listing as dead for months a boy who was living, listing as killed by Israel for months a child who had already been shown to have been shot by palstinians, listing as Palestinian and beaten by Israeli's an Israeli boy who was dragged and beaten by Palestinians. But, overall they do fairly well considering the huge constraints on getting information out of palestine that is not considered subversive and therefor punishable by death..doh.
As for 14 year old boys, I will tell you that every Arab male I know from this area including my husband was given a rifle or weapon at the age of 14, and in fact in my husbands case was given a rifle and the responsibility of revenging his brothers death. So maybe, you're missing something about the traditions.
It's not like it hasn't been reported.
The Palestinian Authority has provided children with military training. The New York Times reports that 25,000 children were trained in the summer 2000 in PA camps in the use of firearms, the making of Molotov cocktails, the methods of kidnapping Israeli leaders, and conducting ambushes. (New York Times - Aug. 3, 2000)
It's known history that in 1982 PLO ordered all boys aged 12 and up who were children of men in the Fatah units served in there fathers company, each child was paid something less then 100 dollares a month.
"At least 40 children from the city of Raphah have lost their arms as a result of the explosions of pipe bombs. They received five Israeli shekels (about one U.S. dollar) for throwing them."(jordanian newspaper, Abu Mazen 2000
I can already see your anti-Islamic bias.
This is ripe coming from you, one of the most rabidly anti-any religious biased person I have yet to see on these forums. At any rate, I didn't respond immediately because I did feel I did have to consider if there was some truth to this, as although Islam is my daughters heritage, mine is cathoic and southern baptist. Although, I don't practice any religion and don't consider myself religious there is always the possiblity that I might make religiously biased derogatory replies. I don't think that's this case here, I will admit that I have a strong anti-ism bias, a strong anti-PLO bias, they are murders, scum and the worst abusers of their own people (Arafat and his ilk). They usurp any moderate voices that might be found in palestine often in the most brutal and final manner, they have no intention of ever helping to find peace, and Arafat will never support a state because it is not IN HIS best interest. Peace would rid any need for him and his ilk, and yes I hate them and him with a passion that only a person who has seen the suffering in people they love as a result of his policies can feel. So if there is any doubt in your mind, who or what I am FOR, I am for getting rid of Arafat and his ilk, Hamas, Hezbollah, etc. etc. etc. because until they are gone and the moderate Palestinian voice can be heard there will be no peace for my people, or for Israeli's.
As for your repeat, repeat that I think "Israel can do no wrong" If for once you made FACTUAL based statements against Israeli you find that I would support your statements against any argument, but YOU don't you spout the same propaganda that allow monsters like Arafat and Rantisi to continue to enslave their own people in a way that Israel has never done. When the IDF has palestinian, Israeli Arabs jews kneeling in the square and beheaded for being a moderate voice or assisting in stopping suicide bombers, or for that matter refusing to participate in the military due to conscience as Israeli's have been frequently known to do...BAH! forget it, you really aren't worth the emotionalism this evokes.
As for tunnels and bulldozers a simple search should give you a wealth of information. I received the information I consider reliable from 2 arabs familiar with the area and politics and a member of the IDF.
