P.K.

BS. I cba to refute your nonsense post. Frankly with an imagination like yours you should be writing schoolgirl fiction! Clearly you have no idea about how the region demographics came about nor how the politics have arrived at where we are now. If you did you wouldn't post such nonsense and make yourself look stupid. My only stance is that Hamas, supported armed and financed by Iran, Qatar and others carried out a deliberately brutal assault on a sovereign nation which has a right to defend itself. Which includes taking the fight to the enemy as a right which no-one would dispute. This they have done. I have no idea if they have designs on Gaza, and neither do you, but on their withdrawal in 2005 they wanted to wash their hands completely of the festering sore that is Gaza, which refutes a lot of your BS, and who could blame them. Especially as it was created by the Arab League ie they made the problem they can fix it. But, of course, they won't. The bottom line is, literally, that you're talking through your arse...

You can't beat the voice of experience...

Vive la paranoia! ETA : WTF?

Vive la paranoia!

One of the biggest problems shown up in the current tory administration is the way they pick their leader/PM. It's down to the membership which is thought to consist of about 160k people but the tories will not release the actual number. Anyway it's because of them that the UK ended up with several PM's that were eminently unsuitable for high office and who went on to do untold damage to the UK and it's standing on the world stage. What we know about them: 63% of Conservative Party members are male, and 37% female 6% are under 24-years-old, 36% are aged 25 to 49-years-old, 19% are aged between 50 and 64-years-old, and 39% are over 65 24% backed Remain in the EU referendum, and 76% backed Leave 56% live in London and the south-east of England, 18% in the Midlands and Wales, 20% in the north of England and 6% in Scotland 80% belong to the highest social economic groups known as ABC1 They are so far removed from the electorate that they are known as the "selectorate". They all have one thing in common though - they have a great deal to answer for...

What a waste of bandwidth...

"Why invite the assault in the first place" is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen on here. Next you'll be claiming that brexit is a success...

More nonsense. What position is that?

Thick or what? They had to respond to the assault because not to would just invite another. How many times do you need to be told...?

I haven't the faintest idea what's going on in Netanyahu's head and neither do you. Mind you, I suspect he doesn't either! I guess we'll find out...

Come off it. It's not like they have made a secret of the fact that they have tasked the IDF with the destruction of Hamas. Put simply the more they degrade Hamas the further out they have pushed the next possible assault. As the "Iron Dome" system was overwhelmed I would hope they would now include the classic "counter battery" response. The enemy fire rockets, your radars immediately pick them up, calculate where the launchers are and send a counter strike on it's way before the enemy rockets can hit the ground. Or Iron Dome in this case. Should make those launching the rockets at Israel highly popular not...

You couldn't know I would answer like that because it's clear you do not understand any of the nuances of the area. I gave you the answer - according to the UN Israel is the occupying power of Gaza. According to the UN this means Israel is responsible for "public order and safety" amongst other things in Gaza. Only a complete and utter idiot (RecklessAbandon) would think that they can do that without a presence. Now like the rest of the region Israel would much rather have nothing whatever to do with stateless Palestinians and Gaza in particular. They have already stated as much the last time they withdrew their military presence and settlers in 2005. But eventually someone has to re-build Gaza. Personally I would give the whole sorry mess over to the Arab League. They created Gaza and all the other camps full of stateless people so they can fix it. But, of course, they won't. It suits their extreme anti-semitic agenda to keep the hatred festering away in their camps and Gaza to remind other arabs of their obligations to the never ending cause...

The Which report: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/ferries/article/best-and-worst-ferries-for-2024-aZBMl6S5heSv I agree the prices are getting stupid. Car + 2 £530 return. Sleazy £100 for 2 pax return. No contest. Can't fault the logic. It's run as an independent entity so don't blame the MHK's for the steep rise in fares! Then bleed it white...

The Israeli government is not against peace. That's ridiculous. They are against giving anyone the idea that Hamas could attack Israel, brutally murder over a thousand Israeli citizens, take several hundred hostage - and then force a ceasefire i.e. get away with it... I suppose you mean do I think any hostages are still alive? With no evidence to say they have all perished then you have to hope and act as if there are still some to save. The IDF have no other option. Strange thing to ask. Why so...?

The major sticking point of any ceasefire is the Hamas demand it should be permanent....

You can only ask a "simple" question because you clearly don't understand the reality of the situation. Israel remains the "occupying power" of the Gaza strip according to the UN. Even though the enclave was created by the Arab League. Before the 1948 attempt to destroy Israel and drive the survivors into the sea the population was about 80k. On the Arab League (failed) invasion refugees fled the fighting to Gaza and swelled the numbers to some 300k stateless people. They stayed stateless because Egypt, the occupying power, wouldn't give them naturalisation like the other Arab League states didn't with their Palestinian refugees. They have now reached 2m plus with very high unemployment, insufficient natural resources to sustain them hence many live on handouts and no foreseeable future. A road to nowhere. Israel however became the "occupying power" after the accord with Egypt.

There's nothing "coincidental" about someone running down their contract no matter how much you with your agenda would like it to be otherwise... The Israelis were caught napping and they know it. A major failure by their security services. Now they had to respond to the assault because not to would simply invite another. They chose to take the fight to the enemy. Now modern warfare is about winning with as few casualties to your own side as possible. Ideally you want to manoeuvre your enemy into such a position that they can be massacred with no losses to your own side. They have chosen to make a ground incursion which is the exact opposite of the above. This is because Hamas have deliberately embedded themselves in the general population to use them as human shields. So the only way to eliminate them is to go in and draw them out. Starting in the North they are now left with Rafah in the South. They will have to go into Rafah because there are at least four Hamas brigades there to be eliminated. Also It's pretty certain that any remaining Israeli hostages will be in the area as it's pretty unlikely they will be anywhere else. Anything left of the Hamas leadership on the ground will also be there plus Hamas infrastructure including a possible four tunnels into Egypt.

You missed the "sunlit uplands" of brexit. Errrr... Where are they exactly...?

@The Voice of Reason "In a recent survey by More in Common, a civil society organisation, voters were asked to describe the UK in a word. The top choices were “broken”, “mess”, “struggling”, “divided”, “expensive”, “poor” and “chaotic”." Well, your totally stupid and completely unnecessary brexit certainly contributed to all of the above...

Removed "mysteriously" indeed. According to LBC: “As part of the changes, Sangita Myska is leaving the station at the end of her contract, after nearly two years with the station.” Dear me... Next thing you'll be claiming that Israel "arranged" the Hamas assault so they could "ethnically cleanse" Gaza!

If you don't understand what "Play the ball and not the man" means then you've definitely got a problem...

Firstly they had to respond to the assault. Out of the very limited options available they decided to take the fight to the enemy. The best means of defence etc... Secondly the more they degrade the capabilities of Hamas the further out a second assault is going to be. You don't need to be an Einstein... Have to say the idea that Palestinians are going to stop filling their kids with "Death to Israel" hatred depending on what the Israeli response was is laughable...

As ever just telling it like it is. So in your opinion what part of my synopsis is incorrect? You know, play the ball and not the man...

If the IDF do not destroy Hamas then it will be viewed as a victory. Not just by Hamas, Hezbollah and the Palestians but also by the Arab League and the Persians and every other terrorist outfit on the planet. So not only will recruitment be bolstered by a rise in morale but also the IDF would have left behind a rump of Hamas who will help to arm and train those joining up ready for their next assault on Israel. In other words it will be a massive strategic and tactical mistake...

Malaya has had several communist insurgencies but it remains a democracy. So it can be done. If it was up to me when the recognised Hamas units have been destroyed I would call a halt to hunting the remnants down and spend time and effort finding and destroying any infrastructure they may have. Then leave The Arab League to sort out the mess. They created refugee camps like Gaza so they can fix them..