Al Jazeera Crew Member Shot during Live Report

The first step in resolving this is to disarm Israel as we did Germany and Japan for their war crimes and have (non-US) peacekeeping forces manage the return to the 67 borders and reconstruction of viable and secure Israeli and Palestinian states.

Northern Ireland provides an excellent example of how 'military solutions' simply exacerbate the problem by driving support and recruitment for extreme policies on both sides. It seems that Israel and their US sponsors are unwilling to learn from this, maybe the NORAID senators are still sore that all their fund raising for terrorists attacking England was in vain?

The time to stand by and ignore the systematic detention, abuse and murder of civilians by both sides is over.

Israel can indulge in this sort of thing because their military leadership is powerful, and the reason they're powerful is that they've got big weapons and directly control a large slice of the US aid coming in. Naturally, military men like using their big weapons, hence the absurd and destructive attempt at tackling a well-organised guerrilla organisation by attacking civilian targets using the most hi-tech means they can. This is unusually stupid and crude, as the Israeli military has built up its reputation by taking on and defeating *better armed* opponents, by having superior discipline, courage and tactics. Their current strategy requires none of these, it's just a big guy pummelling a small guy until he feels like stopping. There's no obvious military end point, since you can't kill a guerrilla group using those tactics. You'll inevitably cause a lot of civilian casualties, as you're relying on overhead imagery (US satellites, I wonder?) rather than battlefield intelligence. Quite what they think they're doing I don't know, and usually Israel knows exactly what it's doing. This isn't Israel-as-usual as some sites think, but a rather different war which illustrates where the real power lies in the Middle East in the post-Soviet era. Israel is, in fact, fighting the war the US way.

It's also, I think, the first hot war between democratic states. Nice one, that's another neocon canard exposed as a dead duck.

The precedent has been set by that moronic twat that thinks stem cells are viable life forms, and outlaws their use for constructive research, whilst actively promoting the murder of professional journalists, simply because they report the truth - an action almost unheard of in present day America. The Israeli's consider this sufficient justification to follow his lead.

Quote: "whilst actively promoting the murder of professional journalists, simply because they report the truth"

Why do people persist in their belief that one side tells only the truth, usually anyone but US or its allies, and the other only lies, usually the US etc etc

Both sides are selective in their spin, all sides of this conflict are wrong.

Israel have not been proportional in their actions and are blindly supported by the US.

Hizbollah stuck their noses into a non-lebanese issue, have not been reined in by the Government of Lebanon, and are sponsored by Syria and Iran to try and start a regional war.

The only innocents in this are the civilians on both sides.

Don't be so blinkered. Have the gumption to criticise all sides, or else you are showing your obvious ignorance and bias, and people won't listen to you.

"Have the gumption to criticise all sides, or else you are showing your obvious ignorance and bias ..."

Justchris - taking a side and arguing passionately is not an obvious demonstration of ignorance or bias by my measure.

The suggestion that I should "... criticise all sides ..." suggests to me that you are a mealy-mouthed, indecisive fence-sitter ... note that this is only my opinion, and that I am not so arrogant and condescending that I state these characteristics to be obvious from your writing.

The fact is that we have a legal case currently running that concerns records of Bush's declared desire to bomb the Al-Jazeera studios in Qatar. Other Al-Jazeera installations have been bombed (although their locations were well known to the US military), and staff have been murdered.

Don't you tell me that the reason for this anything other than Bush's unsubtle determination to harrass a media outlet that broadcasts truths that he wants to supress. People may listen to you, but they'll soon get bored if you analyse every circumstance from every possible angle, and then "... criticise all sides...".

"Hizbollah stuck their noses into a non-lebanese issue"

Err, maybe thats because no one else was helping the Palestinians - who have suffered extrodinarily harsh 'self defence' from Israel for the last couple of months.

"... and are sponsored by Syria and Iran to try and start a regional war."

I think you'll find its the US that wants a regional war.

Since China and Russia warned US against attacking Iran over its nuclear weapons programme Washington has had to find another excuse to bomb Iran and the Israelis don't mind helping out.

Did you just learn to read nine days ago?

Fair enough.

To take sides is one's right.
As is the choice to balance one's argument, or not, and to acknowledge that one's own position is not the only position, and not necessarily right.

I would argue that the ability to see both sides of an argument does not necessarily make one "..a mealy-mouthed, indecisive fence-sitter".

As for Al-Jazeera and their mission to tell the truth.......believe what you like.....at least you have the freedom to do that...and express it.

Please note that I have not defended Dubya. Have a nice weekend.

I'll leave you to your warm glow of self-satisfaction ... seeing both sides ... balancing your arguments ... acknowledging opposing opinions ... doubting the veracity of reporting by Al-Jazeera.

I'll be happy to continue holding my passionate, strong convictions and to lash out at the hypocrisy of such opinions as the example I gave - veto of the beneficial use of stem cells for research whilst giving tacit approval to the murder of journalists airing unwelcome truths.

I will also continue to work to retain the freedom of expression to which you refer, but which is rapidly being eroded by Bush & Blair.

You have a nice weekend too.

There is a god!If only the rest of the biased,meddling scumbags had been shot as well!