Opinion  Martin Sherman
False symmetry
Martin Sherman
Published: 23.03.06, 16:48
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79 Talkbacks for this article
1. Hard to argue with this isn't it?
DR ,   Florida, USA   (03.23.06)
2. I couldnt agree more.
David Landman ,   Boston, USA   (03.23.06)
The only exception is the fact that I actually think the financial Aid Israel receives from the US are golden handcuffs and Israel would be MUCH better off without the aid. The US gets more from it than Israel. It doesnt change the fact that both are very pro each other and that will never change. In fact, according to all the polls I have read, the US population has never been more pro Israel. Time for the Palestinians to stop the struggle against peace and prosperity. Why do they refuse to prosper? Why do they incite against success? Why do they continue to live in a false past and a doomed future?
3. EXCELLENT !!
EM ,   Israel   (03.23.06)
One of the best descriptions I have seen regarding the twists in our reality with the PA.
4. Better to dialogue here
Steve ,   USA   (03.23.06)
B"H First of all, I would like to congratulate YNET on a "balanced" response. Nice opposite viewpoint, YNET! If there is any benefit to Ray's article, it may be that it helped inspire this piece to start a dialogue if not among leadership, at least in the press. Ray seems to present himself as a central figure of dialogue between Arab and Jewish culture, and he states he has written many articles for the Arab press. In short, if there is anyone to talk with, it is Ray! Thank you both Martain and Ray for putting forth your viewpoints!
5. excellent analysis
mike ,   san diego CA   (03.23.06)
Cant argue with this article. The 'cycle of violence' and other such doublespeak have been discredited for a long time now, yet the media still chooses to use this bankrupt terminology. Israel and the Palestinians are not at the same pedestal, not even in the same ballpark. One is a booming high tech democracy, the other breeds shaheeds and death cults. Only an ignorant, spiteful idiot would see the 2 as some sort of equals.
6. One small infraction
EM ,   Israel   (03.23.06)
As my first, gut reaction talkback related, your article was excellent. On second reading...I do have a point to argue: You brilliantly expressed the frustrating "twists in the cycle of violence" in which Israel is guilty of initiating and perpetuating the violence. However, you used the same "twist" in describing levels of terrorist acts during Netanyahu's (right wing) goverment vs. Barak (left wing).
7. Bravo Mr Sherman!
Mike ,   Holon   (03.23.06)
8. excellent article! kol hakavod!
mordy   (03.23.06)
9. The facts !!
John   (03.23.06)
1 000 israelis killed since sept 2000 4 000 pals killed since sept 2000 If their murders are terror and yours are "collateral dommages", you can explain us the deepness of your pain all life long, we can't hear your message. BECAUSE ONE HUMAN LIFE IS A HUMAN LIFE, it doesn't depend if the dead man is jew, muslim, "settler", arab, secular, old or young and how has he been killed : a suicide attack or a M16 bullet. The occupation will cost you your state !!
10. great article ,mr.sherman!
me ,   here   (03.23.06)
as oppose to hannnian's rehtoric b.s ,mr.sherman is on the money! hannia's articles have been spewing the same venom again and again. they are sugar-coated ,hiding behind catch phrases as -- dual exsitence", shiftinig paradigms" and other sound bites ,as if to showcase his' moderate", yet ,anti -israel views. and yes , if israelis don't like the arab culture ,as was evident by yesterday publication of a ynet poll, here comes haania and his cheap dogma ,and shows us how right we are in dispising the arab culture.
11. palestinians want LAND, not peacem
mike ,   usa   (03.23.06)
my contention with ray is that he speaks peace and reconciliation to israelis, not his own people who need it the most. israeli peace camp? yes palestinian peace camp? no israelis who speak up about peace - put on news talk shows palestinians who speak up about peace - lynched in the streets israelis target - terrorists palestinians target - women, children, elderly, etc. palestinian civilian deaths by israel - israel apologizes israeli civilian deaths by palestinians - palestinians celebrate in streets israeli extremists - small minority palestinian extremists - vast majority (see polls about support for terror attacks) have israelis given palestinians land? - yes, and more to come have palestinians given ANY peace? - no, never arabs living under israeli rule - yes jews living under palestinian rule - no arab christians can practice their faith freely in israel - yes arab christians can practice their faith freely in PA controlled areas - NO can jews walk the streets of PA controlled areas freely? - no can arabs walk the streets of israel freely? - no so who needs lectures about peace, tolerance, and reconciliation? israelis aren't perfect but they are trying. and considering whom they are dealing with, they are doing pretty good. the palestinian culture is corrupt and immoral to the core with the islamists setting the agenda. if mr hanania wants to work for peace he should get his own 'house' in order first if there is any chance to be had.
12. Wanna bet arabs will not respond to this?
(03.23.06)
If they will respond to anything, it will be to this talkback saying I'm racist because I'm calling them arabs. They can't argue with facts, and when they do, they distort them to fit to their case. It will keep going because the arab mentality just can't take responability for it's own actions, we've seen it 100000000000 times before, and we will keep seeing it again and again until they realise they will earn nothing from this except the death of their children. They keep saying how much the palestinian side has more dead people than the Israeli side, and that really gets them embarrased. Because they are trying to take proud of their killings. Obviously they have more dead people because we have a stronger army with stronger weapons. If they don't want casualties, don't make the IDF enter your towns. It's not like IDF soldiers want to die, we're not suicidal, we don't blow coffeeshops, malls, citizens or whatever. Our government tries to block those settlers who do you harm. You on the other hand, as I just saw today, will not even stop terrorists. Or even try to. So, are you surprised you have more dead people on your side? If you are, perhaps it's time to either kill yourselves, preferbly in a work accident. Or, go to a psychatrist to change the brainwashing proccess backwards.
13. FINALLY SOMEONE WHO TELLS IT AS IT TRULY IS
Y ISrael Chai ,   Israel   (03.23.06)
Thank you !!!!!!
14. John...you have missed the boat
DR ,   Florida, USA   (03.23.06)
The fact that you think a suicide bombing and a military operation to hunt down terrorists are the same thing makes me wonder about your mental health. Any reasonable person with a brain can differentiate between the two. I don't know who fed you this crap, but I would rather see 1000 terrorists die than one Israeli child and I believe that the rest of the civilized world agrees...you have apperantly missed the boat on this one.
15. Israel's gorgeous cities and lovely pastures
(03.23.06)
Are what really piss them off.....Let the Palestinians grow and build for a change. Then they will have alot to be proud of. Start in Gaza. It can be done....really. This is a good article.
16. Hanania too moderate
b ,   dallas, USA   (03.23.06)
Your inability to accept Hanania's moderation will always get you Hamas instead. This inability to differentiate moderation from extremism is what will continue the death and the conflict for another several generations. Enjoy!. on the points themselves: The numbers speak for themselves. 3x more palestinians killed than Israelis. The intentions to avoid death of innocent civilians by the Israelis are bogus. Open the borders to the west bank and Gaza and allow Hamas to buy warplanes, helicopters and tanks and you will see, the attacks on civilians will stop. but you are too chicken to do that.
17. something missed in the mix
Riv ,   Israel   (03.23.06)
During the war of independence when Arab armies from all directions attacked Israel a rag tag, tired, mentally and physically distraught bunch of men just off the boats from the nightmare of the Shoah were given weapons to defend their new country. These men most of whom who never held a gun in their lives. Imagine! And they fought and won like real heroes. This almost unbelievable fact is nothing short of awesome when you think about it. And when you compare that to the fact it is almost impossible for the US to get Iraqi's to defend their country with anything other than bomb belts and car bombs one must begin to ask why. Israel became strong against all sorts of odds and with little or no help from anyone. Yes, the UN granted Jews the right to statehood in their biblical and historical homeland but other than that the world did everything in their power to stop it before during and after. Yet the deserts bloomed and Israel grew to the 1st world nation it is today. Knowing this with all the outside help given day after day to the Palestinians, we still see it impossible for the Palestinians to get anywhere. Democracy can not be given. Progress can not be made and growth can not happen and peace can not be spread until they themselves want it. The world must cease and desist being the ultimate co-dependants to the Palestinians. Until that moment when the world has had enough and the Palestinians want real change within themselves nothing will change.
18. #'s 11,12,16
Srini V ,   Baltimore, MD, USA   (03.23.06)
Mike, you basically hit it on the nail. #12, they'll respond all right--with repetitions of what they're already printing (you got it right, their mentality cannot conjure a new response) #16 your statistic of "3x more Palestinians than Israelis killed" includes Palestinians killed by...palestinians which make up 1.9x the number of Israelis killed. Plus the bulk of Palestinians killed by Israel were being used as human shields by their militants!
19. THE CIVILIZED WORLD IS STARTING TO REALISE THIS AS WELL !!
Alan ,   South Africa   (03.23.06)
20. incapacity of looking yourself in the mirror
Ahmed ,   Ejerusalem Palestine   (03.23.06)
You have created one of the worst state on earth, from the ashes of the holocaust to the most terrible state of occupation, of racism, of land stealing, of killings without trials, of house demolition, of arrogance, of humiliation, of despair, of collective punishements, of humiliating people in underwares, of of of. You are provoked when we compare you to a terror organisation like Hamas who is now facing a very important responsibiliy. It is amazing how you portray us and generalize as poople who love blood, cherish killing innocent people, as a society that is sick ....... But believe me, we sleep better than you as you are the occupier based on the UN laws and we are fighting the occuaption.
21. Good article!
Elio ,   Ramat Gan, Israel   (03.23.06)
22. winning a war in the middle east
ADam ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (03.23.06)
Here is one fact Martin ingored - the Arabs are winning! Israel wins wars against combined arab states, but can't handle terrorists inside its borders. Israel wins wars, and gives back the land! The reality is this, the arab is watching Israel go back and forth in all its decisions, in all its actions - it wants the West Bank, it gives back the West Bank - and he, the arab, knows that time is on his side, that the steadfast hate and will behind all arab life is stronger than the will of the average israeli, who would rather make money, take drugs, sleep with prositutes, be gangsters (all recent YNET articles) than do the dirty work of uprooting the terrorists and all their sympathizers. The Israelis should look to Syria for inspiration - village of Hama, once a stronghold of resistance to Assad regime, then a bloody week in 1982, every resistor and his family killed, and viola, never a faint idea of resistance again. Or Iraq - Saddam in Halajaba. If you want to beat an Arab, you must kill him, his family, his friends, his entire village - then he will know not to mess around anymore. Sorry, Israel, peace is an illusion in your neck of the woods.
23. #20 your rants go unheard...
DR ,   Florida, USA   (03.23.06)
you are saying the same thing over and over again like a broken record. No one believes you anymore, people have eyes, ears and a brain and can see relaity for what it is. israel has been fighting scum like you for decades and it will never stop defending itself from a culture of hate and terror. How do you expect other countries to side with your people when they can see that you teach your children to kill and become martyrs??? you breed terror and expect cooperation? good luck with that. Israelis look in the mirror all the time and criticize their leaders all the time. What do you do? You blame Israel for all your corruption and all your terror. You are so blinded by your fanaticism that you cannot see the world as the rest of us do.
24. 3000 Palestinians dead, 3000 Palestinians dead!!
Broken record   (03.23.06)
Oops, out of which 70% were armed terrorists, and 90% of which were males aged 15-30 which somehow got in the middle of a warzone, isent it funny that whenever the IDF raids a Palestinians city lots of those specific bystanders appear out of nowhere?
25. #23 stop generalising a whole population-
AHMED ,   Ejerusalem Palestine   (03.23.06)
You suffered from generalisation in the past that led to the terrible crime of the holocaust, so stop generalising a whole population and talking about it as a terrorists and killers. I am not denying that part of our society is like that in reaction to occupation. I do not support it, I do not accept it, I do not tolerate it. . it is a phenomenon that we need to get rid of. But this in no way give you the right to be the terrible state that was created that so arrogant, that turning into an extremist states as now people considers Kadima and Sharon (the killer of sabra and chatila massacres) as a centre political figure. You have made us suffer so much without a blink. You have failed as a nation to fulfil the dream of building the nation that the Zionists have hoped for and now you are retreating and hiding behind walls.
26. Who is retreating? who is hiding behind walls?
Ayman ,   HAIFA PALESTINE   (03.23.06)
27. FACE IT! WITHOUT THE USA, ISRAEL IS WORTH NOTHING
KAMAL MOHAMED ,   JENIN PALESTINE   (03.23.06)
28. #22 Adam, sad but true !
(03.23.06)
29. This is just...wonderful!
enzo ,   london,uk   (03.23.06)
Finally...! I'm so happy to have read a great article! Superb analysis. Spot on. Nothing else to add. Thanks. You made my day.
30. #24 " 70% were armed terrorist" , bad lier !
David   (03.23.06)
120% is the correct answer
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