Opinion
Obama’s 10 Commandments
Yoram Ettinger
Published: 30.06.10, 11:09
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31. #28...Re:#18,#25
Malone ,   Hfx   (06.30.10)
"no one cares what you think of America's president" Speak for yourself only,Brian.
32. :: David Israel - #26 – Answer me this
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (06.30.10)
David Israel in responce to Monastras who stated "do not use disproportionate force.try not to kill" you replied: "Israelis never try to kill (civilians)". If this is the case how do you explain that top Israeli generals have *openly admitted* that they have planned and committed attacks against civilian homes, cities and infrastructure? For example General Mordechai Gur (Former Chief of Staff of the IDF) stated that he "had four villages in South Lebanon bombarded". General Gadi Eisenkot stated that "We will wield *disproportionate power* against every village from which shots are fired on Israel, and cause immense damage and destruction. *From our perspective*, these are military bases, this isn't a suggestion. This is a plan that has already been authorized". Israel's chief of staff Dan Halutz clearly stated in the run up to the Second Lebanon war that "if the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years". Note that he did not threaten Hizbollah but rather the civilian state of Lebanon. In relation to Syria an Israeli minister stated “We’ll return Syria to the Stone Age by crippling its (civilian) power stations, ports, fuel storage and every bit of strategic infrastructure if Hezbollah dare to launch ballistic missiles against us”. One has only to look at the stats for the utter obliteration of entire civilian neighborhoods in Gaza and Lebanon by the IDF/IAF to see that the Israeli attacks were indiscriminate at best or deliberately planned at worst. So David Israel how do you explain such huge loss of civilian life and total destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure as well as the open admittance by Israeli generals and officials that they would attack civilians and civilian infrastructure?
33. Obama's hostility to the national home of the Jewish people,
Jehudah Ben-Israel ,   Qatzrin, Israel   (06.30.10)
from his first day in office, is indicative of where is heart and mind is. The President hostility to Israel, its elected officials, to its government and its courts is a form of a spit in some of the most important symbols of revived Jewish sovereignty in the Jewish people's ancestral homeland; it is, in other words, a spit in the face of the Jewish people as a people and in each of its members, worldwide. No "Charm Offenses" will ever repair Obama's unleashing of waves of anti-Semitism/anti-Israel/Jewish racism worldwide. The only way Obama will managed to repair some of what he has caused is to be big enough to apologize to the Jewish people worldwide and especially to the Jews of Israel and their elected officials. Will he do so, I doubt it...!!
34. Obama in one word
BH ,   Iowa   (06.30.10)
APPEASER
35. Brian #16: Netanyahu's visit will help you & Obama
Steve Klein   (06.30.10)
What must we understand about "American politics" to see this man in the White House is an unmitigated disaster by any standard of measure? If you cannot perceive this president holds deep sympathies for the world of Islam and its supremacist aims, maybe you should reassess your personal judgment? How much disaster and degradation under President Obama -- environmental, economic, cultural, etc. -- will you withstand before you concede he presents a clear and present danger to America? Obama's twenty year racist, anti-Semitic, bigoted spiritual mentor - the one Obama insisted he could no more disown than he could disown the black community and his white grandmother - opined, the only difference between his world view and Barack's is simply that Barack is a politician. Reverend "Israel is that dirty word" Wright on the other hand, is NOT. Unlike Mr. Obama he speaks forthrightly about the Jews and our "crimes" and not with forked tongue.
36. #32- I did not say that
David Israel ,   New York, USA   (06.30.10)
What I said is that Israelis never try to kill as an answer to Monastras' claim. However I also explained that fighting terrorism is a difficult task. In the process many unfortunate things happen. People are killed, homes destroyed. There is a big difference between trying to kill and being forced to kill in a war situation. On the other hand one could say that Hamas is deliberately trying to kill innocent civilians when they send suicide bombers to diskos, restaurants, malls and buses launch rockets at Sderot killing babies like Dorit Benisian and Yuval Abebeh. I do not believe in proportional force in a war. In order to win overwhelming force need to be used. Otherwise the war will last longer, damages and losses bigger. We (USA - I am American) did not use proportional force in Iraq. Of course I prefer that there is no war at all. I only hope that a peaceful two state solution will be achieved as soon as possible and there will be no more losses.
37. :: David - #36
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (06.30.10)
Not really, the only difference is that the latter (being forced to kill) is a lame excuse for the former (trying to kill). Clearly in both cited case (Gaza and Lebanon) the IAF/IDF tried to maximize the damage the destruction of both civilian infrastructure and civilian deaths. This policy was plainly stated by Israeli Generals when they said they would target civilians rather than militants/’terrorists’. In that case you do not believe in the Law of Armed Conflict/ Laws of wars which makes your mindset *no different* from that of any terrorist group as they do not believe in proportional force in a war. Regardless of what ‘you’ believe the IDF claim that: “Unlike Hamas and other terrorist organisations that Israel faces, Israel is firmly committed — as a matter of both policy and practice — to respecting its obligations under international law, including under the Law of Armed Conflict” Clearly this claim is rubbished by the previous quotes I posted from Israeli generals. Likewise neither you nor the IDF upload one of the core values of the ‘IDF Spirit’ which states: “The IDF and its soldiers are obligated to protect human dignity. Every human being is of value regardless of his or her origin, religion, nationality, gender, status or position”.
38. :: David Israel - #36 – I got you
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (06.30.10)
You are such an amateur. I invented all those "facts" about Israel generals while I was writing, none of it is true. I wondered if you would call me on it, but instead you apologize. Everyone knows Israelis are losers who don't use force compared to real armies, and everyone knows that the civilian lives lost during Israeli attacks are lower than any equivalent battle, but you can't even defend yourself. You really need to get a hang of this talkbacking thing.
39. #28 Brian
Albrecht Klein ,   Germany   (06.30.10)
Don't you tell me what to do. And, by the way, the approval ratings of BHO are in record freefall, so the upcoming elections will be very unpleasant for him.
40. Obama violates US Committments&Constitution
sam ,   USA   (06.30.10)
41. :: David - Ignore the child
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (06.30.10)
Ignore the child who is posting fake comments under my name (#38) and other posters on this website. This only demonstrates the immature levels which Zionist loyalists will stoop to when they don’t have a valid thing to say.
42. #9: Ettinger's case isn't refuted by calling it "ridiculous"
dante ,   uk   (06.30.10)
Ettinger's case is not refuted by calling it "ridiculous." It's a little cute but I do not think that the points mischaracterise any position of the American administration.
43. #40 sam
Albrecht Klein ,   Germany   (06.30.10)
The US constitution does not matter to BHO. He will declare himself Eternal Leader like his buddy in North Korea.
44. Obama vs. US allies
Barbara Feldman ,   St. Paul, MN USA   (06.30.10)
Mr. Obama has manged, with his naive and lacking knowledge and experience approach to international relationlships to alienate allies on each of the continents, but first and foremost the most loyal ally of the US in the Middle East, Israel. With regard to Israel Mr. Obama has also shown real sinister approach, clearly because Israel is a Jewish state. My vote next time will certainly not go to him or to Ms. Clinton who has been active in applying his views.
45. ...and who elected him?
natasha ,   israel   (06.30.10)
Yes, Americain Jews They are natural-born obamists, who always vote Democrats. 80 percent A.J are just one another among many in the world anti-Israeli groups. We are lucky to have Evangelicals
46. #38 - You di dnot get me at all
David Israel ,   New York, USA   (06.30.10)
I did not quote any f the lies that you fabricated in my post. I just made a point for which I stand for 100%. You may like it or not that's all. Next time be careful about what I wrote before you reply. To me all these examples that you gave were already immaterial. No need to check its validity since my answer to you stands on its own merits. Enjoy the nice cool breeze in North east of teh USA (Fairport CT right?)
47. Strategy for winning wars:
Robert Haymond ,   Israel/Canada   (06.30.10)
Once at war, give no quarter to the enemy. We (allies) bombed Dresden and later Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The effect was to shorten the war (WWII) considerably, to dishearten the enemy and to save allied lives. Taking pity on the enemy, as Tolkien noted in his great classic, The Hobbit (re Smeagal), only gives the enemy another opportunity to awaken itself and murder. Tolkien, who lived through WWII while the UK was in desperate straights, knew exactly what he was writing about. In the case of terrorists such as Hamas and Hezbollah, this is doubly true. After the battle, the winner can establish a means of making a secure peace, i.e., Marshall Plan. Israel will survive as long as its leaders remain steadfast.
48. Barack Obama`s 10 Commanments
Paul Divine ,   Saint Louis, Mo USA   (07.01.10)
49. :: David - #46
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (07.01.10)
You made your point very clear - you support war crimes against civilians. You clearly stated “I do not believe in proportional force in a war. In order to win overwhelming force need to be used”. Both you and the IDF support the use of “overwhelming force” which has resulted in the ‘overwhelming loss’ of civilian lives. You could not have made your point any clearer. My point is that if you do not adhere to the international laws of war (which does not support the overwhelming loss’ of civilian lives by disproportional force) you are no different from a terrorist group. In fact there is a term for what you support it is called ‘state terror’.
50. :: Robert - #47
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (07.01.10)
All of which are considered war crimes regardless of who wrote the history books. Just because you and other Ynuts support state sanctioned mass murder of innocent civilians does not excuse the barbarity of these war crimes. The fact that you, David Israel and other Ynuts (not to mention the IDF) will not distinguish between innocent civilians and legitimate military targets makes ye no different from any terrorist group who also does not distinguish between innocent civilians and legitimate military targets. Bombing a village filled with civilians is no different from blowing up a pizzeria or a bus or a discotheque filled with civilians. The result is the same - massive civilian deaths designed as you put it to “dishearten the enemy”.
51. Obama is no friend of the Jews
Tessa ,   KC, USA   (07.01.10)
He is no friend of the US either; Believe me we are doing the best we can to end this disaster. Can it be soon enough? Only God knows. There are many Christians here that are seriously concerned about Israel. This article just makes my blood boil; it needs to be sent all over the US, in case anyone hasn't come out of their stupor yet. In the end I believe God will save Israel but the US...not so sure.
52. Stupidity and incompetence.
Ron B. ,   Lod   (07.01.10)
How much worse off, another year of Obama’s foreign-policy incompetence will leave the Middle East ? The “progressive” and “humanitarian” forces of the West have helped make real democratic and social reform unnecessary for the Arabic-speaking world and delivered it into decades more of violence, dictatorship, repression, stagnation, and failure – and improvement is not in sight : http://xrl.us/bhndvh
53. #49 Matty Groves
Albrecht Klein ,   Germany   (07.01.10)
If you are referring to the Hague Conventions, there is no such thing as "disproportional force". And, by the way, there would be much less casualties if the Hamas thugs would not fire their rockets from civilian areas.
54. Anti-Semitism and Islamism in America: Obama's Contribution
Jehudah Ben-Israel ,   Qatzrin, Israel   (07.01.10)
Obama's denial - in his Cairo speech - of the Jewish people's historic right to Israel; Obama's insistence - in his Cairo speech - on comparing the Jewish Holocaust to the situation in Gaza; Obama's on-going humiliating attitude towards Israel's prime minister and insulting approach to other Israeli elected officials, to its government and to its courts and their decisions; Obama's insistence that Jews, only because they are Jewish, must refrain from moving into certain neighborhoods of Israel's capital city (not others, mind you, only Jews!!!), and Jews, by virtue of being members of the Jewish people, must not be permitted to reside in certain villages and towns of their ancestral homeland; These and other forms of hostility and racism against the Jewish people and its individual members have unleashed waves of anti-Semitism/anti-Jewish racism that humanity has not experienced since 1945. Obama must atone for this "contribution" to humanity and apologize to the Jewish people, along with members of his mutual-admiration-society: Wright-Farakhan-Jackson-Obama.
55. obama's 10 commandments
richard sherwin ,   herzliyah israel   (07.01.10)
If this is the wave of the future, Obama must be someone's messiah... the seas have dried up and there are no more earthquakes tsunamis droughts or jihads to fear....let alone bp oil spills military cyberwars and greedy politicians in the UN.... let alone human incompetence and russian sleepers... nice to know we live in disneyworld...and disney wasnt exactly pro jewish either... a New Moses....
56. Your moral indignation #47 is shallow
Robert Haymond ,   Israel/Canada   (07.01.10)
and meaningless. The allies won the war and saved the lives of countless British, French, Americans, Australians, Russians and others. Better to say "Sorry" later after you have survived than not to have survived at all. Your thin philosophizing and bubble headed pseudo liberalism won't win you any awards in this corner. Go try that old crone, Greta Berlin. I'm sure you can establish a cozy tete a tete with her.
57. :: Albrecht - #56
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (07.01.10)
Actually the principle of proportionality as laid out in the 1907 Hague Conventions. According to the doctrine, a state is legally allowed to unilaterally defend itself and right a wrong *provided the response is proportional to the injury suffered*. The response must also be immediate and necessary, *refrain from targeting civilians* and require only enough force to achieve its objective. Also “Proportionality prohibits the use of any kind or degree of force that exceeds that needed to accomplish the military objective” - Law of Armed Conflict There would also be less casualties if 750,000 Palestinians were not driven from their homes in 1948 and never allowed to return.
58. 10. reply to your Ten Commandments
ygalg ,   isreal   (07.01.10)
"I am Obama, your special friend, ally and paymaster... " Obama should remind that to himself that we are allies and special friends. from where the money comes from? certainly not from the tax payers considering the American needs which tax money won't cover. "ONE: Thou shall have no other allies before me." Obama should take the heed on that to himself. "TWO: Thou shall not make for yourself any carved image which depicts me wearing a kaffiyeh – such images are childish and immature." kissing and bowing to Islamic figures earned him the treat. "THREE: Thou shall not call me silly names like ‘Obuma’ nor shall thou call me a Muslim." Dhimmi then. "FOUR: Thou shall make peace with the Palestinians." when they stop following wicked ideology and start acting as human beings, we may do that. "FIVE: Honor my words and commandments and follow my foreign policy in the ME to the letter." irrelevant. we are not Obama's voters. "SIX: Thou shall not murder innocent civilians as you did in Gaza, Lebanon and on the Mavi Marmara." terrorists are not innocent. "SEVEN: Thou shall not build any more illegal settlements in East Jerusalem or the West Bank." there is no such thing as "illegal" in the case of east Jerusalem as there are no legal status for Palestinian in east Jerusalem. Arafat rejected the camp David agreements in concern east Jerusalem. in the meantime, it is part of Israel. so it is legal to build wherever and whatever Israel wants. and that includes west bank. "EIGHT: Thou shall not steal land and resources which do not belong to you; thou shall remember these words “the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war”." to the victor belong the spoils and we are not the one who initiated the war. when you start a war be sure to have the plan B. if happens you lose and that to be able to face the forfeit. "NINE: Thou shall not lie by claiming you have a god-given right to exist as a Jewish State; NO country has a ‘special right’ to exist in any form not even the US." we don't need god for the matter. truth is in our side. that's why Muslims pray five times a day. "TEN: Thou shall not covet your neighbor's land and resources in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and southern Lebanon; thou shall not covet your neighbor's water wells, nor his olive groves, nor his rich culture and pretty women." we are not Muslims. resources in Gaza? everything we posses is ours. read history for a change and not propagandas.
59. :: Robert - #56 – Supporting state terror
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (07.01.10)
Maybe to you but then again you do not talk for the majority of sane people who find your support of targeting and killing innocent civilians in ‘dishearten the enemy’ immoral and repugnant. After this planned mass murder of innocent civilians by the allies the Geneva Conventions were established to endure that this barbarity would be illegal in future wars. Let me quote: “Grave breaches to which the preceding Article relates shall be those involving any of the following acts, if committed against persons or property protected by the present Convention: wilful killing …wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health …. extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.” (Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention). I’m sure Hamas uses this same mentality to justify its war crimes. I’m not looking to win ‘awards’ I am merely pointing out that your support of mass murder of innocent civilians is the same doctrine that terrorist groups follow. The deliberate targeting of innocent civilians by armed forces is illegal under international law. Terrorist groups are not bound by international law but state armies are. When a state army disregards international laws and uses disproportional deadly force to target and kill civilians (to dishearten the enemy as you put it) that state engages in ‘State Terror’ by committing clearly define war crimes. The state of Israel and the IDF fall into this category. People like you (Ynuts) who support and justify the use of State Terror are *no different* from those who support terrorist groups who also target innocent civilians to further their goals. Thankfully supporters of terror like you are in the minority and do not represent the majority of Jews and Israeli.
60. I really try to never say: " I told you so..."
Liberty Lover ,   USA   (07.01.10)
So I will not here. I have made mistakes, too... Like voting for Bush twice. It is time to vote for the TEA PARTY patriots! Vote for those who put LIBERTY FIRST! Forget party loyalty. Vote in the Anti-Obamas, so they can stop this usurper and his twisted logic.
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