Originally Posted by mao say dung
I think Hamas and Palestinians in general have the right to fight for what they think of as theirs. I think that if they want to use children as human shields and deliberately provoke Israel into attacking and killing Palestinians, they have that right. I think that if the Palestinians want to vote for representatives whose organisation is built on a commitment to the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamist state based in Shariah, they have that right. And you have the right to support and defend these folk with whatever moralistic bleating you choose to emit. That does not mean I think that what the Palestinians, Hamas and you are doing is "right", as in "good" or "moral" or "ethical". I also happen to think that the Israelis have the right to defend themselves against the Palestinian wing of the general Muslim drive to have the Israeli state dismantled or destroyed. I think that they also have the right to hold on to the lands they've occupied as part of that defence. I think they have the right to refuse to pussyfoot around with people who are quite frank in their hatred of Jews, their commitment to the destruction of Israel, and their intention to replace Israel with a theocratic state. I think they have the right to be richer, smarter, better organized and hooked up with better friends than their enemies. That does not mean that I think what the Israelis do when they kill Palestinians with whatever horrendous weapons they can lay hands on or manufacture is "right", as in "good" or "moral" or "ethical".