Israel's wall around the West Bank

[CanuckInUSA 0]

I'm surprised nobody has said anything about this story yet. Remember the Berlin Wall? Would you agree that tearing that thing down was a good thing for Germany, Europe and the world in general? What about this new wall that Israel is building in the West Bank? 150 Nations in the UN voted that it was a bad thing while 6 nations (including the USA) voted to let Israel continue with what they are doing (10 nations were absent from the vote). I would love to say that GWB is up to no good again. But I'm not that naive. I know the Democrates support Israel just as much if not more than the Republicans.

So what do you think? Is building walls around people a good thing for the world we live in today? And is there any wonder why the Arab world is frustrated to say the least with the USA's continued bias support of Israel.

Edited to add: Using the Berlin Wall wasn't the best analogy. This has already been addressed in posts below, so there is no need to continue down that road.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[PhillyKev 0]

I'm suprised you haven't seen the couple of threads about this already

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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I'm suprised you haven't seen the couple of threads about this already

Am I guilty of not searching the "Speakers Corner"? Oh well.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[beowulf 1]

The Isreali/Palestinian conflict is just a bad situation that will never get any better. The wall is just physical proof of this. Neither side is willing to do what it takes for peace.

[pajarito 0]

Too simplistic a poll. It's not worded correctly and it's more complicated than that.

[TheAnvil 0]

Your comparison of the Israeli wall to the Berlin Wall has absolutely no merit whatsoever. Much like this poll - neither of the answers is acceptable.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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Your comparison of the Israeli wall to the Berlin Wall has absolutely no merit whatsoever.

Yes the Berlin wall existed to keep the people within the wall contained while this West Bank wall will exist to keep the so called undesirable people out. So a better analogy would have been to compare gated communities.

The world is one fucked up place and things are going to get a lot worse before they get better (if they get better).

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[PhillyKev 0]

It really is a horrible comparison.

The berlin wall separated a nation of like minded people into two separate entitities against their will. It was the separation between the East and West of the world, smack dab in the middle of one homogenous culture.

The Israeli wall is for a different purpose entirely and is not a symbol of repression. On the pro side, it's a defensive barrier. On the con side it's an inconvenience requiring you to travel to a security check point to cross. But you can pass from one side to another, unlike the Berlin wall.

[MarkM 0]

My apartment complex has a wall around it with a guard at the front gate, is that wrong??

[Jimbo 0]

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Too simplistic a poll.

Agreed.

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It's not worded correctly and it's more complicated than that.

With regards to the wording, I'll bet that the wording was carefully chosen and exactly correct - to the poster.

For the record, I voted 'yes' - build the wall. When the bombings stop the wall will come down, I suspect.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[Kerr 0]

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My apartment complex has a wall around it with a guard at the front gate, is that wrong??

Did you bulldoze the neighbouring apartment complex and build the wall in its grounds?

Isn't that the main grounds for complaint against the wall? Unfortunatly, as far as I can tell, the wall does increase the sucurity, but also increases the tension in the area, leading to an increase in those who feel they have no other way of fighting back.

If the increased security is nullified by an increase in tension then all that will have happened is that peace is moved one more step farther away.

--
Kerr

[rjoseph14k 0]

After living in Israel for three years. The politics of that region are extremely confusing. It goes far beyond the wall. The sad thing is most people around the world base thier opinions off of what they see in the news and after living through a few horrible events in real life and then seeing the way the media reports it I can tell all of you that your only seeing about 10 percent fact.

I to this day have mixed feelings about the wall and I lived through it. How can someone living in a plush downtown New York condo like a delegate in the UN who has never even been to the region have an objectional opinion on the issue, and then vote for or against it.

[falxori 0]

gee, how about phrasing the question in a less biased way?

you, just like the UN, do not mention in a single word that this barrier (and again, its only a wall where its needed to prevent direct shooting) is there for a very sad reason. terror.

its a security barrier that (like it or not) works.
no one here likes it. it damages the landscape and costs a lot of money. but we need it because there are some "so called undesirable people" who want to blow me up.

and as for the UN, this institute is a joke. the arab/muslim world has an automatic majority for anything they want. they can decide the earth is flat but it doesnt make it true.

O

"Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero."

[CanuckInUSA 0]

I made a mistake in creating this poll. But I can't take it back. What's done is done.

1) Yes there are some crazy people trying to kill you guys in Israel and I do understand your desire to try and protect yourselves.

2) You guys helped create the oppression these people feel and yet you offer little towards trying solving the problem.

3) It is possible that there is no solution and for that I am truly sorry for both cultures. But what I don't understand is why the people who have some control over their own destiny continue to want to exist is such dangerous part of the world?

4) I personally want to live somewhere where I don't feel I need to live behind a wall. I want to live somewhere where I can talk to my neighbor and get to know my neighbor. My neighbor and I may not agree with each other, but we respect each other's right to live in peace.

Finally (and this applies to many different cultures and countries as well as people here on DZ.COM). I find it sad and amusing at the same time when the patriotism gets in the way of people's rational thoughts. Often you hear people complain that they are pissed that this group or that group is terrorizing me and my people. But very few people ever try to see it from the other guys side. I mean can you blame Iraqis for wanting to kill Americans? Really think about this for a second. Put the shoe on the other foot. What if Palestine had all the weaponry and the support of a super power. Would the Israelis or the Americans stand by while the Palestinians or Iraqis invaded their respective homelands without trying to put up a fight? Geez ... what do some of you expect the oppressed to do? Nothing? Yah right ... you'd be fighting back just as the Iraqis and the Palestinians are.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[tonyhays 86]

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2) You guys helped create the oppression these people feel and yet you offer little towards trying solving the problem.

I don't know about them creating oppression, but "..offer little towards trying solving the problem" is flat out wrong. Israel did try to make peace in 2000 at Camp David. Arafat spurned the offer, and the infitada soon commenced. Arafat doesn't make the situation any better by putting family members in positiions of power within his government.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/cd2000art.html

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

[falxori 0]

1) thank you for understanding.
2) peace talks were on and off since 1990, arafat took all he could in talking then when ALL of his demands werent met, he went back to violence. it took many years but now most of the world sees him as the reason for failure.
they were offered pretty much all of the land in camp david, and refused because they could get all of jerusalem. if you want a history lesson, i'll be happy to give you one.
israel was out of palestinian towns for years during the Oslo accords, it had to go back in when they become terrorist nests...
3)there is a solution and we all know what it will be, but we need a palestinian partner in order to omplement it.
as for living here, what are you suggesting? that we pack our things and move? where to? would you leave your home or would you try to defend it?
4)sorry, sweden is already taken.

finally, all i can say is that if the palestinians have had a more responsible leadership, which would negotiate and not resort to violance every time they didnt get what they wanted. they would have had a state by now.

"Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero."