posted July 26, 2010 05:53 AM         

I also wonder what stops Saudi Arabia and Egypt from creating an independent protectorate for the suffering Gaza citizens. Muslims are encouraged to immigrate to escape oppression as a first option. The total area of Gaza is 360 km, 1/400 the size of Egypt. 1.5 million Palestinians need 1/10th the Saudi Royal luxury wastage to jump start their economy.

posted July 27, 2010 11:31 PM         

Child killing unit indeed and we have only this nutroots site to trust a real Israeli soldier said any such thing. Name and Unit please!

Kind of reminds me of all the phony soldiers trotted out by leftists to speak about the "war crimes" committed by American forces in Iraq. Pure bullshiiit.

What's really odd is that those who call themselves "adults" would fall for it...after all the lies, all the hype, all the staged photos, all the staged mock fights video taped and passed off as "real" by so called Palestinians...who are mostly not Palestinians at all. That's perhaps the biggest lie of all.

However, those who claim to be oh so compassionate about mistreatment of children don't bat an eye when Hamas terrorists blow up school buses full of Israeli children. Don't bat an eye when Hamas terrorists fire off unguided rockets into Israel and maim or kill both children and adults. Don't bat an eye when it's pointed out to them that each and every firing of an unguided rocket into a civilian area is by definition a....WAR CRIME.

posted July 28, 2010 11:16 AM         

i do understand that "child" is used rather loosely especially as kids tend to grow up a lot faster and get involved in the conflict at an age when many of ours are still in school.

the north of england is a long way from israel...and you are one of thousands who chose not to be in that area...obviously i do not know your reasons for not being there but i do know a few israelis who are homesick but consider going back the last thing they would do unless things change DRASTICALLY.

posted July 30, 2010 07:24 AM         

With Hamas telling tales of deprivation and suffering in Gaza, Egyptian journalist Ashraf Abu al-Houl has added his report to others who were surprised to discover a “prosperous” Gaza in which prices are low and luxury businesses are booming. Al-Houl's story of his trip to Gaza and his realization that “in actual terms, Gaza is not under siege” was written up in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

"A sense of absolute prosperity prevails, as manifested by the grand resorts along and near Gaza's coast. Further, the site of the merchandise and luxuries filling the Gaza shops amazed me,” he reported.

Concerned that his initial impression of prosperity may have been misleading, “I toured the new resorts, most of which are quite grand, as well as the commercial markets, to verify my hypothesis. The resorts and markets have come to symbolize prosperity, and to prove that the siege is formal or political, not economic,” Al-Houl said.

Gaza's markets are filled with a “plethora of goods,” he wrote. Prices on many items, particularly food, are much lower than they are in Egypt, he said. With goods entering Gaza from both smuggling tunnels to Egypt and humanitarian aid shipments coming in via Israeli crossings, “supply is much greater than demand,” he stated.

The evident prosperity is not enjoyed by all, or even most, of Gaza's residents, according to Al-Houl. The problem is the vast differences in the distribution of wealth. The luxury resorts and wide range of consumer goods are enjoyed by “only a few groups,” he said, primarily those who own smuggling tunnels to Egypt and those who work for international organizations such as the United Nations' UNRWA and who do not include or aid the rest of the population.

Most of the new resorts “are owned by members, or associates, of Hamas,” he reported. “In addition, the Hamas municipalities charge high fees, in Gaza terms, for the use of public beaches,” he added.