• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Israel Plans 50,000 New Housing Units on Occupied Territory

Status
Not open for further replies.
KatNotKathy

KatNotKathy

Well-Known Member
YmirGF said:
Oh, forgive me, I keep forgetting that it is all the rage to see Israel as the villain. What was I thinking?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure you really can put any other spin to it in this case. Is it somehow the Palestinians' fault that Israel is building settlements on their land?
 
kai

kai

ragamuffin
Since the area has never in modern times been an independent state, there is no "legitimate" claimant to the area other than the present occupier, which currently happens to be Israel. This argument however is not accepted by the international community and international lawmaking bodies, virtually all of whom regard Israel's activities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as an occupation that denies the fundamental principle of self-determination found in the Article One of the United Nations Charter, and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Further, UN Security Council Resolution 242 notes the "inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war" regardless of whether the war in which the territory was acquired was offensive or defensive. Prominent Israeli human rights organizations such as B'tselem also refer to the Israeli control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip as an occupation.[50] John Quigley has noted that "...a state that uses force in self-defense may not retain territory it takes while repelling an attack. If Israel had acted in self-defense, that would not justify its retention of the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Under the UN Charter there can lawfully be no territorial gains from war, even by a state acting in self-defense. The response of other states to Israel's occupation shows a virtually unanimous opinion that even if Israel's action were defensive, its retention of the West Bank and Gaza Strip was not."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank
 
Caladan

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
A few details for context. the construction is in East Jerusalem in existing Jewish neighborhoods, it is implied from the article that the growth in to the eastern side of Jerusalem was decided by the municipal authorities as the only direction the city can grow. however some Israeli left wing politicians are protesting to the government that the construction in east Jerusalem is no more a municipal issue.
 
Last edited:
Tiapan

Tiapan

Grumpy Old Man
Its a pity it will lead directly to deaths of more of my fellow Australian, Canadian, German, UK, French, Israeli and American friends. I am disappointed the Isrealis cannot see the impact of such a negative move. I guess its forest and trees syndrome, but it is like tipping salt into the ulcerated wound that is the Middle East. This has long and far reaching consequences.

The world will be a far better place when all these "external" Israel settlements have been bulldozed into the ground they are blatant land grabs. Reminds me of a John Wayne movie where the settlers with all their western religious selfrighteousness murder and humbled the american plains indians and stole their lands.

Build the settlements in Israel not Palestine is my thought on the matter. I am sure many Isrealis disagree with these settlements, yet the ultra religious have a powerful voice obviously, much to the detriment of world stability.

I had expected better of Israel, they have let the world down.

Cheers
 
Last edited:
Caladan

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
Tiapan said:
I had expected better of Israel, they have let the world down.
Click to expand...
isnt that *a bit* melodramatic. there is no reason to hold Israel into angelic standards. Israel is a nation which exists in a complicated region, it faces unique political challenges, and it needs creative political solutions to the issues it deals with. Israel has not let 'the world' down anymore than any other nation. furthermore most western nations would not act differently if faced by the same geopolitical challenges.
 
Last edited:
Jayhawker Soule

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
Tiapan said:
The world will be a far better place when all these "external" Israel settlements have been bulldozed into the ground they are blatant land grabs.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. It's high time we give the old Jordanian occupation of Jerusalem the credit it deserves and return to those marvelous antisemitic days of yore!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top