It's so unfair for Israeli and Palestinian civilians

Look at this picture... really look at it... and understand that this NEVER happens on a regular basis in the US! But this happens all the time in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. And it's really sad because so many civilians on both sides who have indirect political attachments to their respective countries have to take the worst of it, people whose decision was already made for them to become collateral damage.


Since I was a kid always heard I on the news about this ongoing war in Israel but I never really understood it until recently when I began to ask some of my friends what they thought about it. To my surprise I found fierce opinions, so much that I just had to find out for myself the rationale for Israel's military occupation over these territories.

One reason for Israel interest in these regions is that it draws more than a third of it's fresh water supply from a mountain aquifer, and that 83% of this aquifer is recharged in the West Bank. Other reasons are that the West Bank has many geographically strategic military positions that are favorable to Israel and that it has many biblically historic places within it's boundaries, like East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, and the regions of Samaria and Judah, all extremely significant to Judaism. So based on these and other reasons, Israel is trying annex these areas but at what cost?

Considered a terrorist organization by the US, EU and Israel, the Palestine paramilitary outfit Hamas (meaning "Islamic Resistance Movement") is certainly not helping the cause of peace by stating in their charter the calling for Israel to be destroyed and replaced by an Islamic state! Saying things like this would provoke any nation to react like Israel is but maybe Hamas feels that they have to say over-the-top terrorist statements to defend themselves by instilling fear and intimidation. After all, Israel is trying to drive the Palestinian people from their homeland and is actively striking Palestinian land and buildings VIA aerial assaults, assassinating targeted people, cutting off food, supplies, clean water, all kinds of aid and basic human necessities, causing starvation and increased risk of diseases, all deliberately to lay siege on Palestine territory.

HOW REAL ARE THE CASUALTIES?
- Nearly 900 PALESTINIANS have now died since Jan 12th. -
- 275 of those are children. -
- Another 4,100 Palestinians have been injured. -
- The ISRAELI death toll is at only at thirteen -

It's hard for me to come up with a personal judgment because on one hand I want to say to both groups: "PEOPLE ARE BEING BLOWN UP! PEOPLE ARE DYING IN COLD BLOOD! SWEET AND TENDER CHILDREN ARE SEEING THE HORRORS OF SEEMINGLY DEVILISH MEN AGAINST ONE ANOTHER!
PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR HOMES AND BECOMING DESTITUTE BECAUSE OF YOUR GREEDY SQUABBLE OVER LAND AND TERRITORY! COME UP WITH A PEACEFUL SOLUTION FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR PEOPLE'S SAFETY AND WELL-BEING, NO MATTER WHAT THE STINKING COST!!!" and on the other I know that Israel and Palentine have been sincerely, in one way or another, trying to work it out between themselves since way before my birth so how can I say these things to them. Honestly, I don't have a solution, nor a solid judgment over what should be done to resolve these issues but at least we can all think about these things, be aware of the realities of life, and to uphold the personal responsibility of treating people as we ourselves want to be treated, with utmost respect, especially the children...


-gs1r-