Flying Dutchman wrote:shafique wrote:Nope, I'm happy to condemn terrorist actions taken by Hezbollah, Hamas, IDF etc - I even made the point that the rockets were actually counter productive.
So, don't single out Israel in this conflict. That's just plain hypocricy.
You seem to be confusing me with someone else.
This thread was about the actions of Palestinian diplomats trying to peacefully get to a negotiated settlement of the process.
I've just had to patiently explain why it is Israel that is in violation of International Law in East Jerusalem and also in the West Bank.
Flying Dutchman wrote:shafique wrote:For example, I don't agree with Hamas holding one Israeli soldier as hostage just because Israel holds thousands of Palestinians hostage (in 'administrative detention') - but that is because I am against hostage taking on principle.
Another example of Hamas breaking international law...one of many! Do you agree Hamas is breaking international law with the kidnapping of Shalit?
Yes.
Kidnapping is illegal. Holding people hostage is illegal. Hamas is in violation of International Law - as well as doing something I don't approve of. I'm sure Hamas may argue that Shalit is a prisoner of war or an 'enemy combatant' - but to me he is a hostage, purely because they want to exchange him for hundreds of Palestinians being similarly held hostage by Israel.
See - when denouncing injustices, one shouldn't look at the perpetrator's religion.
Israel holding thousands hostage is also a crime in my eyes - and we'll see how many they will release in exchange for Shalit.
Flying Dutchman wrote:shafique wrote:So, now we agree that Israel should not be above the law - I guess we are close to recognising the fact that Israel is breaking international law by annexing East Jerusalem and imposing discriminatory rules on the non-Jewish inhabitants (particularly when it comes to land/housing)
Yes, Israel treats non-Israeli's different than Israeli's, nothing special about that.
The problem is that they are doing this in occupied East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank - and discriminating against the residents who happen to not to be citizens of the occupying power.
Thus we arrive back at the same old fact again - Israel is breaking the law in the occupied areas it controls when it discriminates against the residents of these areas on the basis of their citizenship (these guys are NOT foreigners in the land that is being occupied, but the occupied population who all have rights under International Law).
Anyway - I guess we must be close to agreement. Hamas has broken International Law by taking one hostage, Israel has broken International Laws by depriving residents of occupied land of their basic rights of land ownership and use (as explicitly stated in resolution 478 in respect of East Jerusalem, for example).
Cheers,
Shafique