[Carley]

A lesson for all of us, in every country.

[Braak]

Hats off to this IDF reservist. I think it sums up the entire situation quite well.

[Westbrook]

Poor guy.

He thinks he is talking to rational people.

He is not.

The only reason they probably use the internet is to watch beheading videos and scream “Alahu Akbar!” at the bloody spectacles.

The “Palestinians” are a lost cause.

You gotta remember. They *VOTED FOR* Hamas.

[ArrogantBustard]

This is the only part of his letter I take exception with:

Despite all this, for reasons that cannot be understood and with a lack of any rational logic,

Sorry, but Hamas is perfectly rational and logical. It goes like this:

< begin Hamas-think >

Everyone must become moslem.
But the Jews refuse to become moslem.
Therefore, Israel must be destroyed.

< end Hamas-think >

That's not irrational. It's evil. Big difference. One wonders to what extent the average moslem civilian in Gaza subscribes to "Hamas-think".

[dennisw]

Wow!
But Muslims are beyond reason so this was written for the rational people of planet Earth

Islam does not believe in reciprocity though their propaganda says otherwise

[LRS]

Ps: Enjoy those Jewish cooties I left behind!

[reagan_fanatic]

And now, a letter from a muslim to an infidel:

Dear Infidel:

Convert or die.

[Marauder]

This is impressive in its sincerity and simple logic, but it reminds me of the story of a reporter interviewing an old Jewish man who prayed regularly at the Western Wall. After several thoughtful questions and their insightful answers in terms of praying for peace and its apparent elusiveness, the reporter concluded with the inevitable, "And how does it make you feel?"

The old man said, "Like I'm talking to a (bleeping) wall."

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]

----------------------------

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

Needs to be copied a million times and dropped from planes into Gaza.

[Tolik]

Yishai G (reserve soldier) ygoldflam@gmail.com

[Originally published in Hebrew in Maariv]
http://galileanword.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-am-soldier-who-slept-in-your-home.html

... I swear to you, that if the citizens of Gaza were busy paving roads, building schools, opening factories and cultural institutions instead of dwelling in self pity, arms smuggling and nurturing a hatred to your Israeli neighbors, your homes would not be in ruins right now. If your leaders were not corrupt and motivated by hatred, your home would not have been harmed. If someone would have stood up and shouted that there is no point in launching missiles on innocent civilians, I would not have to stand in your kitchen as a soldier. You don't have money, you tell me? You have more than you can imagine. Even before Hamas took control of Gaza, during the time of Yasser Arafat, millions if not billions of dollars donated by the world community to the Palestinians was used for purchasing arms or taken directly to your leaders bank accounts. Gulf States, the emirates - your brothers, your flesh and blood, are some of the richest nations in the world. If there was even a small feeling of solidarity between Arab nations, if these nations had but the smallest interest in reconstructing the Palestinian people – your situation would be very different.

You must be familiar with Singapore. The land mass there is not much larger than the Gaza strip and it is considered to be the second most populated country in the world. Yet, Singapore is a successful, prospering, and well managed country. Why not the same for you? My friend, I would like to call you by name, but I will not do so publicly. I want you to know that I am 100% at peace with what my country did, what my army did, and what I did. However, I feel your pain. I am sorry for the destruction you are finding in your neighborhood at this moment. On a personal level, I did what I could to minimize the damage to your home as much as possible.

In my opinion, we have a lot more in common than you might imagine. I am a civilian, not a soldier, and in my private life I have nothing to do with the military. However, I have an obligation to leave my home, put on a uniform, and protect my family every time we are attacked. I have no desire to be in your home wearing a uniform again and I would be more than happy to sit with you as a guest on your beautiful balcony, drinking sweet tea seasoned with the sage growing in your garden.

The only person who could make that dream a reality is you. Take responsibility for yourself, your family, your people, and start to take control of your destiny. How? I do not know. Maybe there is something to be learned from the Jewish people who rose up from the most destructive human tragedy of the 20th century, and instead of sinking into self-pity, built a flourishing and prospering country. It is possible, and it is in your hands. I am ready to be there to provide a shoulder of support and help to you.

But only you can move the wheels of history."

Nailed It!
Moral Clarity BUMP !

This ping list is not author-specific for articles I'd like to share. Some for the perfect moral clarity, some for provocative thoughts; or simply interesting articles I'd hate to miss myself. (I don't have to agree with the author all 100% to feel the need to share an article.) I will try not to abuse the ping list and not to annoy you too much, but on some days there is more of the good stuff that is worthy of attention. You can see the list of articles I pinged to lately  on  my page.
You are welcome in or out, just freepmail me (and note which PING list you are talking about). Besides this one, I keep 2 separate PING lists for my favorite authors Victor Davis Hanson and Orson Scott Card.  

[Star Traveler]

Hmmm..., interesting letter...

[dervish]

The anonymity of Israeli soldiers in this campaign was strictly enforced by the IDF since they expect charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity to be brought in the World Court and courts of European countries.

In the past few years the courts in Europe have been used to p(e)rosecute Israeli Officers.

[Yardstick]

Wow, what a beautiful letter, and so true.

[happygrl]

Sadat and King Hussein of Jordan were two who crossed over from hatred to peace-makers.

It is within the Arab psyche to do so.

Billions of dollars from the rest of the world only perpetuates the problem and induces a criminal class to scheme to position themselves to pocket it.

Cut off the money.

[Skooz]

BFL

[WOSG]

Fascinating letter from an Israeli soldier to the people of Gaza.