For those concerned about Jerusalem/Gaza

[senior citizen]

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[Taltarzac725]

For those concerned about the situation in the Middle East, below are two recent posts from a young friend/neighbor who is Vice Consul in Jerusalem. She graduated Georgetown University in D.C,. then completed further studies in Syria (of all places), Jordan, Egypt at American University......smart gal.
She's FLUENT IN ARABIC.

A natural strawberry blonde Irish Catholic heritage 29 year old. We did worry about her when she was in Nigeria & terror attacks were happening nearby.

Her first post was as Vice Consul in Lagos Nigeria, American Consulate.....interviewing Nigerians who were seeking visas to come to America.

Now, Jerusalem since last year.

Our small town Vermont "kids" all accomplish much after college, plus all have that wander lust to see the world..........she's been all over the mideast, China, etc., etc., Slavic countries, etc.

Was our newspaper girl at age 11, a girl scout & later camp counselor.......100% American gal.....now in that turmoil of the middle east.

She always downplays any potential danger.

July 10:
Crazy day here. I'm safe and fine in Jerusalem, thanks to those who have asked, though the situation is neither fine nor safe for those in Gaza. My day began with a work meeting in Tel Aviv, during which a rocket landed in the sea next to the building where i was, and we heard several air raid sirens. The day ended with a serene Iftar in Qalqilya, the West Bank, with deaf Palestinian women. Unable to communicate with words, we bonded over photos of our cats on our phones and no one mentioned the security situation.


ok, so that actually was the air raid siren, unless the entire city is listening to indie techno synthesizer music (a la my status two weeks ago). I'm safe and fine... but there's a lot going on here right now.

Great that you are posting messages from someone actually there in Jerusalem.

Personally, I feel with so many scared places to three religions so close together in Jerusalem that this area will never find peace. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/jerusalems-holy-places-and-the-peace-process

[Bonanza]

If you receive more messagges, I hope you will share them with us.

[Blessed2BNTV]

Thanks Senior. We must pray for all in that region.

[senior citizen]

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[Bogie Shooter]

Latest..........Hamas rejects cease fire.

[scarecrow1]

Unfortunately it is what it is. Has been going on for centuries...

[Bonanza]

Unfortunately it is what it is. Has been going on for centuries...

What is going on over there right now is NOT
the same as what has been going on for centuries!

[billethkid]

Unfortunately it is what it is. Has been going on for centuries...

This is a fact of their lives. And we think our diplomacy and words and back stroking are going to make a difference.

We haven't and we won't.

[buggyone]

This is a fact of their lives. And we think our diplomacy and words and back stroking are going to make a difference.

We haven't and we won't.

You are right. A cease fire will work for a while and then it (literally) blows up again. The US should not be involved with either side no matter which political party is in charge of the White House.

"What is going on over there right now is NOT
the same as what has been going on for centuries!"

Yes, it is - except with rockets and bombs.

[nitehawk]

Latest..........Hamas rejects cease fire.

Why ?????

[graciegirl]

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[Taltarzac725]

I don't have any view on this other than I can't watch it on TV. It is horrible to see. I know that Palestinians killed three young boys and Israel retaliated. Then the Israeli's badly beat another young Muslim boy who was visiting from Florida.

The Palestinians feel that Israeli's took their land. Is that correct?

Are there economic or other factors in this fight?

I personally KNOW many, many, many, Jewish people and they have been my friends, close friends. I am very afraid of radical Islamics, but the ordinary Muslims I have met, I don't know well... but I dislike the way that women aren't considered equal.

People who I respect on this forum, how do you feel? Who is right and who is wrong in THIS situation? War is HELL.

I have known a number of Muslims. My former girlfriend Jennifer V. (U of MN Law School Class of 1990) had some classes at the U of MN Law School with now US Congressman for MN Keith Ellison http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Ellison. He is a Muslim and she seemed to think he was OK but even back then was incredibly ambitious. I think she said he wanted to be a US Supreme Court Justice. It did not make much difference to anyone if he was a Lutheran, Catholic, Wiccan, etc, at that time.

There were a number of Muslims at the University of Denver who I knew through Mahmood a friend of mine at that time from the U of Mosul Library in Iraq. This was 1983-1984. He became more and more radicalized as the Iran-Iraq War dragged on. His group of Muslim friends at the University of Denver were all different mainly because each seemed to be from different Middle Eastern countries. Some let you meet their wives, some kept their wives in another room at all times like my friend Mahmood from Iraq.

I recall Mahmood was deeply offended when I mentioned some article I had read in Playboy. He went on and on about how the West treated women and the like. He did not care for much of the television shows of that 1983-1984 US season either.

Seeing people killed or having relatives killed probably can radicalize the most gentle of souls like Mahmood.

Not sure anyone is really right in the violence in the Jerusalem/Gaza strip fight which involves economics/history/religion/psychology/sociology etc.

[Taltarzac725]

What to do? What can be done? | Jerusalem Post - Blogs (http://blogs.jpost.com/content/what-do-what-can-be-done)

If you are looking for insight into what is happening now in Jerusalem/Gaza this looks like a good place.

[karostay]

Sad to say this region of the world has thrown sticks an stones at each other for centuries

Now they throw bombs and bullets it will never change they are so deeply embedded in their beliefs to ever co exist .

[OBXNana]

Sad to say this region of the world has thrown sticks an stones at each other for centuries

Now they throw bombs and bullets it will never change they are so deeply embedded in their beliefs to ever co exist .

In two short sentences, you've said it all.

[Taltarzac725]

Sad to say this region of the world has thrown sticks an stones at each other for centuries

Now they throw bombs and bullets it will never change they are so deeply embedded in their beliefs to ever co exist .

I do believe that the US and her allies should try to get these sides to negotiate for solutions to their problems. A powerful outsider might be the only opportunity they have of stopping the violence for a while.

[Taltarzac725]

Gaza onslaught has shattered west's view that Arabs are source of violence (http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/onslaught-shatters-violence.html)

I found this a very good article about what it is like to be a Palestinian-American woman.

[billethkid]

I do believe that the US and her allies should try to get these sides to negotiate for solutions to their problems. A powerful outsider might be the only opportunity they have of stopping the violence for a while.

Not sure who that would be. But it has certainly been proven over the presidents tenures over my life time that the USA....IS NOT.....going to change how these peoples think or act.

We have no basis to give advice. We as a nation were not in existence yet when they were killing each other.

We, the USA, are certainly not looked upon favorably by that part of the world, so why do we think we can change the course of their history?
Especially as we, the USA continue to demonstrate our inability take care of our own.

We are not the influence we once were in the region. And back then when we were it did not affect how they think and act.

At some point it will dawn on our politicians they are wasting precious time and resources on that part of the world. History documents this status.

[Taltarzac725]

Not sure who that would be. But it has certainly been proven over the presidents tenures over my life time that the USA....IS NOT.....going to change how these peoples think or act.

We have no basis to give advice. We as a nation were not in existence yet when they were killing each other.

We, the USA, are certainly not looked upon favorably by that part of the world, so why do we think we can change the course of their history?
Especially as we, the USA continue to demonstrate our inability take care of our own.

We are not the influence we once were in the region. And back then when we were it did not affect how they think and act.

At some point it will dawn on our politicians they are wasting precious time and resources on that part of the world. History documents this status.

It looks like we have influenced their history over the past 200 years or so. Global Connections . U.S. Foreign Policy | PBS (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/questions/uspolicy/)

[senior citizen]

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[graciegirl]

You've certainly read the book EXODUS??
I remember it well. Read it as a kid.

Here is an interesting link re their journey for a homeland in 1947, although I'm sure some history buffs will be able to fill you in on their earlier history.......also, check the sidebar "menu" to the left of the page......

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Immigration/exodus.html (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Immigration/exodus.html)

"Exodus 1947" Illegal Immigration Ship



　

　

We don't read much in Ohio. I think we have a library there somewhere.

[onslowe]

We don't read much in Ohio. I think we have a library there somewhere.

Bazinga!!!
:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

[Taltarzac725]

We don't read much in Ohio. I think we have a library there somewhere.



http://www.ashland.lib.oh.us/ http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/07/the-pleasures-of-reading-recipes.html http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13613646-a-history-of-food-in-100-recipes

One recommends this book A History of Food in 100 Recipes
by William Sitwell . I hope a recipe has something to do with Israel and the Gaza Strip?

Sad thing is that some of these people in these wars zone often wind up with very little to eat except maybe their pets, rats, etc.

[senior citizen]

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[Patty55]

We don't read much in Ohio. I think we have a library there somewhere.

As long as you have a message board and google you're okay.:coolsmiley:

[graciegirl]

Et tu, Patty?

No. You know I read, write? ;) lol.

[Taltarzac725]

As long as you have a message board and google you're okay.:coolsmiley:

Love your avatar Patti.

There does seem to be a cease fire going on now so that the besieged can get food and water.

Update. There may be hope after all. http://www.modbee.com/2014/07/17/3443086/israel-gaza-tunnel-attack-foiled.html

[billethkid]

Moral clarity in Gaza - The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-moral-clarity-in-gaza/2014/07/17/0adabe0c-0de4-11e4-8c9a-923ecc0c7d23_story.html)

This is the type information we will never hear from main stream media or politicians.......too many facts!

[BarryRX]

Here is a quote from the above mentioned Washington Post article.
Israel accepts an Egyptian-proposed Gaza cease-fire; Hamas keeps firing. Hamas deliberately aims rockets at civilians; Israel painstakingly tries to avoid them, actually telephoning civilians in the area and dropping warning charges, so-called roof knocking.

“Here’s the difference between us,” explains the Israeli prime minister. “We’re using missile defense to protect our civilians, and they’re using their civilians to protect their missiles.”

[Taltarzac725]

Moral clarity in Gaza - The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-moral-clarity-in-gaza/2014/07/17/0adabe0c-0de4-11e4-8c9a-923ecc0c7d23_story.html)

This is the type information we will never hear from main stream media or politicians.......too many facts!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/19/world/middleeast/israel-gaza.html?_r=0

I would try to look at a lot of sources of information before making up your mind.