Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), to which the author of this article belongs, has been castigated at University of Michigan by pro-Israel activists as being an anti-Semitic group - which SAFE has disputed. One Yemeni-American student at U-M ran for Ann Arbor City Council in 2009 and was falsely identified by some as a SAFE member apparently to damage his chances of getting elected.
SAFE remains a controversial organization in the City of Ann Arbor.
Fanatics on the Palestinian side would not include Fatah, and I would likely not lump in Hamas with the "fanatics".
Many Gazans were upset that Hamas discontinued bus bombings after the IDF withdrawal in 2005. This was a "reward" for Israel's withdrawal. Gazans cheered last November when a bus bombing was carried out in Tel Aviv.
Islamic Jihad in Palestine is closely allied with Iran and has the goal of destroying Israel through armed struggle. They have carried out some of the most brutal acts of terrorism against Israel - including the highly-publicized murder of Tali Hatuel, a Jewish settler, and her children in Gush Katif in 2004.
In Gaza, there have been al-Qaeda linked groups that have carried out kidnappings and have targeted Hamas leaders for assassination. There have also been Arab clans within Gaza and other splinter groups that are extremists who have committed acts of terror. During Operation cast Lead it was these groups who took heavy casualties fighting the IDF; Hamas avoided most fighting and emerged from the conflict relatively intact as an organization.
Israel's heavy-handed tactics have engendered popular support in Gaza for the most extreme elements.
After 1,000 Israelis died and thousands of others wounded, Israel's economy - especially its tourism base - seriously damaged, PM Sharon decided to unilaterally disengage from Gaza - he dropped his demand that Hamas disarm as a precondition. The Gush Katif Jewish settlement network in Gaza was dismantled at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.
In the West Bank, Sharon released about 700 Arab prisoners.
If you believe it does tell us where it comes from.
The 1947 U.N. Resolution partitioning Palestine was by the General Assembly only and non-binding.
What about the rights of Palestinians in Lydda, Deir Yassin, and countless other Arab villages who had their homes and properties confiscated at gunpoint without compensation? Some to this day display the keys to their houses.
It is their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who inhabit the refugee camps of Gaza and some fire rockets into Israel.
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), to which the author of this article belongs, has been castigated at University of Michigan by pro-Israel activists as being an anti-Semitic group - which SAFE has disputed. One Yemeni-American student at U-M ran for Ann Arbor City Council in 2009 and was falsely identified by some as a SAFE member apparently to damage his chances of getting elected.
SAFE remains a controversial organization in the City of Ann Arbor.
Fanatics on the Palestinian side would not include Fatah, and I would likely not lump in Hamas with the "fanatics".
Many Gazans were upset that Hamas discontinued bus bombings after the IDF withdrawal in 2005. This was a "reward" for Israel's withdrawal. Gazans cheered last November when a bus bombing was carried out in Tel Aviv.
Islamic Jihad in Palestine is closely allied with Iran and has the goal of destroying Israel through armed struggle. They have carried out some of the most brutal acts of terrorism against Israel - including the highly-publicized murder of Tali Hatuel, a Jewish settler, and her children in Gush Katif in 2004.
In Gaza, there have been al-Qaeda linked groups that have carried out kidnappings and have targeted Hamas leaders for assassination. There have also been Arab clans within Gaza and other splinter groups that are extremists who have committed acts of terror. During Operation cast Lead it was these groups who took heavy casualties fighting the IDF; Hamas avoided most fighting and emerged from the conflict relatively intact as an organization.
Israel's heavy-handed tactics have engendered popular support in Gaza for the most extreme elements.
What purpose did the Second Intifada serve?
After 1,000 Israelis died and thousands of others wounded, Israel's economy - especially its tourism base - seriously damaged, PM Sharon decided to unilaterally disengage from Gaza - he dropped his demand that Hamas disarm as a precondition. The Gush Katif Jewish settlement network in Gaza was dismantled at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.
In the West Bank, Sharon released about 700 Arab prisoners.
In return, the Second Intifada ended.
Israel has no "right to exist".
If you believe it does tell us where it comes from.
The 1947 U.N. Resolution partitioning Palestine was by the General Assembly only and non-binding.
What about the rights of Palestinians in Lydda, Deir Yassin, and countless other Arab villages who had their homes and properties confiscated at gunpoint without compensation? Some to this day display the keys to their houses.
It is their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who inhabit the refugee camps of Gaza and some fire rockets into Israel.