Proportionality and collateral damage - Gaza compared to 'Trouble' Northern Ireland

Terrorists should never be capitulated to or bargained with. The Palestinians voted for and support Hamas. They are making their own bed.

 

During the war, England had troops along the Welsh shores to dfend against Ireland who was refueling German submarines. We still didn't attack them, but we were hot on the trigger, I will tell you.

The IRA were killing innocents almost daily at London bus stops and markets up to a couple of years ago. We sent an army to Northern Ireland, but they were even reluctant to shoot, and they were that at the request of Northern Ireland.

Still, none of these compare to the actions of the Muslims against Israel. Look how all the Arab nations attacked Israel a few years ago, but Israel proved a tough customer.

I still say the wrong thing was done when Hussein was put to death. He may have been cruel, but he did control the Middle East.

I have more use for a dog's bark than I have for the word of Hamas.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Did those Catholics specifically target women and children? Did they decree that anyone proselytizing Catholics, or desiring to leave Catholicism be killed?

To turn this around: What if the use of innocent humans as shields had not been effective? What if they were killed as a matter of course from the implementation of that tactic? Would it still be used today? Only by people so corrupt and without God as we now see in these unrepentant terrorists today....IMO

 

I think the comparison between the war in Gaza in Northern Ireland is a poor one. The IRA were not representative of any government. The people of Ireland (South) never voted the IRA in, and even in the North they were a minority at the polling booths whilst their campaign was operative. The people of Gaza elected Hamas. As such, rocket launches by a democratically elected government must be deemed acts of war and terror and must be countered. Personally, I do not believe the Israelis deliberately target civilians in schools or hospitals, and whilst I appreciate innocent people are caught up in this thing, sadly that is the nature of war, and Hamas must be blamed for bringing it upon them.

This video is well worth a look: http://fun.mivzakon.co.il/flash/video/2673/26 73.html

 

Absolutely, they did, time and again. (google Abercorn bombing, La Mon house bombing, or bloody Friday and see). But it is mistaken to designate their campaign as a "Catholic" one. The troubles in Northern Ireland, whilst conveniently dividing along religious lines, was about politics and national identity, not religion.

 

My point was that we are being told that the Israeli's are as despicable in their moral character as these radical Muslims, and I want to refute that...
I am obviously ignorant of the IRA and Catholics wars, and thus should have stayed out of it.... Sorry about that...

But again, I'm tired of the world condemning Israel for defending itself...

 

Which no comparison can be made to the conflict between Idrael and Hamas.

 

If rocket launchers were being fired from the Bogside and Creggan than yes, full scale attacks should have been launched to destroy the rocket launchers. The the bogsiders had been foolish enough to let civilians suffer through these attacks then that would have been their choice and their fault.

 

The Bogside was not nearly as clear cut of a military target as the rocket launchers in Gaza, so no - this type of military action would not have been justified. That is my point. These are two separate scenarios.

In Gaza there are clear military targets which pose a threat to Israel. The IRA threat was much more widespread through out the whole if the island of Ireland. The British military did not have these clear cut targets.

 

Fair question.

However there is still a major difference. The British militray and the RUC had free regin in Derry. They did not need to invade the city because they already controlled it. Israel do not have that same access to Gaza.

To make this applicable you would have to have an elected IRA governement in Eire and attacks being made across the border into Northern Ireland. In that kind of situation were in existance I think the UK would have had to consider serious retaliation such as Israel is taking now.

Lets say for example that it is 1978. Sinn Fein are in government in Dublin with the backing of the IRA. There is a known bomb factory in Cavan and IRA members have been sneaking across the border to use these bombs on Northern Irish targets. The Dublin government and the residents of Cavan have been warned over and over again that action will be taken. The Dublin Sinn Fein government do nothing to stop the bomb making.

Would it be right to fire on Cavan? I think a case could be made that is would be justifiable.