QUOTE(Sonic @ Aug 1 2006, 11:14 PM)

Make sure if hydro posts you give him full attention lol. He is very knowledgable on this subject.
But also make sure you do not form your won opinion on just what he says. As im sure you can tell, hdrokins has a VERY strong opinion in the matter.
You should never base your opinion on what you hear but on the research you do.
Simply put: Palestinians were living in what is called Israel today, The West Bank and The Gaza Strip and much more area but lost it to Israelis in the creation of a Jewish Homeland for European Jews who were displaced during the Jewish holocaust by the British Government Mandate. Palestinians lost more land to other countries in a series of illegal wars under the Muslim code because the aggressor was a Muslim country and two Muslim countries were fighting. Israel is now surrounded by Arab countries and is supported by the United States who gives them arms and ammunition. There are many theories as to why the violence actually continues. The latest violence that we all are hearing about though is because of a Lebanese group named Hezbollah kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and the subsequent Israeli attacks on Lebanon in order to get them back. Initially, Israel said that Hezbollah entered Israel to capture these soldiers but recent news states that the soldiers may have already been in Lebanon when the kidnapping took place. Some experts are saying that the conflict now is Israel's attempt in demobilizing Hezbollah to a great extent so that they are no longer a threat in the future. This is also a reason for the US not backing an immediate cease fire when they have done so in other situations, experts say. However, Israeli troops are finding a resistance much greater than expected from Hezbollah and thus are increasing their firepower. In doing so, however, many civilians are losing their lives due to Israel attacking Lebanon in order to flush out Hezbollah. Lebanon and its civilians have been caught up as an innocent bistander in much of the conflicts with the Lebanese Prime Minister being quoted as saying something to the effect of his country is in shambles due to Israeli attacks. Many governments around the world are upset and frustrated with the Israeli reaction and the destruction in Lebanon. An attempt to condemn Israel for its inadequate care over civilian life was made in the United Nations security council but was vetoed by the United States who has been known to greatly support Israel in its actions. The Chinese delagate to the UN security council was quoted as saying something to the effect of its very frustrating how the US continually supports Israeli brutality. But thats another story.
I think thats pretty good for now

I actually dont have time to break it down for you right now as much as I want to, as I have about 15 hours to complete a take home final and its really kicking my ass

. Perhaps after this week is over...until then, there are many other knowledgable people on the board who can help you out. But remember, dont base your opinion on what you read but what you find through your own research.