amadjuster Loc: Texas Panhandle

I am sure you are familiar with AQHA. I have friends who work or worked there.

Nickolai

In the late 19th century American Companies built the Trans Iranian rail road. What problems with Muslims are you talking about did we have?? You must be thinking of the Barbary Pirates. Nut that was a people thing not a religious thing Pirating didn't have anything to do with Islam During those times Jews and Muslims were friends and had been for centuries. When the Moors invaded spain in 711 Jews followed them into Spain where the Moors ruled for 70o years with their friends the Jews who were them selves Arabic peoples. These whit Hews are converted Jews that originated on the steeps of the Caucasus Mtg's in what is today southern Russia. They were Pagans Yiddish speakers who's king converted them to Judaism in the 9th century

straightUp Loc: California

Aw... horse friends!!! :)

amadjuster Loc: Texas Panhandle

Don’t bring a knife, or sling, to a gunfight. Duh

amadjuster Loc: Texas Panhandle

Are you on Crack?

Richard Rowland

How about you, StraightUp, are you, or have you ever been, into horses?

I'm going to bed, unlike you Californian's, we're central time here.

Nickolai

https://youtu.be/MYqo7o7Xey0

Public opinion is moving against the Zionists. Thousands and thousands of East Indians had to die before Mahatma Gandhi and his non violent peaceful disobedient demonstration won India's independence from the British and Nelson Mandella did the same to end South Africa's Apartheid. People usually have to die before they are isolated and taken down. Since the Palestinians began demonstrating in March for right of return the zionist thugs have killed 123 andinjured 12,000 people. Young people in Gaza are50 %unemployed and two thirds of them are under 25 they are willing to die because the life thay are living is not worth living. It was sickening watching Jared and Ivanka smilling clapping and crowing about standing with their friends and allies while people were being bomned from helicopter gun ships andshot by snipers. You only do thgose thing if ones life is in danger and so far one zionist thug got a minor svcratch. the zionist say they shoot rockets at us but the so called rockets are home made fire works and is met with exploding bullets and maching gun fire. the zionist are no better than the nazis

straightUp Loc: California

I was living in the Colorado Rockies in the early 70's, I was a kid but I remember watching my dad fly fish. I'd like to try it sometime.
Protests can be pretty exciting, being a part of something you believe in. Meeting people. beating on drums - ha ha...

I think they mean more in places like Gaza where people obviously risk their lives just to show their numbers, fanned out along the fence. That was the beautiful symbolism they were "trying" to convey... And what made it even more beautiful is that they knew Israel wouldn't care about the message. They knew Israel would obscure them from the world and deliver reports of their "viciousness" instead. That's why some of them came with slings, but they may as well have been air guitars.

The fire kites were innovative but they only succeeded in setting themselves on fire. These are not formidable foe Joy. These are civilians being oppressed by an occupying force. Hamas is not a world nor a regional power. It's a barely functioning organization with meager resources and huge problems.

Nickolai

What needs to happen is to stop with the US tax dollars and economic sanctions from the civilized world until the Zionist agree to give up half of Jerusalem for a Palestinian capital of their state and rip the Jewish settlements out of the west bank by the roots and get out. Netanyahu keeps saying he wants a two state solution but he is a bad a liar as Donny Little Hands he wants no such thing and was crowing Monday about Jerusalem as being the undivided capital of Israel

straightUp Loc: California

I love horses and I can ride but I'm not at the level you and KK are. In Colorado we used to see wild horses... my favorite kind ;)

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Prior to 1920 there were no such people called Palestinians. If there were an ancient Palestinian culture, archeological expeditions in the region would have found something. In nearly 200 year of archeological exploration in the Holy Land, not a single artifact points to a people or culture called Palestinians.

Palestinians: A March to Destroy Israel

by Bassam Tawil Bassam Tawil is a Muslim based in the Middle East.

Based on statements made by Hamas leaders, the "March of Return" campaign is not about improving the living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Nor is it about finding ways to solve the "humanitarian" and "economic" crises in the Gaza Strip.

The mass protests are aimed at forcing Israel to accept millions of Palestinian "refugees" as a first step towards turning Jews into a minority in their own country. The next step would be to kill or expel the Jews and replace Israel with an Islamic state. Did they expect the Israeli soldiers to greet them with flowers?

The Palestinian "March of Return" is being mistakenly referred to by some journalists and political analysts as a "peaceful and popular" drive by Palestinians demanding freedom and better living conditions.

Palestinians' living conditions in the Gaza Strip could be improved if the Egyptians only opened the Rafah border crossing and allowed Palestinians to leave and allowed Arabs and others to come and help the people there. Their lives could be improved if Hamas stopped building terror tunnels and smuggling weapons.

On March 30, an attempt by tens of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to infiltrate the border with Israel launched a six-week campaign of mass protests -- called the "March of Return" -- organized by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other radical Palestinian groups.

The groups encouraged Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to head to the areas adjacent to the border with Israel. The protesters were also encouraged to try to infiltrate the border, thus putting their lives at risk.

Hamas and its allies told the protesters that the "March of Return" marked the beginning of the "liberation of all of Palestine, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River." In other words, the Palestinians were told that infiltrating the border with Israel would be the first step toward destroying Israel.

Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yehya Sinwar, who joined the March 30 mass protests along the border with Israel, did not hide the real goal behind the "March of Return" -- to destroy Israel and thwart US President Donald Trump's yet-to-be-announced plan for peace in the Middle East.

The two Hamas leaders told the protesters that the March 30 demonstrations marked the beginning of a "new phase in the Palestinians' national struggle on the road to liberating all of Palestine, from the river to the sea." Haniyeh and Sinwar also made it clear that the "March of Return" had another goal: to foil any attempt by the Arabs to make peace or normalize their relations with Israel.

Based on statements made by Hamas leaders, the "March of Return" campaign is not about improving the living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Nor is it about finding ways to solve the "humanitarian" and "economic" crises in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas and its allies did not send the protesters to the border with Israel to demand jobs and medicine. They did not encourage Palestinians to risk their lives at the border with Israel because of the lack of electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip.

Instead, the organizers sent the Palestinians to the border after assuring them that this was the only way to flood Israel with hundreds of thousands of Palestinian "refugees" as part of the "right of return." The "right of return" refers to the Palestinian demand that Israel allow Palestinian "refugees" and their descendants to move to Israel.

As Zaher Birawi, one of the organizers of the "March of Return" explained, "The right of return is sacred and a red line not to be crossed. The Palestinians will do their utmost to achieve this right."

His words, together with those of the two Hamas leaders, prove that the mass protests are aimed at forcing Israel to accept millions of Palestinian "refugees" as a first step towards turning Jews into a minority in their own country. The next step would be to kill or expel the Jews and replace Israel with an Islamic state.

Crucial here is the fact that what we witnessed along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel on March 30 was not a protest by poverty-stricken and miserable Palestinians against a blockade of any kind.

If that were so, why didn't the organizers ask Palestinians to march toward the border with Egypt? The real blockade on the Gaza Strip is being imposed by Egypt, and not Israel.

In 2017, the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip was open altogether for less than 30 days; by contrast, the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip was open for more than 280 days during the same year.

Israel enforces a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip that is meant to prevent Iran, Hezbollah and other terror parties from smuggling weapons into the coastal enclave controlled by Hamas. At the same time, Israel has kept its border crossings with Gaza for the movement of goods and individuals.

Israel permits Palestinians to enter and leave the Gaza Strip through the Erez border crossing. Last month, the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez border crossing, only to have his convoy targeted by a roadside bomb once inside Hamas-controlled Gaza. Israel also allows foreigners to enter the Gaza Strip through the same border crossing. They include journalists, diplomats, and hundreds of foreigners working for various international aid agencies, including the United Nations.

All this while the Rafah border crossing with Egypt remains closed. Since the beginning of this year, the Egyptians opened the border crossing intermittently only for two or three days each time. Egypt also continues to bar foreigners from entering the Gaza Strip through the Rafah terminal. Even Arabs who want to help the people of the Gaza Strip are forced to enter through the Erez border crossing because the Egyptians do not give them permission to use the Rafah terminal.

In 2017, Egypt opened its Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip (pictured above) for less than 30 days altogether; by contrast, the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip was open for more than 280 days during the same year. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Take, for example, the Qatari envoy to the Gaza Strip, Ambassador Mohammed Al Emadi. Each time he leaves and enters the Gaza Strip, he uses the Erez border crossing with Israel. The Egyptians will not allow him or any other Arab seeking to help the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to enter through the Rafah terminal.

Given this reality, the question is: Why aren't the Palestinian protests directed against Egypt? The answer is obvious.

The Palestinians know that messing with the Egyptian army will cost them a heavy price. If Israel used snipers to stop the March 30 protesters from crossing the border, the Egyptian response would undoubtedly have been much tougher. The Egyptians would have used artillery and warplanes against the Palestinian demonstrators. The Palestinians are well aware that the Egyptian army would raze the entire Gaza Strip if the Palestinians breached the border and undermined Egypt's national security.

Besides, the "March of Return" is intended as part of the Palestinian national struggle against the "Zionist entity" -- Israel -- and has nothing to do with the closure of any border.

It is part of the Palestinian jihad (holy war) to eliminate Israel, which they see as a "colonialist project" imposed on the Arabs by Western powers after World War II. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in a rare moment of honesty, admitted earlier this year that this is precisely how Palestinians and Arabs perceive Israel.

The organizers of the "March of Return" have made it clear that besides flooding Israel with millions of Palestinian "refugees," the campaign has two other objectives: to foil Trump's "deal of the century" and stop any form of Arab normalization with Israel.

The Palestinians have proclaimed a wholesale rejection of Trump's plan because they know it will not advance their goal of turning Jews into a minority in their own country. Trump's plan, they believe, does not recognize the Palestinian "right of return," which means that "refugees" and their descendants will not be allowed to move into Israel, turning it into an Arab-majority state.

The organizers of the "March of Return" have clearly stated that this is a driving force behind the mass protests -- to send a message to the Trump administration that Palestinians will not accept any deal that does not facilitate their dream of replacing Israel with an Arab Islamic state.

The "March of Return" is also aimed at sending a warning to the Palestinian Authority and the Arab countries not to make any concessions to Israel or collaborate with the Trump administration.

Again, this is not what political analysts are saying. Instead, these are the exact words and phrases used by the organizers of the event. Their ultimate goal: to prevent Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority from returning to the negotiating table with Israel and to threaten Arab countries not to sign peace agreements with Israel.

Now, the organizers are telling us that the "March of Return" will continue and reach its peak in mid-May, on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Israel.

The "March of Return" is yet another phase in the Palestinian attempt to wipe out the presence of Israel in the Middle East, not about any blockade. The "March of Return" is an anti-peace campaign designed to thwart any attempt to achieve peace between Israel and the Arab countries.

The leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the other groups that organized the mass protests are now complaining about the high death toll and accusing Israel of opening fire at "unarmed and peaceful" protesters. These are the same leaders who urged their people to head to the border with Israel and to try to force their way into Israel. These are the same leaders who encouraged their people to damage the security fence along the border with Israel. Did they expect the Israeli soldiers to greet them with flowers?

As for Mahmoud Abbas, he has supplied yet more proof of his towering hypocrisy. Hours after the violent confrontations along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, Abbas appeared on Palestine TV to hold Israel "fully responsible" for the violence and death and injury of the protesters.

This is the same Abbas who recently told us that Hamas was a terror group that was behind the March 13 botched assassination attempt on his prime minister. This is the same Abbas who last year imposed sanctions on the Gaza Strip by suspending payments for electricity supplied to the Gaza Strip by Israel and suspending payments to thousands of civil servants there. Instead of condemning Hamas for sending the Palestinians to clash with the Israeli army and endanger their lives, Abbas chose to denounce Israel for protecting its border.

The Palestinian "March of Return" is being mistakenly referred to by some journalists and political analysts as a "peaceful and popular" drive by Palestinians demanding freedom and better living conditions.

Palestinians' living conditions in the Gaza Strip could be improved if the Egyptians only opened the Rafah border crossing and allowed Palestinians to leave and allowed Arabs and others to come and help the people there. Their lives could be improved if Hamas stopped building terror tunnels and smuggling weapons.

But, as has become evident by now, the "March of Return" is nothing but a declaration of war on Israel and the Trump administration.

straightUp Loc: California

Netanyahu wants a one state deal. The State of Israel. No Palestine. It's ironic that the people who scream the loudest about "Death to Israel" are themselves guilty of "Death to Palestine". But it's that dang white privilege... you don't have to shout out your wishes if they're already coming true.

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Oh, please! Get a grip for God's sake.

"If the Arabs lay down their arms there will be no more violence, if Israel lays down its weapons there would be no more Israel."
Benjamin Netanyahu.

2bltap Loc: Move to the Mainland

Here ya go straightUp. I just created a topic on this very issue. Maybe this will help you to understand better the REAL SITUATION OVER THERE. Maybe!
This MAY (?) help you here that were all in an uproar over those poor Palistinians.
Semper Fi
Mike

Surprise: Hamas Admits Vast Majority of 'Peaceful Protesters' Killed by Israel Were Actually Terrorists
Guy Benson Guy Benson |Posted: May 16, 2018 12:01 PM

Surprise: Hamas Admits Vast Majority of 'Peaceful Protesters' Killed by Israel Were Actually Terrorists

When Israel protects itself against hostile aggressors on its borders, members of the "international community" and much of the media rush to condemn "both sides," reserving special scorn for the Israeli government's "disproportionality" and lack of "restraint." In truth, the actual disproportionality lies in the amoral double standard of relentlessly singling out the world's lone Jewish state for defending its citizens and sovereignty against the Islamist terrorist threat on its doorstep. In the latest bout of this moral blindness, Israel's critics are currently wringing their hands about the senseless violence and death visited upon "peaceful protesters" along the Gaza border by the IDF. The way some news outlets tell it, these poor, downtrodden Palestinians were merely venting their frustrations over Donald Trump's embassy 'provocation' -- then Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a massacre against them. Astoundingly, that framing is only a slight exaggeration.

In reality, these were riots deliberately orchestrated and fomented by Hamas, the terrorist organization that took over Gaza after Israel unilaterally withdrew from that territory in 2005 (a titanic failure of the sort of land-for-peace goodwill gesture endlessly urged by Israel's detractors, in spite of other historical inconveniences). Here are some telling vignettes from those attempted incursions into Israeli territory, the stated purpose of which was to penetrate the border, infiltrate the country, and murder Jews. Hamas intentionally put their own people in harm's way by lying to them (via the Washington Post):



"Peaceful" demonstrations:



Absurdist agitprop for media consumption, at which Hamas -- which uses schools, hospitals and mosques as shields -- is well-practiced:



Proud, rank Anti-Semitism:



Credulous western media outlets lament Israel's lethal 'overreaction,' using split-screen images (like the one attached to this post) juxtaposing the US embassy opening with the bloody upheaval in Gaza to discredit America and Israel. Meanwhile, Hamas leaders are telling Arabic-language press some candid, evil truths. If only the journalists purporting to be horrified by civilian deaths would listen:



Those who are wounded or die earn larger Hamas paychecks for their families. Furthermore, the killing is hardly "indiscriminate." As you read the following boasts from the lips of Hamas officials, remember that Israel issued loud warning against rushing the militarized border, dropped leaflets in Arabic explaining the consequences, and fired warning shots prior to using deadly force. That may help explain why the deceased are overwhelmingly Hamas terrorist operatives whose goal was to murder Israelis. These Hamas-supplied numbers (which are statements against interest, from a propaganda perspective) speak for themselves:



In a sane world, this would resolve the dispute -- and decisively so -- in Israel's favor. A few more points: The specious "disproportionality" argument often rests on the disparity in the death toll, and often elides gruesome lessons learned by the Israeli public. That Israel is quite effective at defeating Hamas' murder attempts should not be held against Israel. Their anti-rocket technology and professional military protects civilians from the massacres Hamas would love to carry out. That's the whole point of self-defense. It's is therefore preposterous to use the imbalanced body count as an indictment of Israel, particularly considering Hamas' undisguised genocidal intentions (whereas Israel bends over backward to avoid innocent loss of life). Also, the "restraint" refrain is something of an empty tautology:



It should also be said that this whole mentality treats Palestinians as agency-free vessels of rage who cannot help themselves but to commit or threaten horrific acts. How is this not outright bigotry disguised as sympathy? Finally, one of the more nuanced critiques of the Trump administration and Israeli government this week involves the timing of the embassy relocation, which coincided with the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding. Pairing these two milestones needlessly heightened tensions, according to this objection. There's certainly some validity to that, but my response is threefold: (1) It's highly likely that pushing the embassy opening to another date would merely have furnished Hamas with yet another opportunity for violent agitation, (2) the reason Israel's national birthday is a volatile time is because Hamas does not recognize the Jewish state's right to exist and routinely calls for its annihilation (this is the most relevant dynamic in this entire debate), and (3) this simple but revealing observation:



The broader "Arab street" was not set aflame by the US embassy move, underscoring the point that this was a discrete operation ginned up by Hamas, targeting one subset of Palestinians. It's almost as if the United States and Israel are not the villains here, and that the blame does "squarely" lie elsewhere.[/quote]

JoyV

The people who are already in Palestine included many land owning Jews. Included Christians. Included Turks. And included many Arabs. But read the definition again. No where does it say the Jewish community was to be exclusive. No where is there mention of eliminating anyone else. The only ones speaking of eliminating people is the Arabs. All non Jewish Israeli citizens have full rights of citizenship with one exception. Arab Palestinians are not required to serve in the military. There are not required to have to choice between firing on other Arab Palestinians or betraying their fellow soldiers.