BBC: Hamas speaker charged in Israel

[Eugene]

Last Updated: Tuesday, 22 August 2006, 16:03 GMT 17:03 UK

Hamas speaker charged in Israel

An Israeli court has charged the speaker of the Palestinian parliament,
Abdel Aziz Dweik, with being a member of the militant group Hamas.

Mr Dweik is one of dozens of Hamas officials to be detained by Israeli
authorities in recent weeks.

Hamas, which leads the Palestinian government, is illegal in Israel and
regarded as a terrorist organisation.

Standing in shackles before a court in an Israeli prison, Mr Dweik said
the court had no right to charge him.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5275340.stm

[mom cat]

1. This is an outrage!

[msmcghee]

2. How dare they arrest . .

. . the people who are trying to kill their children with Katyusha's? How much more of this can the world take?

[ShortnFiery]

3. It makes NO sense to me that Israel encouraged free and fair elections

but now that they do not APPROVE of those "democratically elected" they turn around and put the legislators in Prison. Way too surreal for me. :shrug: :(

[maalak]

4. just being democratically elected...

isn't a license to continue terrorist attacks against Israel.

if Hamas wants to be treated like a legitimate government, then they should act like one. perhaps they should fully renounce and actually reign in their militants?

just a thought. ;-)

[ShortnFiery]

5. I would honestly be all for what you say ...

if only Israel would set the example and prosecute those Generals/Civilian leaders who didn't use restraint by attacking heavily populated civilian areas and Lebanon's Infrastructure.

IMO, it's just a tragic example of Might Makes Right. But no one side is pure or innocent. :shrug:

[maalak]

6. agreed

unfortunately the whole history of the region could be considered an example of the whole "might makes right" mentality.

extreme violence and brutality is how Saddam kept Iraq out of civil war, and where i think the US gravely underestimated the challenge of how to deal with Iraq after the invasion... it's how Jordan dealt with the PLO during their attempt to overthrow the King there. it goes on and on...

i'm stuck on this one as well. i think now i'm just hoping that at some point the elders who have known only war will have retired and younger more progressive generations will take over on every side. and still, Israel has managed to negotiate peace with neighbors like Egypt and Jordan, so maybe there is hope for peace even sooner.

[barb162]

8. It seems you are trying to redefine the concept of war.

If the enemy is in heavily populated areas in war, a side usually goes after the enemy, just as it goes after infrastructure the enemy uses. That's traditional warfare. It's ugly, but that is how it works.
As far as examples go, I didn't see Hezbollah setting any examples or using restraint. It was hitting hospitals, innocent people with its rockets, etc.
Yes, no one side is pure or innocent

[ShortnFiery]

12. "It's ugly, but that is how it works."

It's EVIL and against INTERNATIONAL Law and all things Humanitarian.

That's precisely why "War is Terrorism" and should always be the very last resort. :(

[Stockholm]

11. How many suicide bombers have they sent since

they was elected into the parliament?

[barb162]

7. Politicians democratically elected here get put in prison

when they are found to break the law.

[ShortnFiery]

13. Break the law according to International War Criminals who

happen to weld all the power of a certain nation. The victors write the History Books but it makes their evil deeds no less despicable. "Might make Right" is one disgusting way to justify WHAT EXACTLY IS "breaking the law."

[barb162]

9. This is a good move

[Englander]

10. Why?

Can you explain why, barb?

[breakaleg]

14. What law did he break?

It seems to me that Israel created this law, simply to arrest him. It's ridiculous.

I don't even know why we bother to debate such things. It's clear Israel does what it wants, when it wants, and they aren't even creative with excuses anymore because they've grown so accustomed to their reign of terror that they no longer care what the international community thinks.