Do Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have a right to exist and a right to defend themselves?

As I read the replies here I am astounded at the monumental ignorance of these posters but like every ignoramus it doesn't stop their garbage spewing .


Any conflict resolution demands a clear distinction between causal factors and all others that usually only obfuscate the situation ..The decades old Israeli /Palestinian conflict is a prime example of this not being the case ..Most commentaries on this subject deal with the consequential albeit serious reaction to the causal factors (as is now underway) with little to no discussion/recognition of the all important causal factors themselves ..This in no manner minimizes the often horrid events of these non causal behaviors or their escalating effects but we need to get back to the root causes where a solution if any can be found . .
Here are the main causes of this conflict .
1.The State of Israel was created by the UN under sponsorship of the US/The West without any consideration of the peoples who lived in the region .
2.The US , Canada and literally every other nation in the world including the UN itself (but excluding Israel) , have declared that Israel's occupation and settlement building on territories it seized in their 1967 War ,is illegal under the 4th Geneva Convention .It is Israel's denial that it is in violation of the Geneva Convention that in and of itself is the major root cause of this conflict .As a result,Israel has been able to dismiss the basic root cause of the conflict and inject an justify it's own agenda.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internation...
3.It was Iraq's illegal violation of the 4th Geneva Convention that led to and legalized the Desert Storm War against it's illegal occupation of Kuwait .Like Israel, Iraq did not agree that it had violated the convention and like Iraq ,Israel claims it is acting in self defense
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports...
Why did contravention of International law lead to a war against the illegal occupier Iraq and not another for the same offense ?
Other crucial facts involved that will focus discussions on causal factors .
A.Under the 4th Geneva Convention , it is legal for the occupied ( Palestinians)to do anything and everything they can to oust the illegal occupiers(Israel)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Gene...

B.Claims that Canada et al would defend themselves as Israel does , forgets to mention that the former are not in violation of the 4th Geneva Convention ; a crucial distinction..
C..Israel's constant use of the words "terrorists' and "terrorism" is interesting given it's own history . After over ten years of killing of children , adults , diplomats, etc , and right after the King David Hotel was bombed in Jerusalem (the Twin Towers of it;s day), the US and Britain declared that the Jewish groups like the Irgun , Stern Gang, etc were terrorist groups and their leaders M.Begin and I.Shamir were the two worst terrorists of the 20 th century(up to then). This in no manner justifies Hamas terrorism but only highlights the Israeli hypocrisy and double standards .
http://guardian.150m.com/palestine/jewish-terrorism.htmr any
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence
D..Many reputable historians aver that it was these Jewish terrorists that created the Israeli state in that with Britain giving back to the UN the Palestinian Mandate because of the Jewish terrorism , the UN, with ground work by the USA, decided to create the Israel state .To this day many terrorist organizations like Hamas point to the success of the Jewish Terrorists in creating their state, to justify their equally vile terrorism. .

http://guardian.150m.com/palestine/jewish-terrorism.htm

E..Israel uses Hamas's threat to destroy Israel as a justification for their action.There was a long time when Jordan and Egypt warred against Israel and swore they would drive the Jews into the sea but of course all this rhetoric ended when Israel ceased to illegally occupy land (Sinai etc) .Normal diplomatic relations exist today and there is no reason to believe that Hamas like Egypt , will not stop their ludicrous rhetoric when Israel obeys international law and vacates the West Bank.

Israel makes much of it's ceding of the Gaza. Israel did nobody any favours but at last obeyed International Law and vacated Gaza. Gaza was always viewed as a troublesome ,difficult to administer region , an effective "wasteland" .Israel strategically saw giving up Gaza as a sign they were willing to make peace but it was all about protecting it's illegal occupation of the all important West Bank and Jerusalem

Finally, many reputable experts including politicians believe Israel has no intention of abiding by the 4th Geneva Convention or allowing a viable Palestinian State to be created as keeping the numerous illegal West Bank settlements sitting on choice West Bank land and atop the very important aquifers and it's sacred Jerusalem (sacred also to Muslims) are simply not negotiable..
Every time things settle down , Israel authorizes the construction of more illegal settlements re-igniting the justified anger of the Palestinians and the US and the world and when the Palestinians rightly/understandably express their anger though violence , Israel like now, bombs them .

As too often criticism of Israel evokes the anti-semite, Holocaust denier epithets, I have to go on the record stating I am not any of these and support a free and peaceful Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state and condemn terrorist groups of any kind be they Palestinian , Jewish etc .

Palestine has a right to exist ! I find it absolutely crazy as to how so many Palestinians have been killed to date and how the media seems to down play what is happening in Gaza. Why must so many innocent civilians be killed . Israel is committing acts which violate human rights and it needs to stop and the only way that can happen is if people like us actually make an effort to voice our opinions on the matter and boycott Israeli goods. I guess some people don't realise how extreme the situation is but it really is not right for some 1980 people to have been killed .This isn't about the fight between Judaism and islam anymore but rather the fight to enforce equality and to prevent violations of ones human rights. Nothing that anyone can say will justify what Israel is doing!!!!

No offense to any Jews out there but this Zionist project is beginning to sniff more and more like Naziism everyday, and Gaza is much like Auschwitz. Of course the Palestinians have a right to defend themselves, I'm not sure rockets are the way to go but they don't have much else.

Also, the blockade and occupation they are forced to live under 365 days a year, in their own country, is the real terrorism here, hardly anyone has been talking about that during all the debates.

The Likud Charter calls for the extermination of Palestinians. Palestinians in Gaza have no defenses against Israeli bombardment. Thats why 1,850 of them died including babies and children.

Israel has violated the Geneva Conventions and every international law and the rules of war.

I think Palestinians should seek redress in Israeli courts for the millions it will cost to restore Gaza to a liveable place.

They have no right to attack anyone.

And the West Bank people, who are still under Israeli control, seem to be doing just fine.

It's Hamas in Gaza that has a problem.

People like you don't have the right to exist.

Imagine being there, trapped, with scarce living sources, seeing people die everyday, some are your loved ones, and knowing you could be next anytime anywhere. Their fault? They're living on that land. (Which is theirs btw, but we can leave that aside for now.)
Actually, leave all that context aside - what kind of person claims that another doesn't have the right to exist? Who the **** commands a massacre and call it a right? What is wrong with people?

They have no need to defend themselves on any single day that they don't launch attacks against children.
1.The State of Israel was created along side an Arab "Palestinian" State by the UN under sponsorship of the US/The West, but the "Palestinians" themselves rejected this, demanding the region be purged of Jews.
2. Annexation of territories seized in repelling the 1967 invasion, is LAWFUL AND EXPECTED under the 4th Geneva Convention. In all of known time - everywhere in the World - ONLY in the case of modern Israel has ANYONE ever suggested otherwise.
3.It was Iraq's INVASION of Kuwait that made "occupying" that land illegal under the 4th Geneva Convention. Had Kuwait INVADED IRAQ and Iraq REPELLED that invasion, retention of land over which it fought would be LAWFUL AND EXPECTED.
A. Under the 4th Geneva Convention, it is in fact the "Palestinians" who are OCCUPYING Israel.
B. Claims that Canada et al would defend themselves as Israel does, are consistent with the fact that the former are not in violation of the 4th Geneva Convention, as ARE the "Palestinians."
C. Israel's constant use of the words "terrorists' and "terrorism" is accurate. That there HAVE BEEN Israeli terrorists does not impact that indisputable fact.
D. Many defenders of the "Palestinian" cause acknowledge Israel's behavior does not negate the fact the "Palestinians'" routine is "vile terrorism."
E. Under all national and international laws in all of time, Hamas's attacks in fact and in law DO justify reaction by Israel to include utter destruction of Hamas and the land it administers, annexation thereof etc. There was a time when Jordan and Egypt warred against Israel and swore they would drive the Jews into the sea but of course all this rhetoric ended when Israel MILITARILY DEFEATED THEM. Normal diplomatic relations exist today and there is no reason to believe that Hamas like Egypt, will stop their attacks before Israel MILITARILY DEFEATS THEM.
Israel makes much of it's ceding of the Gaza because they drove their own citizens from the GARDEN SPOT OF ALL ISRAEL with military force to give it to the "Palestinians" who IMMEDIATELY put it to ruin and launched attacks from it.
Finally, literally everyone capable of honesty observes Israel DEMONSTRATES more restraint than any other nation-state - ever; that "things settle down" ONLY when the "Palestinians" are UNABLE to launch attacks and that on each and every such day Israel is there feeding, sheltering and generally supporting the "Palestinians," tending to their infrastructure etc, knowing the supplies and material Israel provides one day WILL be used in military strikes against children.
Supporting a free and peaceful Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state guarantees the "Palestinians" see you as an enemy. They have REPEATEDLY rejected the idea of ever allowing any such thing.

If they are attacked, yes. That doesn't apply in this situation, though, since Palestinians STARTED THE CONFLICT by FIRING ROCKETS INTO ISRAEL. ISRAEL is the VICTIM here; not Palestinians.

They were there before the European Jews who arrived in 1947 with the help of the United States and Britain.

Sure they have a right to exist. they just lack decent leadership. If they stopped starting fights maybe Israel would be in the habit of helping them at this moment.

If I walk up to you and you haven't done anything to me and I punch you in the face that isn't self defense!