"Why do Palestinians hate us?"

[elSicomoro]

They could probably win a war, but won't engage in one. Otherwise, Lebanon and the Palestinians would probably cease to exist at this point.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Plus they are now building most of their own weapons, from fighter planes and UAVs to machine guns and bullets.

They basically re-engineered Frances premier fighter aircraft and made their own, they have the technology. They have made a number of really well known weapons on the general market. I have confidence they will survive most anything that their neighbors care to throw at them, with us or without us.

[Rexmons]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Plus they are now building most of their own weapons, from fighter planes and UAVs to machine guns and bullets.

it's amazing what $30 billion can do.

[Clodfobble]

Or $3 billion a year for the next ten years, which is what it actually was... meanwhile, Palestine's aid isn't exactly chump change:

The International Monetary Fund and the United Nations say that the Palestinians got $1.2 billion in aid and budgetary support in 2006, compared with $1 billion in 2005.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Before the shit hit the fan...

Arafat died on November 11, 2004, and was replaced by President Mahmud Abbas in the January 9, 2005 election, raising hopes that the peace process would resume under the more acceptable Abbas. .President George W. Bush requested that Congress appropriate $150 million in FY2006 funds and $200 million in a FY2005 supplemental appropriation for the Palestinians. The United States’ pledge coincided with a $330 million European Union pledge made at the London conference on 2 March 2005. The funds are intended to support the Abbas government and the new cabinet sworn in on 24 February.

Add the money from the Arabs and you're right... certainly not chump change for 2.8 million people.

[Rexmons]

i think once you give someone $30 billion dollars to strengthen their military, giving the people there killing $1 billion dollars in humanitarian aid doesn't really qualify as "balancing things out".

[Clodfobble]

Man, it's $3 billion to their $1.2 billion. If you're going to stick with $30 billion then you have to estimate how much aid the Palestinians will be getting in the next ten years as well.

[Rexmons]

yea but it's a guaranteed 30 billion, for their military. does palestine have a humanitarian lay-away plan or was the money given just a one shot deal?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Nothing is guaranteed... shit happens.

[piercehawkeye45]

Oh, c'mon, even if Israel and Palestine did get the same money in aid it still wouldn't compare.

It is like a suburban kid who still lives with his parents and doesn't have to pay rent, car insurance, etc, getting 15,000 year compared to someone that lives on their own getting 15,000 a year. Israel does not need this aid, Palestine does.

[Clodfobble]

Yes, but it's a little harder to address their needs when their leaders steal the aid money and the locals loot their freely-given multi-million dollar food supply greenhouses for scrap parts.

[middy]

I wonder what would happen if the Palestinians all swore off violence and sold off all their weapons? Think about it.

Now, think about what would happen if the Israelis swore off violence and sold off all their weapons.

If you have half a clue, that should tell you all you need to know about this conflict and about which side deserves your support.

[DanaC]

What would happen if Palestinians swore off violence and sold off all their weapons? They'd be defenceless against Israeli aggression.

[middy]

Dad was right. You can lead a whore to Vassar, but you can't make her think.

[piercehawkeye45]

That is a bad way of thinking.

If I go to a man's house, kill his children, rape his wife and then we get into a fight. The police come and use middy's logic of what will happen if I drop my weapons and what would happen if that man drops his weapons. They will obviously support me even though I was the one who invaded, murdered, and raped.

You can not determine who is "better" in the Palestine/Israel situation from what is happening currently because what both sides are doing now is a consequence of what happened before. The whole situation is way too complex to simplify it in the way middy is.