...Gee Whiz, the Syrians are sure helping with that dream!! They've killed LOTS more Arabs in the past 16 months than Israel has in the past THIRTY YEARS.
(look it up)
If this uprising is successful, many innocent people (mostly Christians, Alawites and most of Syria's wealthy elite ruling class) and will be killed or forced to flee Syria. TIt could be argued that these people face an existential threat and are defending themselves.
If I recall you are on the record as saying that only killing 1000 innocent civilians every 3 weeks shows amazing restraint and care.
Yep.
The Israelis fought in the most densely populated area on earth for 21 days, using the most sophisticated conventional air, sea, and land power known.
They killed 1300 people. Somewhere between 25 and 50 % of those were militants.
they were carefully avoiding civilian casualties as much as possible while achieving their strategic ends.
In comparison, Allied Bomber command, using only air power, killed 80,000 people in the city of Dresden in a single night.........65 years ago.
THAT is targeting civilians.
The Americans killed considerably more than 100,000 in a single night raid on Tokyo.
THAT is targeting civilians.
At the very outside, 1000 dead civilians after 21 days of warfare in the most densely packed population centre on earth shows amazing restraint and care taken by Israelis.
Despite several incidents such as those above. Start tossing tons of explosives around, and Shyte happens.
Most of the people the Syrian government has killed have been in street battles with armed militants including members of radical Islamist groups and foreign mercenaries. Granted many armed militants are also ordinary Syrians fighting against injustice and oppression and many other casualties are innocent civilians. That sounds very similar to what the government of Israel faced in Gaza back at the time the MP in the Opening Post described the Israeli government as acting like Nazis in Germany. (For the record, I oppose the Assad regime for many of the same reasons why I oppose the Netanyahu regime.)
By your reasoning, oppressive regimes have a right to defend themselves from attack. Both the Syrian and Israeli governments are threatened by armed militants. Since you wrote that a 1000 dead civilians every 3 weeks shows amazing restraint and care, let's do the math to see how the Assad regime's level of restraint and care measures up with Israel's amazing level of restraint and care.
The Syrian uprising stated 15 March 2011. (70 weeks ago)
70 weeks / 3 x 1000 civilians = 23,333 dead innocent civilians
Latest casualty numbers:
July 19, 2012: Russia and China veto for a third time. This time Britain, France, United States, Germany and Portugal want sanctions added to a resolution which would renew the UN Supervision Mission in Syria. Rejecting sanctions against its ally, Russia says the west is seeking “military intervention” in Syria. Eleven countries voted in favor, Russia and China against, South Africa and Pakistan abstained. Activists say more than 17,000 have died in Syria.
UN Syria resolutions — three vetos
Many/most of these people are probably armed militants, but let's assume the anti-Syrian activists' estimates are accurate (and not inflated to suit their purposes) and 100% of these 17,000 dead are all innocent civilians (unlikely/impossible). By your words, it would be reasonable to assume that you would also describe Syrian government as acting with amazing level of restraint and care.
Would you agree that the Syrian government is acting with more restraint and care than the Israelis did during the 2008/2009 siege of Gaza? Would you agree that the Syrian government is not deliberately killing innocent civilians?
If not, then please explain why the Israeli government can kill innocent civilians at a greater rate than the Syrian government?
Also please compare the level of rights and freedoms enjoyed the citizens of Syrians and the non-citizen residents of Gaza?
Areas of comparison:
Freedom of the press and of other media of communication
Freedom of peaceful assembly
Freedom of association.
Mobility rights: the right to enter and leave national boundaries, to move to and take up residence anywhere within or outside the state.
The right to life, liberty, and security of the person
Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.
Freedom from arbitrary detention or imprisonment
Equal treatment before and under the law, and equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination.
Which oppressive and unjust government discriminates more on the basis of religion? The Jewish State of Israel or the Secular State of Syria?
Which group of people suffers greater oppression and injustice?
Do you believe that people who suffer oppression and injustice have a right to seek freedom annd justice in both Gaza and Syria? Is violence in pursuit of freedom and justice justified in either case?
BTW, these questions aren't just directed at Colpy. Feel free to add your 2 cents....
