>Well, the last two, esp (d), aren't happening; (a) (b) and (c) is happening,
>and it's happening on both sides (though the Palestinians don't have the
>firepower of the Israelis).
By "the Palestinians", you presumably mean the fanatical religious organisations whose stated aim is the ethnic cleansing (genocide) of Jews from the area. Yes, there are genocidal fanatics on both sides, but Hamas etc is not "the Palestinians". The PLO has officially repudiated its genocidal ambitions, although it still does cling to the notion of a "Palestinian state", which sounds little better than an ethnically pure Jewish state.
Never mind that though, we weren't talking about the PLO, we were talking about the Israeli state.
> Bulldozing houses and blowing up commuter busses
>are brutal, awful, criminal things -- but "genocide"?
If you don't permit people to build new houses, then blowing up existing ones is genocidal. People need houses and the policy of incremental destruction of essential infrastructure of one ethnic group, accompanied by rapid building of settlements and infrastructure exclusively for another ethnic group, is genocide. No getting away from it.
It isn't the "bulldozing houses" per se that is genocide, it is the reasons for it.
>Well, if it makes the
>LBOers feel more confident in their take on matters Israeli, then go with
>it. Wouldn't want to kill the buzz that comes with the claim.
No chance of that. Blinkers only work on those who choose to wear them.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas