'The Palestinians are fighting the occupation and Hamas, as a democratically-elected government, has the right to defend itself and its people from the seige of Gaza.'

On Needless sacrifice of Palestinian young

Adlan A Razak: Can I just ask the readers this: What would they do if someone entered their houses forcibly, holed in their family in one small store room and restricted their access and contact?

This while the trespassers enjoyed the comfort of the living room and the master bedroom etc. Will they fight back? Will their fighting be considered as aggression?

Palestine has been occupied by the Israel for as far long as 60 years. Sixty-five years ago there was not even a state called Israel.

The Palestinians are fighting the occupation and Hamas, as a democratically-elected government has the right to defend itself and its people from the seige of Gaza.

If your country is being occupied and your freedom and your right to live peacefully and with dignity have been taken away from you, what would you do?

The solution is simple - end the occupation, return the land to the Palestinians so that they can build up their country and provide jobs for their people. When people are able to live and earn a living, no one would want to die and looe everything that they have.

Right now, the Palestinians have nothing so that is why they resort to desperate measures. As an international community we, should support them and give them a chance to live in peace and with dignity. Remember, even the Americans fought the occupation of British rule!

Mazliza Othman: It saddens me to see how ignorant Malaysians are about the origin of the Palestine-Israel conflict.

Throughout history, the conquered and oppressed have always fought back to claim what is rightfully theirs. That is exactly what the Palestinians are doing.

The British government handed over the Palestine to the Zionists by the the Balfour Declaration. The Balfour Declaration in 1917 was made by a European power about a non-European territory in total disregard of both the presence and wishes of the native majority resident in that territory.

To the ignorant ones, I recommend they read this report on the origin of the conflict at written not by Arabs or Muslims, but by Jews.

Perry Dompok: I feel such anger and frustration reading about Malaysians who are parroting Israeli and American propaganda on the Gaza tragedy. How can that be? Have we, especially supposedly politically-awakened Malaysians, really be so cruel and blind?

If my words are not good enough, please read what Mid-East expert and a man who has lived there for more than three decades, Robert Fisk of The Independant, wrote two days ago:

‘ ...and I write the following without the slightest doubt: we'll hear all these scandalous fabrications again. We'll have the Hamas-to-blame lie - heaven knows, there is enough to blame them for without adding this crime - and we may well have the bodies-from-the-cemetery lie and we'll almost certainly have the Hamas-was-in-the-UN-school lie and we will very definitely have the anti-Semitism lie.

‘And our leaders will huff and puff and remind the world that Hamas originally broke the cease-fire. It didn't. Israel broke it, first on Nov 4 when its bombardment killed six Palestinians in Gaza and again on Nov 17 when another bombardment killed four more Palestinians.

‘Yes, Israelis deserve security. Twenty Israelis dead in 10 years around Gaza is a grim figure indeed. But 600 Palestinians dead in just over a week, thousands over the years since 1948 - when the Israeli massacre at Deir Yassin helped to kick-start the flight of Palestinians from that part of Palestine that was to become Israel - is on a quite different scale...'

I have nothing to add to this.

Ycs: I am neither a pro-Jew nor a pro-Palestine, I am only a bystander reader crying inside my heart for all those innocent children who have4 been mercilessly killed. Silently, I ask myself, "How painful would it be for the parents of these innocent and lovely children who got killed in this stupid war?'

Israel has retaliated claiming that the Hamas had fired rockets on them? One reader explained that the Zionists wanted to create a nation of their own by driving out those ‘unwanted squatters' out from this no man's land. But Israel can easily overpower the Palestinians and drive them out anytime they want - why only act now and not earlier ?

Why is US so supportive of Israel? The oil price has increased. Who will be the biggest gainers when the oil price picks up? Or has this to do with the timing of Bush soon vacating his office for Obama?

Modern warfare is not actually about conflict of beliefs and ideologies but about money which creates power and power whch creates more money - they are coupled elements.

Lets us all hope that God is watching them and God has put a price on their acts. Won't the Palestinians now be wishing how good it would have been if Hitler has succeeded in exterminating the Jews during World War Two?

I only can pray and wish that no more innocent lives will be sacrificed in this stupid, civilised act called war.

Rambu Tan: I refer to Mohd Yusnizan bin Yusof comments.

With terms like ‘Zionist-controlled international news agencies' used by the writer, you know that the his comments are biased already. While it is the writer's right to choose his side, he cannot deny some facts. To put it simply:

Surely he cannot condone Hamas' strategy (or lack thereof) of throwing stones into a hornet's nest, and running back to women, children and suicidal, brainwashed kids for cover. Surely he cannot justify suicide bombers.

Israel pulled out of Gaza so Hamas surely could've used that to build a better Gaza than to use it as a recruitment ground for turning kids into bombs. Just before the British mandate expired in 1948, there was a chance (which the Jews agreed to) when Palestine was to be divided into land for Jews and the Arabs.

The Arabs rejected it as they thought they could fight and regain the whole of Palestine and eject the Jews. They lost the war and Egypt even lost a big part of some territory which Israel returned later on.

Now, instead of continuing this war, shouldn't the Palestinians keep a de facto peace and try to build on whatever they have left - just like Taiwan and China? Live to fight another day.

Surely to fight a war, you need to develop your economy. That, unfortunately, is not what is happening to Palestine. Surely its Arab neighbours will be more than happy to help absorb the exports of Palestine?

Mohan Raaj: Mohd Yusnizan clearly does not know the history of Palestine and accuses all media of being pro-Zionist.

The Zionists did not invade the land of Palestine. The Jews only returned to their rightful land. The name Palestine came from ‘Philistine'. The Philistines once lived together with the Jews and other tribes.

The Philistines have been extinct as long time and only the Jews have survived.. The Arabs only came as invaders in AD632.

On American boycott: Let the Tun show us the way

A Malaysian: I would like to pose an open question to our psychologists and psychiatrists:

Malaysians have been taught by our always-right former PM to hate the West especially the US.

But why do we have one building in Putrayaya that looks suspiciously like The Capitol on Washington's Capitol Hill?

And why is it that the areas in Putrayaya are called ‘Precincts'? And why is it that Petronas is helmed by people called ‘presidents' and ‘vice-presidents' and not by the traditional CEOs and general managers etc?

Twin M: I read the above logical letter and I would like to add to the list - the Petronas Twin Towers designed by the American architect Cesar Pelli.

To take Dr M's argument to its logical conclusion, we should now be taking down this twin monstrosity brick by brick (or rather girder by girder) as a demolition exercise of Dr M's version of anti-Americanism.