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Google Formally Puts Palestine On Virtual Map
hypnosec writes "Google has indirectly walked right into one of the Middle East's most obstinate conflicts by labeling Palestine as an independent nation — wiping off the term 'Palestinian Territories' and replacing it with 'Palestine' in its localized search page. Google's move is more or less in line with the UN's October decision to name Palestine as a non-member observer state. The status given to Palestine will allow the state to join UN debates as well as global bodies such as the International Criminal Court, in theory at least. Up until May 1, anyone visiting http://www.google.ps were shown the phrase Palestinian Territories. This change is definitely not a huge one but, it has attracted criticism from politicians in Israel."
Aww, poor widdle ol' Israel doesn't like it when the world talks about human rights abuses other the atrocities of the holocaust?
Good for Google! Though, I hope Sergei has learned how to sleep with his eyes open... Scientists who stand in the way of Israel's goals have this nasty habit of attracting squads of well-equipped and tactically-trained muggers waiting for them in their hotel rooms.
It's sad how easily knee-jerk idiocy like this is mistaken for insight when you are blinded by hatred.
Select results from a new Pew survey of Muslims worldwide show that Palestinian Muslims are among the most "religiously conservative" and intolerant of all Muslim-majority countries.
Many of the questions showed that Palestinian Muslims rated behind only Afghanistan, Iraq and sometimes a handful of others in their levels of fanaticism.
Here are some of the survey questions with how Palestinian Muslims answered:
Please tell me if you completely agree, mostly agree, mostly disagree, or completely disagree with this statement: Members of your religion have a duty to try and convert others to your religious faith.
"Completely" or "mostly" agree 82%
Some people think that if a man engages in premarital sex or adultery it is justified for family members to end his life in order to protect the family honor. Do you personally feel that this practice is:
Often or sometimes justified: 33%
Some people think that if a woman engages in premarital sex or adultery it is justified for family members to end her life in order to protect the family honor. Do you personally feel that this practice is:
Often or sometimes justified: 37%
Which comes closer to your views? "Islam is the one true faith leading to eternal life in heaven" or "Many religions can lead to eternal life in heaven"?
Statement #1 89%
"Women should have the right to decide if they wear a veil" 53%
"Women should not have the right to decide whether to wear a veil" 35%
"Sharia law is the revealed word of God" 75%
"Sharia law is developed by men, based on the word of God" 16%
"Sharia law should be open to multiple interpretations" 42%
"There is only one, true understanding of sharia law?" 51%
Do you ever participate in inter-faith religious groups, classes, or meetings with Christians or not?
Yes 8% No 91%
"A wife should have the right to divorce her husband" 33%
"A wife should not have the right to divorce her husband" 57%
Agree or disagree? "A wife must always obey her husband"
87% "completely" or "mostly" agree (46%, 41%)
"Do you favor or oppose making sharia law, or Islamic law, the official law of the land in our country?"
89% favor 8% oppose
For those who answered "favor" - should Sharia apply to non-Muslims?
39% yes 43% Muslims only
"Who should have a greater right to parents’ inheritance – sons or daughters, or should both have equal rights?"
Sons 51% Daughter 1% Equal 43%
Is polygamy morally acceptable?
Yes - 48% No - 20% Not a moral issue - 17%
Is drinking alcohol morally acceptable?
Yes - 1% No - 92%
Is homosexual behavior morally acceptable?
Yes - 1% No - 89% Not a moral issue - 5%
Some people think that suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilian targets are justified in order to defend Islam from its enemies... Do you personally feel that this kind of violence is:
Often or somewhat justified 40% Rarely or never justified 49% (highest percentages justifying suicide attacks of all countries surveyed)
Do you favor or oppose the following: the death penalty for people who leave the Muslim religion?
Favor - 62% Oppose - 29%
Do you favor or oppose the following: punishments like whippings and cutting off of hands for crimes like theft and robbery?
Favor - 72% Oppose - 23% (behind only Pakistan, Afghanistan and Niger)
Do you favor or oppose the following: stoning people who commit adultery?
Favor - 81% Oppose - 14% (behind only Pakistan and Afghanistan)
Those who claim that a Palestinian Arab state would be secular and democratic state are fooling themselves.
Those who pretend that a "one state solution" would respect the rights of a Jewish minority are knowingly lying - especially since such a deal would cut Israel in half where the middle would be only 6 miles wide. Furthermore, never in history has there ever been a single Jewish suicide bomber. I
Ah, I see you are repeating the propaganda approach without actually understanding the history of the region with regard to International Law. Perhaps these may enlighten you (and other Slashdotters) somewhat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub2x5UvjUs4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63hTOaRu7h4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ByJb7QQ9U
Where you have the situation wrong is that you assume that Israel objects to a Palestinian State merely on the basis of a Palestinian State existing. This is completely false, and misrepresents the position of the Israeli Government - and leads normal, moral people to draw incorrect conclusions. Please allow me to correct your understanding. The Israelis have always offered an Arab Palestinian State (and in fact, the Arabs were offered international recognition of one in 1948 by the United Nations but they refused, and continued to refuse as long as Israel exists).
The Israelis will fully endorse an Arab Palestinian State (in addition to the secular/Jewish Palestinian State called 'Israel') upon the following conditions:
The problem the Israelis have with the moves for Palestinian Statehood through the United Nations is *not* the creation of a Palestinian State. It is bypassing negotiations with the Israelis and bypassing mutual agreement and a *permanent* peace treaty (instead of the temporary 'hudna' that exists now while jihadis regather strength). The Palestinian move in the United Nations (now dominated by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation voting bloc) was a *very* sly move to bypass negotiations with the Israelis (unfortunately most people aren't aware of this aspect). So you see, the problem is that much of the left-leaning media (Associated Press, BBC, MSNBC etc) omit the reason for the Israeli protests. The Israelis have always offered to recognize an Arab Palestinian State, provided the Palestinian State recognize Israel *in Arabic*. Once you know this, you see the Israeli position as being entirely reasonable - they want to *negotiate* for permanent peace. I think most reasonable people would agree with the Israelis on this, and agree that the Palestinians sneaking through the UN to avoid recognizing Israel with a permanent peace treaty is not very good.
Here's some evidence of the real Palestinian position (which the media is not telling you about, it is feeding you propaganda instead without ever checking the real facts): http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?doc_id=8704&fi=157
ps. for those of you who are also fooled by the falsehood that Israel is 'the last European colonial state' you may want to ponder the fact that Jews have been living continuously in the region of Palestine for over 3000 years (the Arabs came later, and invaded around 1400 years ago). While no-one holds a unique claim to the land, it is a falsehood to say that Israel was only formed by European Jewish refugees after World War II. The Jews have been there a lot longer than that (even if they had been ethnically cleansed and were in small numbers until the end of the 19th Century).
Please also note that the Arabs and Muslims already have 56 large and mostly uncrowded countries. They don't want to destroy Israel because of the *land*, they want to do it because the Qur'an and hadiths tell them to. The fiction of being 'Palestinian' rather than 'Arab' or 'Jordanian' was only invented after the 1967 Israeli vi
before some butt-hurt heeb starts pulling out his "you disagree with Israel, you therefor are an anti-semite" card...
It would really lend to your credibility if you recognized at all the the Palestinians want to completely destroy Israel. As it is, you seem pretty one sided in your view.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
And before some butt-hurt heeb starts pulling out his "you disagree with Israel, you therefor are an anti-semite" card...
Sir Gerald Kaufman is himself a Jew.
He may be a jew but that doesn't stop anti-semites like yourself from using his words for your own purposes. If you don't want to be accused of being an anti-semite, don't use racial slurs like "heeb."
Bigots like you aren't doing the Palestinians any favors when you use their terrible situation as a tool for your own passive-aggressive racism.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
As far as I'm concerned, Israel is one of the most belligerent and violently oppressive regimes on the planet. I couldn't give two squirts of piss if they're "upset" about Palestine being properly named.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
Palestinian people legally owned most of the land in Israel.
Could you please point to the legal document that shows this? pretty please? you simply won't find it, it doesn't exist. The last unchallenged international resolution was the 1922 League of Nations decision that the *region* of Palestine should be split into a portion for Jews and a portion for Arabs. Originally the Arab portion was to be called Transjordan (later Jordan). The British administering the region created this. Then they reneged on their deal and decided to give *additional* land to the Arabs (at the expense of the territory originally planned for the Jews). The final borders were to be decided by negotiation. Then there were uprising and World War II which slowed things down. After World War II the UN decided that Israel could be formed (and recognized it) and an Arab state could be formed (but the Arabs refused, they wanted everything and thought they could commit genocide to achieve this).
I'm afraid it appears it is you spouting bullshit because you are ignorant of even the basic historical facts of the region. Please do your homework next time - then you might have a chance of forming a historically correct conclusion. Pretty please.