30,000 Israeli reservists to be called up

15/11/2012

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Israel and Palestine are all but engaged  in full scale War. Israel blames the Arabs for rocket attacks and the Arabs blame Israel. Both the US and the UK are supporting the Israelis. It is doubtful that the people of these two countries will unanimously agree with this stance.

Both sides have blood on their hands and if we throw our weight behind one side or the other so do we.

It leaves this blogger wondering if this is why the Arab Spring was engineered by the West. Egypt and Syria are allies of Israel. Both of these countries are stll in volatile states. Israel's PM Netanyahou may not have secured the US election win they hoped for, Mitt Romney, but President Obama is still offering support to that side of the conflict.

Israel is a well armed country that does have nuclear weapons. Such an arsenal in a country with an agenda of revenge is frightening. The Hamas group of terrorists may be no match for Israeli firepower but they have increasingly attacked Israel in 2012.

The latest news is that Israeli reservists are being called up. 30,000 Israeli reservists now look set to be called upon. With Tel Aviv under attack it is predicted that there will soon be a ground war. The amount of reservists is said to represent about ten brigades. Israel is either looking for a show of strength or is set to go to War.

World leaders such as Hollande for France and Putin for Russia are attempting to cool the situation. For now it is touch and go. Many believe that Israel foot soldiers are about to enter Gaza.
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Back to reality

01/10/2011

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The two week vacation in Menorca has ended and it is back to reality. For once the sun shone as we arrived back into Doncaster airport, where it was a record breaking temperature for September 30. With good weather set to last a few days it will be a great end to our vacation.

The UK though is not Menorca.

Our love affair with that Island looks set to last. The UK in comparison is a dull autumn colour with brown houses topped with grey coloured roofs. Although it is the start of Autumn in Menorca it retains its sunny charm. White houses with some classical buildings painted in bright colours are set against turquoise waters and crisp blue skies. Local people warm and frendly, in spite of the day to day pressures they too face.

So what of the world?
On vacation we seldom look at any news. The odd glimpse at the headlines on newspapers displayed outside of shops in racks is as far as it gets. The UK could sink for all we care, at least for our two weeks in the sun.

Home again it seems that those two weeks have had the usual doom and gloom going on elsewhere. Little will have been resolved and politicians around the globe will have been posturing and playing mind games. As they play politics we ordinary folk feel the brunt of their plans.

David Cameron in the UK may like to reiterate that we are alll "in it together" but as we know that is nonsense. How can a millionaire's experiences, of the recent financial difficulties the global recession has brought, compare to a person's living on the minimum wage? Obviously it can't. We may all be in it together but some are in deeper than others, some have more options available to them and some will be facing a dismal future.

Yesterday in the UK cuts to the British Naval forces were announced, making our armed services struggle further. Yet the government is happy to involve the country in many conflicts around the world.

As people in the UK face an uncertain future the Coalition government seems always willing and able to find money to put into the broken pot of Europe and world conflicts. Now in what some may see as a good move, and others like myself see as nonsense, they have freed up some funds to restore weekly refuse collections in towns and cities. Is this really the most needy cause for cash strapped councils? Offering councils funds for the resumption of weekly refuse collections is a mixed bag.. Many Councils such as ours have made a committment to recycling and have a system which works well in operation. I am sure though they could use some extra funding for more urgent needs.

For now chores beckon but I know once I get to grips with the world and its wife again the news will be grim. Spending a two week vacation on Menorca though, not a million miles from Libya and the conflict torn Middle East, reminds you that the world continues to beat itself up but you do not have to take it all on board. Being aware is important but it is good to get on with living and ignore the world, at least for a while.
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