When I asked how my support for the right to exist as a Jewish State in the mideast I was called a Nazi. I asked why that made me a nazi and Darin said I had "clouded thinking, am confused, disoriented to time and place, and I'm an alcoholic.

Well that really cleared my question up!!

You said: "...can somebody google up something on this? try "self defense Goebbels" "self defense justification Hitler" --I am sure you will find plenty of hits."

You raise a good point. It's one thing to say the IDF are using their military primarily for self-defence, but another thing to prove it.

You want proof. This is reasonable.

One charge commonly made is that the IDF indiscriminately shoots unarmed Palestinians, especially women and children.

Lets look at some stats:
from: www.ict.org.il/casualties_project/stats_page.cfm

Breakdown of Fatalities: 27 September 2000 through 1 May 2004

TOTAL DEATHS:
Palestinians 2806 Israelis 921
PAL -- No. of whom were female 126
ISR -- No. of whom were female 285

Non-Combatants killed by Opposite Side
PAL -- Total No. killed 985
PAL -- 91 female

ISR -- Total Number killed 715
ISR -- 280 female

PAL -- Combatants killed by Opposite Side 1326 ISR -- Combatants killed by Opposite Side 187
PAL -- 365 People killed by actions of own side ISR -- 22 People killed by actions of own side

PAL -- 80 Non-Combatants below age 12
ISR -- 36 Non-Combatants below age 12

PAL -- 535 Non-Combatant Males between ages 12-29
ISR -- 176 Non-Combatant Males between ages 12-29
PAL -- 82 Non-Combatants Aged >= 45
ISR -- 226 Non-Combatants Aged >= 45

BECKY: If the IDF were shooting indiscriminately into residential areas, waiting lines at checkpoints, and into schools or crowds, why are the deaths concentrated among only males between ages of 12 and 29? Wouldn't indiscriminate killings of children kill more girl children? Death stats show that for children under age 10, the death rate is very low. But among Palestinian casaulties of non-combatants, starting about age 10, you start to see casaulties of BOYS ONLY with the most death occurring in the 13 to 17 yr age range.

THIS IS EVIDENCE that there is something about the behavior of 13 to 17 yr old Palestinian males which leads to a much higher death rate.

FURTHER EVIDENCE that the IDF is NOT targeting civilians is the low death rate among those aged 45 years old or greater. Among this population, it is clear, the Palestinians are targeting civilian populations to a much greater extent than the IDF is targeting civilians among the Palestinians.

These stats prove that 31% of the Israeli deaths were female but only 4% of the Palestinan deaths were female (and some of these were suicide bombers!!)

This is proof the Palestinians are targeting civilians but the Israelis are not.