73 Reds

Israel neither needs, nor particularly wants warm relations with ideologies that do not align with their own. Co-existence is perfectly acceptable. That doesn't mean that Israelis cannot do business and be friends with their Arab neighbors which is far more prevalent than reported. Non-fundamentalists don't care so much for ideologies. The Old City of Jerusalem is a microcosm of what can be. Jews, Arabs, Christians and Armenians living in close quarters, even doing business with one another yet living far different lives.

No, what Iran needs and thrives on is ignorance. The UN is a prime example.

@Viking Iran's objective is no model/approach for peace. Otherwise you are correct. The Abraham Accords were well on their way to furthering friendly relations in the region. It is not constructive to focus on individuals; leaders like Bibi and Trump come and go. Israel has prospered and done well under many different leaders and its relationships with Jordan and Egypt have survived even when those countries were having their own issues. Extremist regimes are the cause of the problem. From the day Israel became an independent State [Country] in 1948 it was under attack. It has spent its entire existence defending itself against surrounding enemies. Anyone who believes Israel wants anything but peace with its neighbors is delusional and historically ignorant. The fact of the matter is, Israel represents a geographical blip on the radar of the Middle East (about the size of the State of Ohio). With no oil and no more resources than its immediate neighbors to the north, east and and south, Israel has built itself into a powerhouse nation in a mere 77 years from almost nothing. What many don't understand is that there are wealthy Arab communities in the heart of Israel and they want nothing to do with their Palestinian brothers and sisters who serve as Iranian proxies in the adjacent territories; why would they - these Arabs live great lives - they are professionals, business owners and some own magnificent homes, the likes of which most people in this country would be envious. Like Israelis, they simply want to be left alone to co-exist and prosper. But unless one has been there and experienced life in the successful experiment - against all odds- known as Israel, one would never know from the non-stop agenda-driven nonsense we read and see every day in the media that Israelis and Arabs can co-exist and once extremist hatred is permanently removed from the equation, all people in the region can and will have brighter futures.

What is lost on many is that the World stands to benefit. How many countries would like to see an Iran with nukes?

Again, you are assuming with little or no facts. This argument is entirely senseless without considering the big picture. On one had you have a regime intent on exterminating a country and its citizens for no other reason than the fact they exist. Given the opportunity there is no justifiable reason to believe they won't do just that. On the other hand you have a country who could remove Iran from the face of the Earth in less than an hour, but doesn't and won't. All that country wants is survival and peace. With that in mind, to whatever extent you believe the US was involved in planning this attack has nothing whatsoever to do with the objectives of eliminating Iran's nuclear capabilities, which oh-by-the-way our President has repeated ad nasuem will never come to fruition under his watch. So my point is, was and remains that the US is in the same negotiating position today on this issue as it was yesterday.

So what? The US knew about it in advance. We would not have been able to stop it anyway so what is your point?

That's only semantics. Israel will do what it wants and when without anyone's permission when its survival is at stake. Had Iran come this close to nukes under Biden, Israel would likely have not even given us the courtesy of a heads-up. Because Israel acted alone, the US is in the same position as a negotiator as it was yesterday at this time. The "Iranian point of view" is only that of its ruling regime, not its people. The majority of Iranians would like nothing better than to be rid of them.

The point was the US was full-on attempting to broker a peace deal and was not a part of the attack. No one is arguing about the allegiance of these countries to one another. Don't assume what I, or anyone here appreciates.

True, but thus far the US has played this perfectly; sufficiently removed so that if Iran were to suddenly wise up we could still be part of a negotiation process. The entire World should be rooting for Israel's success. Even most Iranians surely feel this way. Its the same issue that exists in Gaza where a small ruling party controls the fate of an entire population and ruins their lives and the lives of their children.

The answer with a 100% degree of accuracy is: We're in the 9th trading day of June.

Yeah, how does sending more money to the Federal Government improve the lives of those States' residents? Seems like an entirely useless metric. Ideally you'd probably prefer to be in a State that makes neither list.

This has to be one of the most non-sensible discussions I have read on this board (which says a lot). The issue is simple: If you lived or owned a business there, what would you want?

Which is precisely the reason why Hamas must be eliminated.

@gfp was more debt rather than stock an option for Buffett in 2009?

What this conflict does demonstrate is there are some problems no amount of money can solve. In fact more money spent has made it worse.

The US is doing what it should be doing - helping Israel put and end to Hamas and this conflict. Moral indignation doesn't help.

Sanjeev, no killings are "warranted" but shit happens in war. Any attempt to morally equate Hamas with the IDF demonstrates extreme ignorance and prejudice. You'd be armed and ready to shoot if your neighbors were intent on murdering you and your family.

These are not ordinary civilians. These people were literally dead the moment they were born into a terrorist, irrationally evil regime and then brainwashed with hate from day one. They have no chance, unless or until Hamas is extinguished. Buffett often talks about how we, here in the West won the birthright lottery. These people lost and will never recover until the likes of Hamas is permanently gone.

No Blake, that is flat out wrong. Hamas is directly responsible for each and every death. They use their own people as human shields. They use schools, hospitals and shelters as military installations. They steal food and money intended as aid in order to inflict more harm and destruction on Israel and its people. They are corrupt to the core and have one goal - that is to eliminate the State of Israel. For no other reason other than the fact that Israel exists. Hamas must be eliminated. They choose their own destiny and the destinies of the people under their control each and every day they refuse to surrender.

You are juxtaposing the concepts of atrocities and compassion. There is no further use in discussing this with you. Educate yourself.

Stop embarrassing yourself.

That's all political nonsense. Anyone who is even half-informed knows it. Like all politicians, Netanyahu has his enemies. Consider the source.

Pal, the only "war crime" was committed by those who started the war.

Correct. There was nothing remotely "civilian" or "humane" about the life of women and children in Gaza before October 7th. The only chance surviving people there have is if Israel completely exterminates Hamas.

Indeed, all good points. Only pushback would be that there is probably more upside in Berkshire than one might think because of enormous optionality and the possibility [probability] that at some time in the future, shareholders will demand that value be unlocked in ways that will not happen anytime soon (breakup, dividends, sales of entire divisions, etc...).