Thursday, October 18, 2007

On the Ground in Israel-Palestine

By Ray McGovern
October 19, 2007

I had learned from books and newspapers about what happened in 1948 when 750,000 Palestinians were removed from their land in historic Palestine; about the results of the Israel-Arab war in 1967, which years later former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin publicly admitted was started by Israel; and about the confiscation and settlement by Israelis of Palestinian lands in the territories that Israel has now occupied for over 40 years.

Read on.

1 comment:

partner in peace said...

The author makes a good arguement from a first hand witness and I can see just like everyone else he wants a resolution to this problem.

A few comments
1. Israel wants a resolution more than anyone. It's in her best interests. But the situation described in the article is for the protection of Israel from destruction and terrorism. Israel is a tiny country surrounded by people who want the Jews out altogether. Even if some Palestinians want a two state solution, no one in power wants that. They play the world media like puppets, showing the terrible state of life for the average Palestinian. NO one agrees more than Israel. But to lay that at the feet of Israel is wrong headed. It is the leaders of those countries who force their populations to live in such conditions. In fact Israel has built apartment buildings for Palestinian people but the government would not allow them to move in to them. Israel gave them the Gaza strip with businesses and infrastructure to help them, only to have it destroyed by terrorist entities who moved in and replaced peace loving G-d fearing productive people with terror camps. Daily rocket attacks come in from Palestinian terrorists to Sderot, aiming to terrorize and kill innocent people. Israel needs a partner in peace to have peace. Israel again and again and again has extended an olive branch and land and money and and and. What peace gestures have they received in return. Only bombs, hostility, and more demands. In a chess game it's more than their turn to show good will don't you think?
2. Israel is a tiny country surrounded by enemies who are bent on her destruction, either by terror or one piece of land at a time. Israel is many times smaller than Mexico, and the surrounding Arab union is many times bigger than the U.S. If Mexico were bent on the destruction of U.S. (with no other surrounding enemies), The US or any other country would do more than build a concrete fence, and the world would support her in her efforts.

3. You are a tiny country and are being bullied by a bunch of countries around you. Not only bullied but they want you out now. You try to defend yourself because you've been bullied throughout your history, and you need to protect yourself and your people. Your enemies call your people vermin, etc., and they tell the world that you are the bully and picking on some of their people. The world listens and tells you to behave yourself. You try to make peace with them, give them some of your land and businesses and infrastructure, and they take it and start bombing you from it. You build a fence to protect yourself and your population, and they tell the world that it is apartheid fence. The word apartheid resonates with the world and they agree. You get the idea. What would you do?
4. Where is compensation for the Jews who were thrown out of Gaza you ask? How are they doing? Are these people O.K.? Where are there new communities? Are they together or were they torn apart? How are there children? Check it out. Also, Jewish refugees from Arab countries. Thrown out, driven out of there communities without compensation, without compassion, without world outrage.
5. The Jewish People have a history of being slaves and refugees, being thrown out of Israel twice before, driven out of most European countries, being marginalized in ghettos etc. Holocaust, displaced persons camps. And yet they prevail. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why? The Jewish people should have disappeared many times before. But they are still around. Why? They have had everything taken from them again and again and again, yet, like Ever Ready batteries they keep going and going and going. Why? They are such a small population of people. There are African tribes bigger than the world population of Jews and we've never heard from them. Why so much attention on the Jews? The Jews were given a mandate from the Torah to be a light unto the nations. And G-d promised the Jews that they would be around for all time. Wherever Jews settle they contribute to the communities around them and make these communities better places to live. They are leaders in medicine and science, technology, education, literature etc. Every social cause that betters communities has Jews leading the effort. From the Ten Commandments and monotheism forward to every academic and social cause Jews are there to contribute and make the world better. Even against enemies who want to destroy Israel, Israeli hospitals and doctors treat Hezbollah terrorists with the same treatment that they would treat an Israeli soldier and in order of medical need. They deliver Arab babies on an hourly basis, have Arabs in the Israeli populace. Count the number of Jews living in and being treated like this in surrounding Arab countries.
6. With regard to Palestinians, they live better in Gaza and West Bank than in Lebanon or Jordan and they know it. Shine a media spotlight on that story. It's a problem to be sure but the solution is not for Israel to keep caving in only to be (Heaven forbid) thrown out once again.

7. Learn about the cultures and the ideologies of people in the entire MIddle east and not just what they want to show the media, and then let's sit down and have a real conversation about how to solve this problem.