Maybe you ought to find the film Lawrence of Arabia to update your knowledge of history. Do you know about the Mandates post WW I?
Evil exists; sometimes evil is the outcome of fear, avarice, ignorance, prejudices, bigotry and revenge.
The movie Lawrence of Arabia? You want me to learn from Peter O’Toole and David Lean?
Yes, I actually have some familiarity with the British or U.N. mandates and White Papers, et al. So what? Nothing in those was anti-Arab. Of course, nothing every issued was good enough for the Arabs either.
Suppose you explain how the fall of the Ottoman Empire and oil relate to the current crisis in the ME, and how both didn't have a negative impact on the native population.
Do we really have time to debate this? I have met many like you on these boards. Intransigent in their opinions on Jewish-Arab matters and conflicts. You might say I am that way, too. But that is because I have looked at this history for decades. I have read enough. Below is an old, call it, "position paper" of mine in response to so many "on the other side" as it is. You do not have to read one sentence. But it explains why I am fed up with all the lies and demagoguery coming from Arab, Muslim, Western European govts and media, and US govts, and media, and universities. Have a nice day.
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Israel has been treated cruelly and savagely since its birth. When they returned to the land some called Palestine beginning in the early 1900’s it never pushed anyone off of their land. It purchased land occupied by no one from the Turks and absentee wealthy Arab land owners. They moved in to this region the same way an almost equal number of Arabs moved in at the same time. Except those Arabs from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq are now referred to as Palestinian people and/or refugees. How is that? Most of the so-called Palestinians were Arabs from neighboring countries who moved onto this land because the Jewish presence and efforts offered them economic opportunities. The fact that there were more Arabs on the land pre-1900 than there were Jews or other nationalities does not give those Arabs license to call it their country. It was under Ottoman rule, these were not countries back then, and Jerusalem always had more Jews living in that city than any other people.
The Jews were always willing to accept any British or U.N. mandates, white papers, or proposals of compromise back in the 20's, 30's or 40's. So when Britain pulled out in May 1948 and the Jews in their allotted portion of the region declared themselves an independent nation, the United States and Russia immediately recognized them as legitimate. But the following day of their declaration 5 Arab nations and 7 armies attacked them to clearly destroy them. Why? What right did they have to do that? Who tried to stop them? No one. Who defended Israel? No one, but the Jews themselves and some funding from American Jews.
Further wars in 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982. What is Israel to do? The regimes and Islamic movements in the Arab world clearly has wanted to destroy them since a Jewish presence increase in the 1920’s. It has nothing to do with the refugee problem or settlements. These neighboring Arab nations have been anything but sympathetic to the Palestinian plight. They have offered little or no economic assistance and will not let them emigrate into other Arab nations. They use the Palestinians as pawns. They exploit their sufferings in order to garner the world’s sympathy. The wealthy Arab nations could easily raise the standard of living for all of the West Bank and Gaza, make peace with Israel, and become a sovereign nation. But it is obvious that would only imped their grander and more insidious objectives.
Meanwhile 2 million other Arab citizens live peaceably within Israel’s borders with full citizen rights. It's a sham. World opinion is against Israel. So is most of the mainstream media or they would tell the whole story. Meanwhile, Israel for now 60 years or more has had to fight 5 wars and endure thousands of attacks on its people. And what do they get in return? Elitists in Europe, America and the U.N. and professors in our universities calling them inhumane for bulldozing homes or for building a fence. Finland refused to sell them gas masks but will send them to the Arabs. Israel tries repeatedly for peace treaties and Arafat, et al. tells them not interested. Recall the Camp David accords when Clinton tried to broker a deal. Israel offered just about everything to Arafat for almost nothing in return except the acknowledgement of right for Israel to exist. Nope, no deal. Not good enough. This made it clear. The Arab regimes who were actually in charge of these proceedings did not want peace. Their hatred of the Jews was too great.
Well forget listening. Enough is enough. Israel has made the decision that more strict military defense efforts are the only language these people understand. If they are going to kill innocent civilians in our streets then we are not going to continuously apologize to all of our critics because of some collateral deaths when these extremist cells and terrorists hide out behind civilian surroundings.
This is the way it has to be. The Arabs do not want peace and no other solutions are forth coming from those who criticize Israel. So my criticism for the Jews at this time is minimal. They have suffered alone for reasons the “Israel friendly” media never dares report on or remind us of. Israel, like any free nation, is not perfect. And the mainstream media, with their own agenda, scours their souls for specks and ignores the planks in the eyes of the Arabs, the U.N., and all those self righteous scholars in the West.
