Israel and Palestine Modern History
It’s a pretty intense subject, and here’s the Wikipedia entry on it.
Here’s a couple of things that I wasn’t aware or, or might have just plain forgot, prior to this week:
- Israel and Jordan (Palestine) was under British control after WWI.
- Jews were immigrating into this area prior to WWII and purchasing land
- Palestinian Arabs sided both with the Allied and Axis powers during WWII.
- The Axis powers encouraged Palestinian Arabs to join their side.
- From 1939 to 1942 Jews were illegally immigrating into the British Mandate of Palestine because of the Holocaust. It stopped with the Soviets sunk a boat carrying Jews and resumed after WWII.
- Prior to British withdraw there was no formal state of Palestine, or Israel.
I think the last point is the most important one here. Palestine? Ancient state. Israel? Ancient state. They both lay claim to the land based upon ancient history. However, since it is religious in nature, things get sticky, but let’s ignore that.
The British owned that area. It was theirs. They gained it in the fruits of war. When they gave it up the allowed the UN to split it up into a Jewish and an Arab state. If the Arabs think they have a right to Israeli land then logically the Israelis should presume that have every bit as much right to Jordanian and Lebanese land.
After all, prior to 1948 it was British land. If the UN can’t give the Jews Israel then certainly they cannot give the Arabs Jordan. Of course the only way to handle a border dispute is with a war, and through war the Israelis have won their land. They’ve even taken over more land only to give it back later.
Yes, Israel is a creation of the UN — but so is Jordan. Palestine, as a nation, doesn’t even exist. It has no land! How they fly their own flag in the Olympics I’ll never understand.
The Palestinians are refugees. I don’t disagree with that. They were given Jordan and provided that you’re not trying to walk into Israel with a bomb on your chest they’re actually allowed into Israel to work. The Palestinians were refugees not when Israel was formed, but with the British took over the land, if not before that. I cannot recollect the last time that they actually did have a formal state of Palestine.
The same case can be made for the Jews. They are refugees. The British gave up the lands so that the Jews and the Palestinians would have their own` home states. One nation is OK with this, the other is not and demands occupation of that land at all costs.
Let’s try and relate this to the United States of America. What historical right do we have to be on this land? None. The British took it over, at least the original colonies, and when push came to shove we took it from the British. The Israelis were given their land.
Through a series of wars the USA kept their land, and actually expanded it in vast tracts through treaties and wars combined.
Israel was engaged in a war within days of becoming a state, secured their land, and the natives are still trying to push them out — although in their case they can actually lay a historical claim to being natives where US residents typically cannot.
I can’t really blame them for fighting to secure their lands. If I were to do that then I must also presume that Native Americans lobbing rockets into US cities should be met with a meek and mild force to subdue their activities.
The Native Americans have more rights to the lands of the US of A than the Arabs do to the lands of Israel.
Ponder upon that. What makes the Native Americans less hateful to modern Americans than the Arabs are with regards to Israel?
Most Americans do not share the Native American’s skin tone.
We do not share their religions.
We’ve actually been the aggressor in a multitude of conflicts.
We’ve committed genocide against them.
I’d say we have a worse track record than Israel when it comes to occupying a foreign land.
I figure it is one of the following:
1) The Native Americans are real keen on making bank on the stupid white man in their casinos.
– or –
2) The Native American isn’t a radical fundamentalist Muslim extremist.
I figure if we put a casino in Lebanon we’ll find out what the root cause is.
