Israel

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35478964 - not only does it oppress its neighbours and demolish their houses for any reason, they also send people away 'secretly'? Are they really trying to emulate their former persecutors? It's quite blatant...

The Israelis are protecting their interests. The PA has been hostile to Israel since 1948. Hamas and Hezbollah are dangerous because they are client states of Iran. Iran has made their mission to destroy Israel.

"Never Again"-the slogan of the Jewish Defense League

Carving out a spot in "The Holy Land" for the Jewish people may have been a necessity after WWII, but I never really understood why religion is so tied to land. I guess it's because various religious sects developed in this region, but honestly, is it really worth all the bloodshed? The Near East could be such a beautiful place and it is of tremendous historical importance. Civilization is said to have been born in the Tigris-Euphrates junction and that's important to everyone on Earth.
There's nothing to be done about it though. Both sides will continue to fight for the land until it's obliterated.

The whole Israeli-Palestinian situation is so insanely complicated it makes my head hurt. Israel is allowing terrorism to grow by cutting off the Palestinians from participating in the economy, but they also do not want to lose their prosperous Jewish state by letting them vote or risk their security. Many Palestinians - and several other Islamic groups and nations - are using violent means to persecute this nation because it is supposedly their God-given right to do so, but many Palestinians did lose their private property in the creation of Israel - property that had been owned for multiple generations. I see the anxiety in many Western countries about Muslim immigrants coming in, and I can only imagine if the situation were reversed and the UN gave Spain to Arabic Muslims while allowing them to oppress the population.


The interesting thing to me is that many faiths were able to live together without a problem in the past (much like Muslims in the US pre-9/11). Colonialism took away self-determination in the region which has bred generations of resentment which likely would not have existed otherwise. Jordan and Egypt are currently living in relative peace with Israel, and I hope that lasts. As for the general conflict, I don't see an end in sight.

Anyone who supports Israel whilst knowing full well what that state has done, continues to do and is built on is a morally bankrupt sociopath.

I am a big fan of Hasidic rabbis who vocally oppose Israel's existence based on their understanding of the Torah. The Jews Against Zionism (JAZZies) and the Rabbis Against Zionism (RAZZies), among other similar groups, seem to understand the religious aspect of the matter better than their governmental opponents. Alternately, the political and governmental problems with Israel's actions is, in my opinion, best described by university Professor Norman Finkelstein, Ph.D., who is practically unassailable on the matter.

The JAZZies, RAZZies and Finkelstein remind us about how Jews were welcomed in pre-partitioned Palestine, and worked and lived side-by-side without the degree of hostility that we see today. So, what is the determining factor that causes today's violence?

I didn't until now. He seems to be in line with Finklestein.

Very well said. I like him.

@ John Powell

If you want to get technical you have to look back at the Sykes-Picot Treaty and the Balfour Agreement which formed the state of Israel.When the state of Israel formed in 1948, there was an immediate attack Arab Forces.After Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, the fighting intensified with other Arab forces joining the Palestinian Arabs in attacking territory in the former Palestinian mandate. On the eve of May 14, the Arabs launched an air attack on Tel Aviv, which the Israelis resisted. This action was followed by the invasion of the former Palestinian mandate by Arab armies from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt. Saudi Arabia sent a formation that fought under the Egyptian command. British trained forces from Transjordan eventually intervened in the conflict, but only in areas that had been designated as part of the Arab state under the United Nations Partition Plan and the corpus separatum of Jerusalem. After tense early fighting, Israeli forces, now under joint command, were able to gain the offensive.

PLO/PA
President Yasser Arafat Fatah 5 July 1994 – 11 November 2004
Mahmoud Abbas Fatah 26 January 2005 – incumbent
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Independent (Former official at the International Monetary Fund) 14 June 2007 (Battle of Gaza (2007)) – incumbent
Ismaïl Haniyeh Hamas 19 February 2006 – 14 June 2007
Ahmad Qurei Fatah 24 December 2005 – 19 February 2006
Nabil Shaath Fatah 15 December 2005 – 24 December 2005
Ahmad Qurei Fatah 7 October 2003 – 15 December 2005
Mahmoud Abbas Fatah 19 March 2003 – 7 October 2003

@ John Powell

Just say that your anti-Zionist and everything will be OK. We will understand.