Really now I don’t mean to be the least bit controversial and I may be looking at it through American eyes so to speak but, what the hell is going on with Israel and Palestine? I will give you my view and of course, that and about ten bucks will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Let’s see, after World War I the League of Nations approved a British Mandate that set forth the creation of a “national home for the Jewish people” So, in 1947 the United Nations approved what was known as the partition Mandate of Palestine into 2 separate states. One was to be Jewish and one was to be Arab. The Arab League of course rejected the plan outright (oil wasn’t on the table yet obviously). Even with the Arab League’s bitter objections, but with United Nations approval Israel Declared it’s sovereign independence on May 14, 1948. To be honest I think everyone was afraid to have the Jewish community mingle with the Christian community in their own country. Also nobody cared much for the Arabs and all their various tribes (we all know it would be a bit different today with all the oil they produce). Also with Hitler exterminating over 6 million Jewish people, the world in general felt the Jews deserved a piece of dirt in the land they thought was holy (I tend to agree with that sentiment). So basically you put the ones you don’t really want with the ones you don’t really like.
Palestine is considered holy land by three faiths to my understanding. Jews, Christians and Muslims all consider the area holy. The area was known as Canaan to the ancient Hebrews. And the name Palestine comes from the Philistines that occupied the southernmost coastal area around the 12th century B.C.
Now the Hebrews had a kingdom that was there around 1000 B.C. and it was split into Judah and Israel. They then were invaded by almost everyone, including but certainly not limited to Alexander the Great as well as the Romans. After all the invasions there weren’t many Jews left by around A.D. 135, they had mostly scattered and were living in small villages or communities around the Diaspora area of the region. Then the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and Palestine became the center of Christian pilgrimages.
Palestine then was ruled by the Arabs who took it from the Byzantine Empire somewhere around the year 640. With a few interruptions the Arabs kept control until the early 1900’s. The British defeated the Turks to take control of Palestine after that.
In the 1930’s Jews poured into Palestine which was under British control. The British had granted the Jewish community the right to establish a homeland in Palestine in 1917 under the Balfour Declaration. Ok now, British won the ground in a war so it was theirs right? So if they won it, why can’t they give it to the Jews?
So after World War II, the United Nations approved the partition of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state that should have been it, right? In less than a day the United States recognized Israel and with 24 hours they were viciously attack by Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.
When the cease fire was agreed to some 19 months late in January 1949 Israel had grown by at least 50%. They had taken the western part of Galilee and cut a nice path thru central Palestine to Jerusalem. In May of 1949 the UN recognized Israel and admitted them to the UN as well.
In the mid 1950’s Israel was denied shipping through the Suez Canal by the Arabs. So with the help of an Anglo-French force they took the Gaza Strip and then took the east side of the canal. They backed off of the canal after enormous pressure from the United States and the UN.
Israel captured the West Bank of the Jordan River, The Golan Heights, Jerusalem’s old city, all of the Sinai and once again the east bank of the Suez Canal in the infamous 6 day war in 1967. This time Israel attacked simultaneously most of its enemies and grew by 200%.
Jimmy Carter got a peace accord signed in 1979 by Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Israel then returned the Sinai to Egypt some 2 months later. Most Arabs left Palestine after Israel was declared a state but the Palestinians still recent the fact that Israel has any claims to any of the land in Palestine.
Yasser Arafat went a long way towards recognizing Israel but lacked control or the desire some claim to stop terrorist type actions against Israel.
Every cease fire seems to be an opportunity for the Palestinians to rearm. Then, as soon as they are rearmed they target the Israeli population, not their military.
I don’t see how someone who targets your women, children, hospitals and any other civic building has a right to complain about disproportionate force coming in return. Hey, you pick a fight with the biggest guy in the bar, (so to speak) you better be prepared to get your ass kicked. I know Israel is a bully in the region, but wouldn’t you be too if all your neighbors didn’t think you even had a right to exist on the planet earth.
Terry Miller of
yournowwhat
Terry Miller of http://yournowwhat.com
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