Part III of the Israeli-Arab Conflict in a Nutshell:
In this section, I make a more personal case for Israel. I have hit many of the major points of contention between the two sides. As an American-Jew or a Jewish-American, this is the way I see things as a man with Degrees in History and English and a Master's Degree in Education. I t may surprise some of you that I am a liberal Democrat who voted for Tsongas in the Primary, Clinton in the general in 1992 & 1996; Gore in 2000; Dean in 2004 & then Kerry; Clinton in February 2008 & Obama in November. My education is a Liberal Arts education, and I teach and tutor English-Language Arts, ESL, and History-Social Studies.
Part III:
One must take a side. Neutrals and bystanders always end up helping the aggressors whether the aggressors are Nazis, Stalinists, or extremist Muslim). The Arab-Israeli conflict is a conflict of Muslim extremists versus a legitimate Israeli government that is condemned by Arabs that cannot stand Jews not being Dhimmis and Europeans who are still consumed with guilt over the Holocaust. THOU SHALT NOT be a bystander. The presence of Jews is not necessary for Anti-semitism; Jews are necessary for Anti-Judaism. What has happened in Eretz Yisrael over the past seventy years is a result of both.
The Ottoman Empire crumbled and fractured from around 1850 to the final gasp of its remnants in WWI. Between 1885 and the declaration of Israel as the Jewish State in 1948, Jews managed to transform the desert into arable land. By 1956, the city of Tel Aviv, which did not exist in 1885, was a viable city. All of this was done by Jewish settlers with assistance from Jewish sources many of which still exist or were forerunners to many Jewish organizations today. For the most part, this infrastructure was built without the assistance of any governmental body such as the U.S., European, or any other nations. The U.S. did not supply aid in any form until 1973 except to get the U.N. Two-State Declaration passed and approved by certain European nations and certain members of the OAS.
The purpose of creating a Jewish State was because many peoples have and had homelands, and the Jews did not and do not. During the Shoah, it was the destruction or genocide of Jews that was sought by Nazi Germany and their many collaborators including Arabs. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem is a convicted Nazi War Criminal at Nuremberg for his role in War Crimes and aiding in Genocide of Jews and Gypsies. BTW, I do think that similar War Crimes Trials should be convened, if not in this country then at The Hague against George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and the Bush Administration. They to have committed war crimes such as crimes against peace by not declaring war against Iraq and through torture; however, that is a discussion for another diary or thread.
I have not yet decided if this is a valid perspective, but it seems to be one analogy that many are relying on. If someone were firing missiles, rockets, or bullets into my yard, I would call the police. If the police, the U.N. say, did nothing, as they often do when Israel is attacked, I would retaliate. BTW, have you ever wondered why Israel is so often condemned by the U.N.? These condemnations go back several decades. The condemning parties include, Europe, which feels a great burden of guilt for the Shoah; the Arab world, which has never even considered taking in the refugees (the Israeli government finally built them housing), and has sought to keep the fight going for over sixty years; Latin America, which is anti-Jewish or neutral due primarily to anti-Jewish, Catholic myths, and finally, the condemnations of the Soviet Union (Russian Federation), North Korea, and China, which oppose all democracies and U.S. positions on principal.
. The Assyrian, Canaanites, Babylonian, Ancient Persian, Ancient Egyptian, and Roman civilizations are dead and gone. The Jews still exist. Israel is our ancient homeland. We would like a place to exist, rest, thrive, and survive. The Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosques were built on the former site of the Ancient Temple to prevent the building of a 3rd Temple. The Arabs want to turn Jerusalem into another Mecca & Medina, off limits to all but Muslims. As it is now, anyone can visit or live in Israel. Arab terrorist use humans as shields; they hide their headquarters and activities among the general population. In most areas of the world we would say that the non-Israeli Arabs are sympathizers and collaborators with terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad. The terrorists attack Magen David Adam (Israeli Red Cross and vehicles); they disguise their own Red Crescent vehicles, and use them as bombs and weapons. In addition, Arabs are allowed to become Israeli citizens and live as equals in a free and democratic society; the same cannot be said of the Arab world. The land was bought after 1885 from Arab landowners often with their own money and with money raised by Jewish and Zionist organizations. The land was never stolen. Ben Gurion forcibly disarmed the Irgun after the 1948 war. Why won’t the PA do the same with its militant (terrorist) organizations? Because they do not really want peace; Arafat never really wanted peace. Those in charge in the Arab world have a greater goal that is better met by keeping the fight going and destroying Israel than by making peace. By the way, Israel is the only nation currently in existence that has been exhorted by world nations and the U.N. to give up territory simply for peaceful existence
