Peace and Gaza?

Currently, there’s been a lot of news about Israel pulling out of the Jewish Settlements in the Gaza Strip. People are inundated with emotional images, yet aren’t given the background or back-story which is the actual story and path to understanding. So here’s a very brief synopsis of the context.

After centuries of persecution by just about everyone in Europe, in the late 1800’s, many Jews started moving back to what they considered their ancestral home in the area we call Israel, Syria and Jordan today. The idea was to create or recreate the former land of the Jews; now known as Zion or the promised land (thus they were zionists). This area had been controlled by the Turks (Ottoman Empire) for 400 years, and was ceded to Great Britain after WWI. No one had claimed this area as their homeland, and such things are ambiguous in areas that had shifting borders and people. The Jewish investment and immigration literally turned malaria infested swamplands into farms and orchards, and helped build a thriving regional economy. This brought Arab settlers from all around because of the jobs, better conditions and development. Most of both sides in this conflict were immigrants.

There was huge resentments; the arabs (palestinians) resented the rich immigrant Jews from coming into Arab/Muslim lands, and resented their wealth and influence. Both the Jews and the Arabs were somewhat racist and bigoted towards each other, or just preferred their own kind. Not a melting pot to begin with, compounded by violence that made them even more suspicious. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, arabs kept attacking and bombing the Zionists/Jews because they wanted the prosperity of the area, but there were already millions of Jews in the area and they had as much claim as the Arab immigrants, even if the Arabs didn’t see it that way. The Brits proposed dividing the area into separate countries in order to separate combatants. (And they limited more Jewish immigration to temporarily cool the situation, and restricted it to the west of the Jordan river). WWII delayed any real decision.

The Arabs in the area helped the axis powers against Great Britain (because they were tolerant of the Jews). Thus when WWII ended, the newly created U.N. and Great Britain, felt sympathy for the Holocaust and anger over regional Arabs helping the wrong side in WWII, so it decided that the Jews should have some of the land of their own. Since the borders were being redrawn (new countries being created, etc.) and borders made little sense in the tribal middle east anyways, Israel was penciled in. And in 1948 Israel declared their independence.

Palestine today was really two areas; the area east of the Jordanian river would be called trans-Jordan (meaning across the Jordan). This was really ‘East Palestine’, and the first Palestinian State, not to mention Syria. The area on the west side of the river which was known as Israel, which was divided in half between Jews and Arabs (Palestinians). The Arab parts were the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. This would was West Palestine, but just called Palestine. This is similar to what the Brits did by separating India and Pakistan (with East and West Pakistan), in order to divide Hindu’s from Muslims (East Pakistan broke off later and became Bangladesh). This division is why the west bank is called the west bank, even though it is in the east of the country of Israel. If you notice, it is on the west bank of Jordan (or what should be called East Palestine).

The Arabs were furious that the Jews would be given self determination; and felt that and 85%/15% split of land in their favor was not enough. In fact, it is more a 99.9%/.1% split of land if you look at all Arab lands. But either way, it wasn’t enough, so in early 1949 the Arabs attacked with the intent to kill all the Jews and/or drive them from their shores (even though many Jews had always been there).

What happened in preparation for this war, was that the Arab countries told the Arabs in Israel to leave (so they could more easily attack and exterminate the Jews without worrying about their Arab brethren). Many left, because they were promised more lands and the right of return when the Jews were gone, or out of fear of what was coming. The Jews encouraged this emigration with tanks, bulldozers and guns. About 400,000 Arabs (Palestinians) were displaced, with probably 70% because of Arabs, and 30% because of Jews.

The other side, often ignored is that at the same time the Arabs were driving Jews out all over the entire middle east by law, by force or by atrocity, persecution and threat (seizing property, riots, and making Zionism a capital offense); about 600,000 Jews were displaced, and went where? To Israel of course. So there were refugees created on both sides; a mass cross-migration by force. The difference is the Israeli’s welcomed their refugees and gave them citizen status, while the Arabs refused to accept their own, and kept them separated and second-class citizens (with the intent of driving them back to take over Israel). The Israeli’s also didn’t persecute the Arabs that stayed nearly as much as the Muslims did the Jews.

When the Arabs attacked in 1949 (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia), and despite overwhelming disadvantage, the Jews won in that they weren’t all killed or driven away. Despite large losses (the equivalent of 3,000,000 American dead in percentage), the Jews ended up reducing the size of the west bank and Gaza Strip. However, Trans-Jordan now had holdings on both sides of the Jordan river, so shortened its name to Jordan, and Egypt had holdings in the Gaza strip.

Despite Arabs controlling those areas for nearly 20 years, neither Jordon nor Egypt did anything to create a second Palestinian state (third if you count Syria); both countries more made efforts to annex those territories instead. The ‘palestinian’ residents of these territories didn’t demand to be recognized as a separate entity, as they saw themselves as Arabs, whether ruled by Egypt or Jordan was no matter — they just didn’t like the Jews. Palestinians as a term and concept was an invention of the PLO in the 1970’s, but it really means Arabs who were once from, or who want to live, west of the Jordan river in what we call Israel.

Then again, in 1967, Egypt, Syria and Jordan were building up for another attack (and had not made peace with Israel). Israel defensively, but preemptively attacked in what is the 6 days war, to stop the attempted extermination that was coming, again. Israel seized the Gaza, West Bank and Golan Heights (Syria), and the entire Sinai Peninsula (Egypt). Israel survived being attacked again.

Then again, in 1973, Egypt and Syria surprise attacked to gain back land that they’d lost earlier. Also known as Yom Kippur War or the Ramadan War. Israel didn’t feel it should give back lands that it had won after being repeatedly attacked, and was lulled into a sense of peace. Despite a 12:1 disadvantage, and being caught off guard, the Israeli’s counter attacked into Syria and Egypt. The USSR and USA started getting involved and things were going to get very ugly, so the U.S. pressured Israel into cease fire. Because of us stopping the Israeli’s (but also aiding them), the Arab countries put an embargo on oil, which lead to the oil-crisis of the early 70’s.

All through the 80’s and 90’s, the ‘Palestinians’ made excuses to make war on Israel, and ignored repeated peace agreements that they signed. They’d start bombing or shelling Israel, often with the support of Arab neighbors, then when the Israeli’s retaliated (usually brutally), they’d claim the Israeli’s started it. No peace agreement, and no terms were every enough. It wasn’t about compromise (giving a little in order to get a little, and get peace), it was strictly to keep gaining towards the ultimate goal; which wasn’t peace, it was driving the Jews off their land.

Conclusion

The Arabs attacking Israel (repeatedly), and other Arabs not being hospitable to their own kind, is what lead to them being occupied and refugees in the first place. They would have had far more land if they accepted peace in the first place, and lost land in each subsequent conflict. This doesn’t deserve pity.

The ‘right of return’ is an ignorant delusion. Should America give the entire south west back to the Mexicans? How about all to Native Americans? Should we give Gaul (France) and half of England and all of Wales back to the Romans (Italians)? Every modern Nation has immigrants and displaced indigenous people’s. The Palestinians were displaced to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordon and so on; but that’s where many of them came from to begin with. More Jews were displaced from all over the middle-east, and Europe and Russia, and so on. It’s a mess, and certainly the Jews have behaved poorly… but the Arabs have been dozens of times worse, even towards the Palestinians. Thus if the Jews have to pay retribution and return property, then the Arabs should do the same to both the Palestinians the Jews..

The arrogant, narcissistic and hypocritical Arabs talk about the concept of Palestinian refugees, but ignore how they got that way. You don’t hear the Arabs talking about the plight of the Kurds, who were far more repressed under Muslim rule than the Palestinians were under Jewish rule. Nor will they consider what they’ve done to Jews or Christians; it’s all someone else’s fault. The middle east, including Israel is not a nice place. It is racist, classist, and religiously divided. You can’t trust anyone, because everyone else might try to kill you. So they became very clique / tribal oriented; 1,000 years ago. This is just a symptom of that. They culturally live for being wronged, thus see everything as an excuse to avenge past wrongs — without accepting any responsibility for themselves. Thus they find it easier to blame everyone else; the U.S., Israel, Christians and Jews, than to look in a mirror.

The Arab countries love to blame the U.S. for all this, how dare we no let the Arabs slaughter the Jews? We’ve given more to them the Palestinians than all of European or Arab countries combined, they’re just mad because they still didn’t get their way. The hate has almost nothing to do with Israel or West Palestine; it has to do with Arab ignorance and bigotry’s. Europe is siding with the Arabs, because both their anti-Semitic views and their large muslim constituencies. However, when a child acts like that, should you tolerate it, or try to educate and combat that ignorance? Truth is, everyone has gotten screwed, but one side won’t get over it. And the war will go on until they grow up. Slowly, Jordan and Egypt got a little better, let’s hope they get better (mature more) before Iran gives all the Arab countries nukes, and they blow the whole region up.

While Israel was a creation of the 20th century redrawing of the middle east, so was every other country in there as well. The truth is the Jews have tried to make peace many times, and made concession after concession. They didn’t kick out all Arabs when they should have. The liberals in Israel thought they could live side-by-side with the Palestinians, or that they could give back conquered lands (appeasement) under the deluded hopes that their neighbors would stop trying to kill them. They honored peace agreement after peace agreement, that their neighbors broke first. And the Gaza Strip pull-out is another attempt at peace. A country giving up lands won long ago in war is rare and noble thing. Look at the sacrifice done so they can live in peace; let’s hope that peace takes this time. But if it doesn’t, then let’s stop the bullshit, stop blaming the Jews for everything, or accept stupid claims thats the problem is West-Palestine, and just call a spade a spade. No more excuses. 50 years of putting up with Arabs overly sensitive ego’s is about enough.