The Western media is so full of bias and ignorance when it comes to the Israel/Palestine conflict. First, the struggle for an independent Palestinian state has historically had very little to do with religion. PLO was a completely secular organization. Before 9/11, religion was hardly an issue in Palestine. Yes, they were Muslims but they did not generally associate their struggle with a jihad. The story of the Palestinian people is basically the following. At the turn of the 20th century a group of people with an Arabic heritage had lived in this region for thousands of years. They werent Egyptians, they werent Turks and they werent really Arabs or Persians either. Its much more fruitful to define Palestinians with regard to what they are not, since there has never been a well-defined Palestinian society. As you will see, this is one of the main problems. As we all know, Zionists from Europe and USA began to build settlements in this region and in May 1948 the state of Israel was born. So what happened to the Palestinians. Well, they were divided. After the Arab-Israeli war the green line divided this region into an independent nation called Israel and the occupied territories. Few people know that a million Palestinians actually live in Israel and have full citizenship. Some form of discrimination might take place, but their situation is much better than their fellows on the other side of the border. Much like the iron curtain separated Germans, many Palestinians just had the bad luck of living on the wrong side of the border. Remember that it was not initially the Palestinians who demanded a state of their own. The whole situation started as a dispute between Israel and the surrounding Arab nations. Since then no one has really cared about these Palestinians. Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iran and other Muslim countries pay lip service but they have never really cared about the Palestinians. If they did they would have granted the Palestinians full citizenship. Instead many Palestinians have lived in refugee camps in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan for many decades. Israel of course does not care about the Palestinians either. USA does definitely not care. European countries pay lip service, but do very little to actually change the situation. So, the Palestinians were left to rot in this hell hole for half a century. All peace efforts stranded. No, the Palestinians leaders were not always innocent either. But, can you imagine the frustration of living like prisoners for half a century with no hope of things ever changing for the better. To be harassed by the Israelis on a daily basis while no one really cares about your suffering. The western world makes promises, but they have so far been merely empty words. Is it really so surprising that a group like Hamas gained support in this region? Muslim extremists are the only ones who seem to care about the Palestinians. They promise a change and to fight for freedom. Of course, these extremists also take advantage of the Palestinians (like everybody else). But, as said. Is it so surprising that an organization like Hamas gains support in a region filled with so immensely desperate people who feel like theyve been betrayed by the rest of the world, only to rot in their hell hole? Western arguments are often highly misleading. They often regard Palestinians as just another bunch of religious extremists that want to destroy the only civilized nation in the Middle East. Their bias shines through. If Israel, the Arabic neighbors, USA and the rest of the world would not have forsaken the Palestinians an organization like Hamas would never have gained foothold in this region. Often arguments are analogues to someone poking a dog with a sharp stick for hours, and when the dog attacks him he declares: See, what a primitive animal. That animal understand nothing but violence. As said, the Palestinians are not entirely innocent either. They have had some pretty bad leaders in the past. Yasser Arafat is probably the worst of them all (and of course like always the worst people get a Noble Peace Price). It is also true that Israel is not the only villain here. The Arab neighbors, USA and pretty much the rest of world are guilty as well. Still, in this situation it would be absurd to call the Palestinians anything else than the prime victims and Israel the prime aggressor.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 13:06:47 +0000
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