Ive tried to avoid posting political posts about Israel, but I have been hearing a lot of distortions of some truths and empty slogans here in the UK and I wanted to address the issue, as I am being asked quite frequently about the situation. Or just judged by people who dont ask, but associate me with dead babies. First of all I would like to say (And anyone who has ever spoken to me in person will know this) that I believe it is better for everyone if the Palestinians to have their own country. No, I do not get high on people dying EVER. In general, I think we can all agree that peace is always better than the alternative. I am not a fan of the current Israeli government, and as any citizen would - I have a lot of criticism against it. However, I admit my ignorance, and the fact is I dont know the whole truth. I do, however, have some understanding of how complex the situation is. I understand that people want to divide the world into good guys and bad guys. Sometimes though, you get 50 shades of grey (without all the eroticism). First of all, little bit of history, for those who have gotten this far. Israel became independent in 1948, after the British mandate of Israel ended. The land was then occupied by Jews and Arabs (who, contrary to common thought were not yet an organized group as the Palestine Liberation Organization was formed much later in 1964 and evolved after the 1967 war) and divided quite equally. It is a false statement that Israel has no right to exist and is, as I have heard here just occupiers that have no right to exist and just stole land from Arabs sponsored by the U.S. The U.N voted in favour of Israel becoming a Jewish state in 1947 as a solution to the Jewish problem - which is basically the Jews having no state of their own. This, obviously, followed by the atrocities of WW2. The Arab countries surrounding Israel (mainly Egypt, Jordan and Syria) attacked, as they were not pleased with the existence of Israel. They lost that war and with it large pieces of land. Now if you have gotten this far, I would like to relate to a few slogans/phrases that I believe to be misleading and best, and sometimes blatant lies. -APARTHEID STATE - by definition, Apartheid is a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race. I am very proud to say that I have worked with, taken public transport with Arabs as equals. Arabs in Israel are parliament members, national team players and basically have the same freedom to pursue whichever career they would like to. No, they do not have to take separate buses, or sit at the back. I am not naive enough to say that racism doesnt exist, and in extreme situations it reveals its ugly head. But as far as the law is concerned - it is the same law for all. GENOCIDE - again, a term I would refrain from using. Though I am very upset that civilians are dying, genocide is systematic killing. As horrible as this may sound - if Israel wanted to systematically kill - it has the power to do so. I hope it never does and believe it never will. 100 people dead is horrible, but it is a war. More people died in a Palestinian civil war between Hamas and Fatah a few years back, not to mention Syria (Last I heard was over 200,000 dead). Just for perspective - 20,000 civilians were killed in the Afghan war, which was launched by the U.S. Needless to say its not even an internal U.S problem. For a nation that was built on the ruins of genocide, and coming from a family that died in the holocaust - its very painful to hear. BOYCOTT ISRAEL - I think people do it because its popular. I think if you want to go as far as boycotting a country, you better be damn sure of the facts. And I doubt anyone is that well informed. Besides, if people really wanted to boycott Israel, they would have to stop using their mobile phones, USBs and cars. And a lot of other nice gadgets that were developed and/or manufactured in Israel. If you dont believe me - Google it. You cant only boycott when its convenient. OCCUPIED TERRITORIES / END THE OCCUPATION - perhaps the most difficult term to dissect, in my humble opinion. This term is one that the Israelis are even debating amongst themselves. The land was conquered in Arab/Israeli wars. Im not exactly sure when it became a Palestinian/Israeli war, as the Palestinians were not an organized group until later on. I do admit my ignorance on this one, but would like to say the term is very very subjective. Last, on a personal note - people think the conflict is about land. Religion. Although they are a part of the problem, I believe it is about trust. Israelis are yet to be convinced that the Palestinians do not want to annihilate them. For a people that have been persecuted throughout history, this point is crucial. And I am certain that the majority of Palestinians dont trust Israel. So, I think the answer is in dialogue, there is no other way. I think it is within EVERYONES interest. You may say Im a dreamer etc... I wish for better days. I do. Peace and love.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 11:08:51 +0000
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