RANT: Arab/Israeli Conflict

 Disclaimer:

I'm not an expert on the subject and have not studied the issues in great detail.  I do have a trace of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, but I will do my best to be unbiased.  I have never been to Israel or Palestine.

History:

Palestine has never existed as a nation state.  Prior to World War 1, the land was under control of the Ottoman Empire.  It was a sparsely populated region and a 19th century author whose name escapes me described it as a "wasteland."  Jewish settlers began to arrive as early as the 1880s but at the turn of the century, it was still roughly 90 percent Arab.  

  After the Ottoman Empire collapsed, the land fell under the British Protectorate and remained under British control until 1947.  Due in large part to the increasing persecution of European Jews, migration surged over the next 3 decades.  The economy developed rapidly and many Arabs from present day Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon moved to the area both for jobs and to prevent Jewish control of the land.  Thus, most modern-day Palestinians are descendants of Arabs from several nearby states. DNA would probably reveal a mixture of Egyptian, Saudi and other Middle Eastern ancestry.  

The original Partition was a plan for a 2-state solution with land divided up between Israel and Palestine.  Supposedly, Israel got most of the land, but the Palestinians got mostly fertile land while Israel got mostly desert.  The plan was accepted by Israel but rejected by Palestine.  That is a FACT.  Arabs went to war for total control of the land multiple times.  They lost.  TOUGH!  Still, through it all Israel has been willing to trade land for peace and have proposed a 2 state solution again and again.  Most recently, Clinton tried to broker a peace deal with Yasser Arafat.  Arafat said no to every proposal and a rash of suicide bombings followed.  I am convinced that even ONE square mile of Israeli control would not be accepted by the Palestinians.     

When I first became interested in politics around 1999, I declared myself neutral in the Arab/Israeli conflict.  However, after reading the Bible and seeing video footage of Palestinians celebrating on 9/11 with cries of Allahu Ackbar, I have taken the pro-Israel position.  Israel is a secular democracy with religious freedom, women’s rights, and a visible gay community.  It’s actually a bit more liberal than I would like but it beats the hell out of the alternative in which you are either a Muslim or an infidel and gays are routinely executed by being thrown off rooftops. 

Surveys show that the overwhelming majority Republicans support Israel while Democrats have shifted towards Palestine despite the fact that Israel is much more aligned with Democratic values.  I saw a banner “Queers for Palestine”.  Do they know how gays are treated there?  Why are Democrats more sympathetic to Palestine?  Never mind the Holocaust.  European Jews who migrated to the area were not an oppressed minority but rather a conqueror of Arab land that rightfully belongs to Palestine.  They see Israel as living on stolen land and as part of neo-colonialism by a white European power.  I really believe it is as simple as that.  I once met a guy who honestly tried to tell me that the Holocaust didn’t happen.  I just walked away and never talked to him again.  BLM is openly supporting Hamas.  To me, celebrating the loss of innocent life is more offensive the attack itself.  Terrorism must be condemned with no ifs ands or buts.  Supporters of Israel have even been referred to as Nazis.  That, my friends, goes down as the most idiotic statement I have ever heard.

Still with all of that being said, I recognize that Israel is NOT completely innocent.  Prejudice and hatred go both ways.  There are plenty of ultra-Orthodox Jews that simply hate Arabs and Muslims.  That is NOT okay.   In response to terror attacks, innocent Palestinian children have been killed.  In violation of international law, Jewish settlements have been built in the Palestinian West Bank.  There are numerous military checkpoints as well as certain streets where Palestinians are not even permitted to walk.  NO!  I do not believe that is okay!  That said, if Palestine had accepted the original peace deal and there was no threat of suicide bombings, that probably never happens.  Gaza has an unemployment rate approaching 50 percent and many Palestinian children do not have access to clean water.  Yes, I do sympathize, but you can’t blame it all on Israel.  Gaza actually elected Hamas, a known terrorist group that has a stated goal of eliminating Israel, to represent them.  As a result, money is spent on military technology rather than the basic needs of its people. 

Gaza shares a border with Egypt and the West Bank shares a border with Jordan and I believe Lebanon as well.  Other Arab states have taken in very few Palestinian refugees.  The defense is that because some of them support terrorism, they cannot be properly vetted.  I believe the real reason is that they don’t want to facilitate the loss of the Arab population in that region.  They would rather see the fighting and suffering continue than see Israel remain in control.  Again, that is not okay.  Speaking of the border, an alarming number of people on the US terror watch list have been found trying to cross our southern border.  I fear that terror cells exist inside the US and could strike if the war heats up in Israel. 

My peace deal:  Palestine gets statehood as well as control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  I may even be willing to throw in a little extra.  Israel must abandon its settlements in Palestinian territory.  In return, Palestine must legally recognize Israel’s right to exist, overthrow Hamas and renounce terrorism.  Similar deals have been proposed multiple times.  Israel accepts and Palestine refuses.  Sadly, I don’t see peace between Israel and Palestine.  I predict that it will be an all or nothing proposition.  Either all of the land will be under Israeli control or Palestinian control.  I would have no objection to Israel taking over all of Gaza right now.  Would there be peace in the Middle East if Israel did not exist?  NO.  The Sunni and Shia factions have been at odds for centuries.  There was an 8 year war between Iran and Iraq back in the 1980s. 

Foreign policy is an issue in which I have evolved in recent years.  Like most Republicans, I initially supported Bush-43 and the Iraq war but now recognize that it was a mistake.  There are a lot of very bad regimes that exist throughout the world, and I do sympathize with the people living under oppressive conditions.  That said, we cannot be the world’s police force and topple every regime that we don’t like.  History has shown that US involvement often makes things worse in the long run.  Still, there are some atrocities that simply cannot be permitted.  For example, I probably would have opposed World War 1 but certainly would have supported World War 2.  I am more willing to send military aid to Israel than to Ukraine.  Why?  If Israel is wiped off the map as many Middle Eastern countries would like to see, there will be another Holocaust.  That is something that absolutely cannot be permitted.  Yes, Holocaust survivors are still alive today and many of them live in Israel.   I saw an interview with one person who was asked if she would be okay if all the Jews were killed.  She said “No.  Just the Zionists.”  SICKENING!