Dirigibletrance, I strongly disagree with your attempt to draw moral equivalence between Israeli and Palestinian actions.
The Israelis settled on land that they purchased from the Turks. It is true that the Turks had, in some cases, stolen this land from the Arabs via confiscatory taxes. But it is also rather notably true that the Palestinian Arabs, after helping the British drive out the Turks in World War I, did not focus their wrath on the Turks, but rather on the Jews, who had purchased the lands in good faith from what had been the legitimate government of the area.
The Israelis attempted to live at peace with the Arabs. The Arabs repeatedly spurned these offers of peace and continued to launch lethal and unprovoked attacks on the Israelis. During World War II, they allied with Hitler, and did so not in spite of, but BECAUSE THEIR LEADERS KNEW AND APPROVED (!!!) OF THE HOLOCAUST.
The British, despite this, did not favor the Israelis over the Jews. Led by a pro-Arab faction in their own government, they armed the Arabs and tried to prevent arms and men from reaching the Israelis.
The Arabs then invaded Israel in 1948. Their declared intent was the annihilation of the country and the massacre of its inhabitants. In the course of this fighting, many Palestinians fled and some (even some civilians) were killed by the Israelis. (This is when the Deira Massacre occurred). This is, however, in the context of many more massacres by the Arabs against Israeli civilians whenever they were victorious.
After 1948, Israel has repeatedly tried to make peace with the Arabs, especially the Palestinian Arabs. Their peace offers have been repeatedly rejected -- or, in some cases, accepted but then treacherously dishonored by the Palestinians. The Palestinian attitude seems to be that no decent person could possibly expect them to stop killing Jews, and as a result no Palestinian regime is willing to treat terrorists as criminals.
This is the reality of the situation. Another reality of the situation is that if the Arabs won, they would exterminate the Israelis -- and then, that affair taken care of, would select another target in the West.
Cowards like to assume tha the problem is Israel, because that makes it easy -- just betray a minor ally to annihilation and live at peace with the Muslim world. But cowardice, denial and dishonor will not save the West from attack: we must fight back, with courage, clarity of vision and honor, and remind the Muslims precisely why they wound up colonized in the first place.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fpb
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Realities of the Situation
Date: 2007-03-11 11:16 pm (UTC)The Israelis settled on land that they purchased from the Turks. It is true that the Turks had, in some cases, stolen this land from the Arabs via confiscatory taxes. But it is also rather notably true that the Palestinian Arabs, after helping the British drive out the Turks in World War I, did not focus their wrath on the Turks, but rather on the Jews, who had purchased the lands in good faith from what had been the legitimate government of the area.
The Israelis attempted to live at peace with the Arabs. The Arabs repeatedly spurned these offers of peace and continued to launch lethal and unprovoked attacks on the Israelis. During World War II, they allied with Hitler, and did so not in spite of, but BECAUSE THEIR LEADERS KNEW AND APPROVED (!!!) OF THE HOLOCAUST.
The British, despite this, did not favor the Israelis over the Jews. Led by a pro-Arab faction in their own government, they armed the Arabs and tried to prevent arms and men from reaching the Israelis.
The Arabs then invaded Israel in 1948. Their declared intent was the annihilation of the country and the massacre of its inhabitants. In the course of this fighting, many Palestinians fled and some (even some civilians) were killed by the Israelis. (This is when the Deira Massacre occurred). This is, however, in the context of many more massacres by the Arabs against Israeli civilians whenever they were victorious.
After 1948, Israel has repeatedly tried to make peace with the Arabs, especially the Palestinian Arabs. Their peace offers have been repeatedly rejected -- or, in some cases, accepted but then treacherously dishonored by the Palestinians. The Palestinian attitude seems to be that no decent person could possibly expect them to stop killing Jews, and as a result no Palestinian regime is willing to treat terrorists as criminals.
This is the reality of the situation. Another reality of the situation is that if the Arabs won, they would exterminate the Israelis -- and then, that affair taken care of, would select another target in the West.
Cowards like to assume tha the problem is Israel, because that makes it easy -- just betray a minor ally to annihilation and live at peace with the Muslim world. But cowardice, denial and dishonor will not save the West from attack: we must fight back, with courage, clarity of vision and honor, and remind the Muslims precisely why they wound up colonized in the first place.