As long as I can remember, I have always been a supporter of the Palestinian cause. I'm not sure when it all started. Perhaps it's because I often find myself rooting for the underdog...or maybe it's because ever since I set foot on Moroccan soil, I've had a great love for all things Arab and Muslim. Obviously, I do not condone many of their barbaric methods that overstep the bounds of freedom fighting and merge into terrorism. However, if you get a bit more of the whole picture, you might have a little more empathy for their cause. So here's the start of a little history lesson about Israel and Palestine (I hope this doesn't bore you- I find it quite fascinating).In my opinion, if the Palestinians had just gotten around to forming their own government hundreds of years ago, none of these Israeli problems would have happened. But they didn't and by the 1900s, they had been ruled by various Arab families and Caliphs, the Ottomans, the Egyptians, and then the Ottomans again. But the real trouble began when the Brits disbanded the Ottoman Empire after World War I. And then the dreaded Balfour Declaration (1917) was created, which named Palestine to be the eventual homeland of the Jewish people.
Why did the Zionist movement choose Palestine? In part because in the late 1800s, the founder of the Zionist movement, Theodor Herzl, felt it would be the best place. After considering Uganda and Cyprus as possible Jewish homelands, he determined that Palestine, being a "land without a people" (which I think he really should have said "government," since obviously there were people already there...silly Herzl) and also conveniently being the ancestral homeland of the Jews, would be the perfect place for all the Jews to live.
At the beginning, the Palestinians were fine with having Jewish people living in their country. After all, they had been living side by side with Jewish people (in peace, even) for hundreds of years. It was only after they started coming in droves (many of whom snuck in illegally) that the Arabs began to worry. In 1948, the UN determined that Britain should leave Palestine and that it would be divided into separate Arab and Jewish states, each with their own government: Palestine and Israel.
"The plan stipulated that 54.5% of Palestine and more than 80% of its cultivated citrus and grain plantations would go to a Jewish state. Jews represented about 1/3 of the population and owned 7% of the land." (p. 49 The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan- thanks to Marlo for telling me to read it!) For a nice map depicting this, go here.
You can see that this might cause a bit of conflict...and naturally it did. Fighting ensued, or rather continued, and many Arabs were left simply bewildered at the idea they were going to be forced off of their land that their families had owned for generations upon generations.
And this is where I will leave you in anticipation of what happened next...
*A side note: I am quite aware that what happened to the Palestinians has been happening to nations and ethnic groups all over for thousands of years. Their cause is not any more unusual or just than the Karen people of Burma, the Tutsi of Rwanda or the Nepali of Bhutan. However, the Palestinian situation is one that interests me and therefore I get a little more passionate about it than I do about other groups. I'm sure if I learned a bit more about these other groups, I would get just as up in arms as I do about the Arabs. I also want to point out that I do not have an dislike for Jewish people. I just don't think that just because they suffered an atrocitiy means they have the right to force another people, a people who had absolutely nothing to do with their woes, out of their homes.
And feel free to correct me on anything I might have gotten wrong. I'm no expert on this complex and confusing bit of history.
8 comments:
Thank you Kelly for being my hero!
If that's not refreshing, I don't know what is!
Your history lesson is quite accurate. However there are more complexities to this. One is prophecy and the promises of God, if one believes that sort of thing of course. If one does it seems pretty clear that the land that is now Israel once again was promised by God to the Jewish people. Of course one may think that is all hoey and that is quite fine as well. But for a Bible believer God is on the side of the Jews. Course the Arabs believe God is on their side and so the fighting goes on. When anyone believes God is on their side it created trouble.
Next is that issue of self interest. Like it or not, from a US stand point, it is in the geo-political self interest of the USA to support Israel. They are our only friend in the Middle East. They are a democratic government, they are prosperous and we need a friend there.
Next is the issue or practicality. The Jews have to go somewhere and live somewhere. It is a pretty sad story I agree. The US after WWII and even during WWII did not seem all that worried about the Jewish people. But they did need somewhere to live. IT seems to me that the now State of Israel has tried and tried to work out a peaceful solution but the Arabs just keep wanting to blow people up. Look at Gaza now. The Palestinian people get this land as their own yet they still lob bombs into Israel. They do not want to co-exist. They want to stamp out Israel and the Jews. And one wonders about the other Arab states. They don's seem to keen on welcoming their Arab brothers much at all.
Last of all one can consider what the Jewish people have done with the land as compared to what the Palestinians did and do. Maybe this is harsh but the land and prosperity there that the Jewish people have created is well... just check out the lack of the same in the Arab neighboring nation states and we can leave it at that.
Fauite
My fautie is so smart. So are you Kell. ;)
Good post. Amen.
Fautie:
1- God may be on the side of the Jews, but that doesn't give them legal right to drive people from their home. Because the world is not run by Biblical law.
2- Israel is our only friend in the Middle East because we refused friendly overtures from the Palestinians and Jordanians when Israel was being formed. We burned our own bridges when it comes to relations with the Arabs.
3- Why do the Jews have to go somewhere? There's no place for all the Catholics to go or all the Mormons or all the Spanish speakers. And after WWII, many of the Jews who settled Palestine were those who did not suffer directly from the Holocaust (other than hearing about it or knowing someone who knew someone who suffered).
4- You have a point. Far too many of the Palestinians aren't willing to compromise and are still stuck on the irrational idea of regaining all of their homeland. If they really want to make progress in the peace process, they must stop the violence and be willing to make some concessions.;
5- True, Palestine before the Jews' arrival was more rural and agricultural. But let's be honest. The main reason why Israel has progressed as much as they have is because of the enormous quantities of financial aid they have received from the US and Western Europe.
a) why has the US traditionally been on the side of the Israelis?
b)why do very few people notice that Bush has actually been much less pro-israel than many previous US presidents?
1- God may be on the side of the Jews, but that doesn't give them legal right to drive people from their home. Because the world is not run by Biblical law.
Fautie says:
Yes I agree. I was simply pointing this out. And if one believe the Bible, which I think you do, then one cannot stand in the way of God. In other words no matter what we did or do this would happen anyway. Maybe God hates the Palestinians? They think he hates us.
Anyway I just raise this as component for the religious believers and to be controversial.
2- Israel is our only friend in the Middle East because we refused friendly overtures from the Palestinians and Jordanians when Israel was being formed. We burned our own bridges when it comes to relations with the Arabs.
Fautie says:
I do not know enough of the details to opine on what took place in 1948. But it does seem that the US has reached out to the Palestinians and neighboring Arab nations as of late. As Travis noted Bush is less pro Israel than preceding presidents and he has done some arm twisting with the current Israeli leadership.
3- Why do the Jews have to go somewhere? There's no place for all the Catholics to go or all the Mormons or all the Spanish speakers. And after WWII, many of the Jews who settled Palestine were those who did not suffer directly from the Holocaust (other than hearing about it or knowing someone who knew someone who suffered).
Fautie says:
The Mormons own Utah....The Catholics Italy...hahahahaa! I guess the diaspora always had a longing desire to return to their homeland. But really, now this is a moot point. They are there, they are not going away. I think they have tried to work with the radical neighbors. And yes the Palestinians can be radical. I really don't see many Jews sending in suicide bombers to blow up buses, schools and Sbarro restaurants. I few years ago when Gaza was given over to the Palestinians I said "Just watch, the Palestinians will still commit terrorism against Israel. They don't want a homeland unless it means exterminating Israel." And I was right. IMO if the Palestinians continue such behavior Israel should push them into the ocean.
4- You have a point. Far too many of the Palestinians aren't willing to compromise and are still stuck on the irrational idea of regaining all of their homeland. If they really want to make progress in the peace process, they must stop the violence and be willing to make some concessions.;
Fautie says:
And if the don't Israel should push them into the ocean.
5- True, Palestine before the Jews' arrival was more rural and agricultural. But let's be honest. The main reason why Israel has progressed as much as they have is because of the enormous quantities of financial aid they have received from the US and Western Europe.
Fautie says:
Other nations have receives similar aid and squandered. The Jewish people are a prosperous people.
Fautie
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