At work earlier, I quickly dashed off a series of responses to the threads on this subject ... now at home, with a little more time, I thought I would try to sum things up from my perspective.
There are two primary claims Palestinian supporters can make to legitimize their war against Israel. 1) A large number of Palestinians were expelled from their homes and their land to make room for Israel. 2) They are forced to live in squalid refugee camps. To the first claim -- Large populations of people being expelled from their home lands (or worse, being killed and/or sold into slavery) is just a part of history. Stronger nations push smaller nations around. We can hope and pray that as the world becomes more sophisticated, such immoral behavior will become a thing of the past, but it has happened hundreds of times over the centuries. At some point, there's no point in fighting about it any longer. You set up shop some place else and move on. But if you're going to whine about Palestinians being booted off the land, then you must examine the next question -- how did they get the land in the first place? Where they not the beneficiaries of earlier conquests? If you trace history back far enough, you get to the original people who occupied the land. Of course this is a race of people (sorry, forget the people's name) that no longer exists and hasn't existed for centuries. But who acquired the land from these people? Well, the Jews. So of all the races that existed 4,000 years ago, what race with a legitimate claim on the land still exists. Well, if it isn't the Jews. So, if you are going to complain about the Palestinians loosing their homeland, what about the Jews? My point is, arguing from historical injustice is a ridiculous exercise. What has happened has happened. The Palestinians have no more legitimate claim to any territory held by Israel than the Austria has on Germany. To the second claim -- Why are the Palestinians in refugee camps to begin with? The historical record answers the question -- Jordan and other Arab countries refused them entry. If the Palestinians had been allowed to disperse throughout the Arab world, then they would have integrated into those societies by now and their families would be leading healthier, wealthier, happier lives. The rest of the Arab world has forced Israel into an untenable position -- live side by side with people that hate them or fight them. The only solution to the ongoing conflict must come either from the Palestinians themselves or the Arabs. And the only solution is to remove the Palestinian problem. For example, why doesn't Saudi Arabia set some nice land aside, relocate the Palestinians, finance their setting up a new society and let them have their own government? The Saudis want Israel to do something along these lines. Why not put up or shut up? Or Iraq? Or Iran? Why must Israel solve a problem largely of Arab making? At one time I had much more sympathy for the Palestinians. It's hard not to get sucked into the "poor displaced people" argument. But after 9/11 I have a lot less tolerance for terrorism. And I'm sorry, but targeting civilians, whether through the barrel of a gun or with a suicide bomber is nothing but terrorism. Palestinian supporters like to drag out rhetoric about Israel being terrorists, but this is just ridiculous. Israel targets legitimate military targets. If non-combatants get killed in the process, well, that's just war. The Palestinians could protect their civilians by ceasing hostilities. Suicide bombing with the express intent to kill and maim innocent people is not an act of bravery. It's not the act of a freedom fighter. There is no honor in it. It is nothing less than irrational. It is an act that can only be explained by hatred. It is unjustifiable. It can never be justified. It is simply terrorism. And terrorists should never have their claims legitimized. Any negotiation or so-called peace process lends too much legitimacy to the terrorists. Israel must prosecute their war until Palestine cries uncle. H. ______________________________________________________________________ Your ad could be here. Monies from ads go to support these lists and provide more resources for the community. http://www.fusionauthority.com/ads.cfm Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
