Although this site focuses mainly on the Lebanon-Israel conflict, I often feel the need to empathise with the Palestinians, Lebanon's neighbours who have suffered the most at the hands of Israel.
I watched a very powerful and brilliant documentary today called Occupation 101. It's a remarkable portrayal of the Israel-Palestine conflict - makes you boil in anger and wallow in despair at the same time.
Follow this link for the full movie (1 hr 27 mins).
What you and others fail to mention is that this myth of occupation has been disproven again and again as to reason for the violence.
For 1, the legal term "occupation" is being abused, occupation refers to an area taken from a legitimate country that is it's rightful and recognized owner. As no country held Gaza or Judea/Samaria in 1967, the term "occupation" is erroneous, misleading and fraudulent. Israel captured the areas from Egypt (Gaza) + Jordan (Judea/Samarian & Jerusalem) who had illegally taken these lands from a world body who was attempting to negotiate their status. The areas were offered to the Arabs in 1948 but they IMMEDIATELY REJECTED THE DEAL, so the areas were NO MAN'S LAND - Not in the hands of a legitimate country. Egypt and Jordan illegally captured the areas from the world body in the 1948 war.
As for "occupation", today the Arabs control over 83% of Mandate Palestine. Jordan makes up 70% of "Palestine", partitioned to the Arabs in 1918, Gaza (100% Jew Free) & Areas of Judea controlled by the PA make up the other 13%. Incidentally, Palestine was never a country, had never been a country in the history of this planet. If you wish to oppose this we offer a CASH REWARD FOR ANYONE WHO CAN PROVE THAT A COUNTRY CALLED PALESTINE EXISTED PRIOR TO the refounding of Israel (i.e. what government did it have, who was head of state, what currency, what was the capital, when was it founded, what were its borders, who recognized it)
That said, if this conflict WAS ABOUT LAND THEN WHY DO ISRAELI CONCESSIONS LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN JEWISH DEATHS?
Israel brings Arafat from his mansion in Tunisia to Oslo, the first time the winner of a war and stronger offered concessions to the weaker loser and instrigator of all wars. RESULT? Arab rocks turn to guns, turn to bombs, turn to rockets.
Israel leaves Lebanon in 2000 - RESULT? Hezbollah moves forward to areas previously secured by the IDF and uses them to invade Israel without cause or justification. Instead of disarming, Hezbollah, the defacto Persian occupation force in Lebanon, now claims the Shebba Farms. A LAUGHABLE ASSERTION TO THOSE WHO CAN READ A MAP SINCE Shebba Farms has NEVER EVER belonged to Lebanon. Syria may have a claim but Lebanon? And what the hell is it the business of the Persian funded, armed, trained and commanded Hezbollah - Persian occupiers, killers of Maronites, hiders behind women + children?
Israel withdrew from all of Lebanon, the so-called occupation is over, but the conflict continues in Lebanon!!!
My favorite: 2-3 years back Israel leaves ALL OF GAZA. It forces its citizens to move through force. It digs up Jewish graves and even moves them! Some Jews leave MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in GREENHOUSES and AGRICULTURE EQUIPMENT thinking that giving the Arabs a means of production would lead to decrease in violence.
THE RESULT? The greenhouses are destroyed in less than 24 hours, Hamas takes over Gaza, Hamas moves to the areas previously secured by the IDF and uses these areas to reach deeper into Israel with their Rockets.
Since the "occupation of Gaza" ended, Hamas has launched nearly 5000 ROCKETS INTO ISRAEL! If this is about occupation, why are they shooting rockets when there isn't a Jew left in Gaza...
It's all quite perplexing - I mean, why does Gaza even NEED TO BE Jew Free? So much is made of these so-called "Settlers" but they make up less than 1 percent of 1 percent of 1 percent of the population in Judea/Samaria, in Gaza - before they were pushed out they made up less than 1% of 1% of 1% of 1%!!! Why is it that the Arabs will only accept 100% JEW FREE LAND?
Israel, a democracy, has a population of over 1 MILLION Israeli Arabs, most of whom are Muslims! They are FULL CITIZENS with Israeli passports, voting cards, free healthcare and full rights. They are the only Arabs in the Middle East who can vote, run for office, have freedom of religion and sexuality. They win seats in the parliament, sit on the Supreme Court (yes, there is a Palestinian Arab that sat on Israel's Supreme Court), and even attain high ranking cabinet positions in government. They are the healthiest, most literate, freest Arabs in the Middle East (that's the greatest tragedy, if you ask me, that to be free, Arabs need Israel).
WHO ARE THESE ISRAELI ARABS? They are the Arabs that did not leave their homes in the wars of 1948 and 1967. Most of those that left did so voluntarily, without ever seeing an Israeli gun - this is a fact. Some feared that the Israeli army would do to them what Arabs do to other Arabs in wars (see what King Hussein did in Jordanian Black September, in 1 month during peacetime he killed more Palestinian Arabs than Israel has in 60 years of her defence!) but these fears were UNFOUNDED! The Israeli ARabs are a testament to this FACT. Those that stayed in Israel or those that returned within a year of the conflicts were granted full citizenship with all the rights and privileges afforded under said status. They make up fully 25% of Israel today and are the neighbours, doctors, teachers and friends of the Jewish Israelis.
Read Irshad Manji, Walid Shoebat - 2 Arabs with a real perspective. So many Arabs write and speak of Israel even they have never travelled there or even studied the history. It's easy to just buy the cliches, but a study of the history in depth leaves no room for doubt - heck, the facts on the ground, esp. the millions Israeli Arabs are hard to refute! They are EVIDENCE that the refugee crisis is a myth! How does one explain away 25% of a country? How did these people get citizenship while others claim they were 'ethnically cleansed' (an odd assertion considering Gaza & Judea have among the highest growth rates on the planet!)
Did you know that nearly 900,000 Jews lost their homes in Arab countries when Israel was founded? they were expelled, yet we never hear of that tragedy because Israel absorbed them immediately, today they are citizens, not 'refugees'... If only the Arabs would the same!
Posted by: Wingless | August 08, 2008 at 07:51 PM
Wingless, you are totally wrong in saying that the occupation is a myth. The UN says that Israel occupies Palestinian land - and the whole world knows it. You are totally wrong on this point and your argument is just ludicrous - I feel foolish dignifying this point actually. UN Resolution 242 - read it, and while your at it refer to the other 120 or so resolutions concerning Israel.
Your comments on Lebanon:
"Hezbollah moves forward to areas previously secured by the IDF and uses them to invade Israel without cause or justification."
Hezbollah moves forward - so what? It's their land, it's their right. And when did Hezbollah ever "invade" Israel? I seem to remember Israel invading Lebanon three times in total and killing over 20,000 civilians. But that's self defence eh? Hezbollah hide behind their women and children - that's Israel's pathetic excuse for being pounded by Hezbollah guerillas on the ground. The casualty numbers of IDF soldiers clearly show it. When Israel carpet bombs Lebanon in order to get the people to rise against Hezbollah, it shows how weak it really is and that its days of hegemony over Lebanon are slowly but surely ending.
"Did you know that nearly 900,000 Jews lost their homes in Arab countries when Israel was founded?"
Really? Where's your evidence on this? Throwing around wild numbers like that doesn't work on this site. You need to back up what you say but I doubt you can because you are totally wrong.
Israel is a democracy that allows immediate citizenship for Jews anywhere in the world - because they are Jews. Some democracy that is. Giving preference based on religion - very democratic actually.
"Read Irshad Manji, Walid Shoebat..."
And I suppose next you will tell me to read Alan Dershowitz and to believe the crock in his book?
Posted by: Michael | August 08, 2008 at 09:51 PM