Who is in the Right Hers ?

Yo Mamma

So things in the Middle East are heating up again. Israelis are killing Palestinians. Palestinians are killing Israelis. I have always tended to lean toward supporting the Israelis in this conflict, because all I ever heard about were Palestinian terrorists. I have exactly ZERO tolerance for terrorists, be they from the PLO, the IRA or Osama bin Laden.

But specific to this conflict, I just have to stop and think now. I read today of the Israeli army's shooting of an unarmed Palestinian man. I read more and more of Israel's heavy-handed policies every day. And now I have a question:

Who is right here?

I found it easy to defend the Israelis in the past. They were defending themselves against terrorists, right? But when you look back at the history of the conflict, I'm not so sure. Israel was formed after WWII to give the Jews a land to call their own. Rightfully so. The 40's were a horrific time for the Jews. But to grant them their mythical homeland meant displacing people who called that land home for centuries.

So I started thinking about how I would feel if I was a Palestinian. How I would feel if my home was taken from me and given to people who haven't lived there for almost two millenia. The Irishman in me can sympathize. The rational human being in me is disgusted by the terrorist tactics that are being employed, and Israel's militant response.

So I have to ask again:

Who is right here?

WhiteWashMan

one BIG bomb in the region should sort it all out.
maybe one up north as well. sort out those people as well. get rid of that crappy northern accent as well

Xterminator

I think both sides have grievances. Neither side has a monopoly on right or wrong.

Instead there are people reacting to the violence around them, in an escalting spiral that threatens to spill over.

The only way to resolve the problem, would be a period of cooling off, to allow the natural emotions felt by both sides recede.

Then perhaps a peace initiative.

yellum

Before I used to think the Israelis were in th right until I realised what they were doing to the Palestinians. The Palestinians have been there for a very long time too. Palestine itself was mentioned in the Bible.

Israel have ghettoised the Palestinians and seem to be using the same tactics that the Germans used in the 30s. Land needed, just take it off the weaker country next door.

The Israelis are still using Old Testament tactics, eye for an eye and all that. They have not been brought to task by the UN or NATO for their crimes because a foothold is needed in that area and Israel provides it. They are not made to look like the badguy because the West can't afford to **** off the Israelis.

As for disliking terrorists, the freedom fighters that founded this country were called that by the British rulers at the time.

Freedom fighters are only terrorists until the revolution comes.

bugler

Anyone who reads well on the subject should come out with a pretty clear of view of who is "right" or "wrong".The problem, as is evident from some of the posts here, is that so many news sources are biased and somewhat reckless, or as I like to say "comprimised". Of course over-simplifying matters of conflict is both generally pointless and unhelpful, but in the Israeli situation it is quite clear what the problem is.

In short, just because you have a certain religion, and this religions main tome says certain things, this does not give you the right to completely screw over every other person of differing race or hue.

My view on the matter is relatively straight forward.Negotiations of recent years have focused on a return to Pre-1967 borders.This doesn't mean the destruction of Israel.All it means is the return of occupied land to the bordering Arab countries, and the cessation of Orthodox Jewish colonisation(that is what it is). However, the Israelis still want to be able to grab land and kick off the occupants at will, and until that changes things will get worse before they get better.

R. Daneel Olivaw

True, but isn't the land "originally" a Jewish land. Didn't they come from there aroudn 5000 years ago or something?

The way I see it is that both Islamics and Jews claim it as their homeland. However, why aren't Christians in there as well because it's all the same area.

So basically I assume that all these major religions are offshoots of the same thing, hence the endless wars over who is really right. It's basically the origin area for 3 religions.

No-one is really "right". What I would like to know is how Israel was "given" to them. It's like old school plantations in Northern Ireland.

I think international support for the Israelis is dwindling as they have become far too heavy handed. Why don't those people simply move out, grow up or something. Yeah yeah it's all their home lands but why bother? Certainly there are better and more prosperous countries in the world to live in - or do they feel that without a country of "their own" to live in that they can't maintain their own identity? Insecure? I think so (both sides).

http://www.theonion.com/onion3723/west_bank.html somes it all up I think.

Xterminator

Bugler, i agree with the point made in your post, but you forget to mention many salient points.

For example one of the main sticking points is Israel returning the Golan Heights to Syria.

(Fact)Israel is under siege from terrorists.
(Fact) Syria bankrolls a lot of terrorist organisations.
(Fact) Israel siezed these lands when Syria tried to invade Israel.

So returning these lands to Syria to return to the pre 1967 agreements might have further ramifications for the secuirty of Israel.

If Israel opens the Palestinian border, how will they keep out the suicide bombers? I mean they can't keep them all out, but they have to try to make it harder fo these militants to gain access to the civilian targets they seem to favour.

Do you think Arafat will or can keep them under control, if he wanted to?

Now i'm no fan of Israel's current policy, and i belive the Israeli people rejected peace by electing Sharon.

I can also see that it was the terrorist killings of Israelies during the peace process, that inflamed Israeli public opinion. They saw land handed over by Israel, yet Israelites bein killed by terrorists, based in these palastenian homelands.

To sum up, both sides have a share of both right and wrong.

---

"Man, you go through life, you try to be nice to people, you struggle against the urge to punch ‘em in the face, and for what?! For some pimply little puke to treat you like dirt unless you're on a team. Well I'm better than dirt ... well most kinds of dirt. I mean, not that fancy, store-bought dirt. That stuff’s loaded with nutrients. I …I can't compete with that stuff."
-Moe Szyslak