Michael Shine – I get so pissed when people talk about ‘ the occupation’
Michael Shine – I get so pissed when people talk about ‘ the occupation’
Let me start by saying that I am not a politician, in fact, I am not very politically motivated at all. I believe in ‘Live & Let Live and I accept that different people may look at the same situation and view it in many different ways. However trying to change the narrative and alter history, in my very humble opinion, is not the way to go about finding peace for the peoples of the Middle East.
This is my take on the conflict between Israel and the majority of Arab nations that surround it. It is not meant to be confrontational, merely to state the facts as they are not as many are now trying change them to.
I start from the following historical established in fact truths!
1) There was never an Arab Muslim nation called Palestine. Never. Not once in history.
2) When the state of Israel was created in 1948 the vast majority of the world (with the exception of various Arab Muslim states) and including many progressive liberals, were totally in favour of it.(Don’t forget that the United Nations voted in favour of the establishment of the State of Israel – i.e. the majority of countries in the world at that time.)
3) When the modern state of Israel was attacked by neighbouring Arab countries in an attempt to kill all the Jews and overrun the country – they were defeated by a tiny Israeli population. Jordan however successfully annexed an area (called by some the West Bank) including the eastern section of Jerusalem. (Many Arab countries were quite annoyed by this – but, Hey!) They (Jordan) maintained control of this area for almost 20 years (1948 – 1967).
4) When the same Arab Muslim countries (including Jordan) again attacked Israel and attempted to annihilate the Jews and Israel in 1967, they were again defeated, but this time Jordan ceded their previously annexed area of Judea & Samaria (historically part of ancient Israel – and Jerusalem once more became the united capital Israel and Israel took over control of the once annexed areas. Currently international law accepts that these areas are disputed and subject to eventual negotiations.
If you accept that the preceding four points are true (and if you don’t, then you really do need to read up on the last 70 odd years of history of the area) then many of the arguments espoused by today’s progressive left-wing idealists just do not stand up to examination.
The Palestinian Authority (currently led by an un-elected former terrorist called Abbas – (oops sorry – he was elected for four years some 11 years ago)), and the terrorist organization called Hamas, who terrorize the Arabs in Gaza, both call for the complete destruction of Israel and the killing of all the Jewish people therein. Is it any surprise therefore, to any intelligent thinking person, that Israel does not see these organizations and their leaders as prospective partners for peace?
As I previously stated I have no intention in this little opinion piece to be confrontational, but if the anti-Israel progressive left-wing activists cannot state and/or accept the truth about the history of the region, what chance is there for peace?
Surely by trying to change the historical truth of what has happened in the region they have become more part of the problem than part of the possibility for a solution. Similarly if the western media continues to slant the news so as to continually put Israel in the wrong (when quite frequently they are totally right) then the same applies.
There are many very well meaning people in the world that refuse to accept that their understanding of a given situation may not be correct. A lie told by thousands, if not millions, of people, remains a lie. It remains a truth that those who refuse to see, are just as blind as those that are unable to.
Michael Shine – I get so pissed when people talk about ‘ the occupation’
