A new buzzword has been introduced in 2009: Disproportionate. As in, Israel's response is disproportionate to Hamas.
Hamas launches thousands and thousands of misguided rockets into Israel and they're not "disproportionate?" Maybe it's "disproportionate" because Arab armies are ineffective and disorganized.
Anyway.
How can you get anything peaceful out of Hamas when its principal goal is to destroy Israel? No one discusses this "disproportionate" rhetoric.
I think one should look at the root of things: how Israel was born. I will here say something not politically correct.
ReplyDeleteI am not against Israel and the Jews and I hate what has been done to them in the course of history. Some relatives of mine have saved many Jews during WW2. I had 2 Jewish girlfriends. I understand the Jews and their idealism.
But the West has encouraged them (mostly out of greed, in my view) in returning to their land after 2000 years, which, sorry to say that, is absurd, it is like the Italians decided to go back to North Africa because it was a Roman province 2000 years ago.
Now the damage is done. Infinite hate has come out of that. And of course the solution is not to undo the Israel state.
It certainly seems that way. I think your assessment is exactly how some (many?)see it.
ReplyDeleteThen again, one can counter Palestine didn't exist back then so...and then there's the argument of how Israel as a nation-state has proven successful. Makes you wonder why its Arab neighbors failed. I'm not impressed much with UAE and all those fabricated kingdoms: oil paid for that. Not by the force of the ingenuity of its people or innovation.
Well, Palestine as far as I know sort of existed when the Jews started to migrate. Or maybe I'm wrong. But what counts is the land, the vital space.
ReplyDelete(Of course by ‘encouraging West’ I meant mainly the UK, but not only).
Yes, Israel has proven extremely successful, but we have to say that the Jewish people arrived originally from the richest and most advanced European countries. How could the surrounding Arab neighbours compete? Plus the West and America have helped Israel a lot.
By the way, are science and technology the only things that make a country civilized? My blog after all is basically based on this concept lol.
I would say that Egypt - even if Nasser, the great and much much loved leader, was defeated in 6 days only, what a terrible shock for the Egyptians! - is nonetheless highly civilised in my view. They have problems sorting out things, they are chaotic, like somewhere in Southern Italy, but one cannot say they are not civilised.
It is all a great mess. A great mess. I pity all of them. The Jews and the Arabs. And the Mediterraneans. The entire area could be much better without this horrible war.
Anyone who has spent time with Arabs would know they're civilized; hospitable. Very much in line with the Mediterranean.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a shame.
It is true Israel got help. But let's not forget that the Americans weren't as involved with them until the 1970s or 80s. Recall, the U.S. backed the Arabs during the Suez invasion by UK and Israel. Furthermore, Egypt has also been a net beneficiary of American aid to the tune of billions.
It looks like the alliances are made and broken; which is no different than what we've witnessed in history.
I don't remember well. But I remember at that time (Suez crisis? 1956?) my father saying that Europe was over, because the Anglo-French task forces were told by America to stop the invasion.
ReplyDeleteMaybe America took over at that time on that area. So it probably happened earlier? Not sure, I'm too much in ancient history. Although it is not that important. Since it cannot be denied the area was strategic for controlling the middle east. America or Uk-France, they were always there. And if America backed the Arabs it was for their interest, which is natural, being a superpower. We talked enough about realpolitik.
My father of course loved America because of its fight against communism, but he was sorry for old Europe's loss of influence.
In any case, I posted too many comments in different blogs. I have a bit of a headache. Hope all is well. Continuation on Dante could wait for a long time.