Thank you for this history, Graham, most of which I was unaware. Living all my life in the Continent of North America and born 15 years after the end of WW1 I never learned the history of the middle East. I vaguely knew about the Zionists, but not in detail.
I don't believe Joe Biden is as selfish and uncaring as you make him out to be. We do have treaties and agreements with Israel dating back to 1948. Those treaties bind us to defend Israel from all invaders.
I know a little more about the founding of the new country of Israel in 1948. I also tend to sympathize more with the Jewish people because, in my opinion, they have be despised and discriminated against for centuries from pure, unadulterated, jealousy. As a people they have been more successful in business and gaining wealth, than most Europeans. They have given us brilliant scientists, artists, composers, musicians than other smallish tribes.
I am not suggesting the are better than the rest of us, they aren't. In addition to the Einstein's and Oppenheimer's they given us the Netanyahu's and Epstein's and Weinstein's.
I think they deserve to have their own Country as they did in biblical times, but I disagree with the way Palestinians were treated by having Israel plunked into the middle of them with no discussion, no reparations, no assistance.
The Muslim/Jewish mutual hatred is totally unreasonable. But then most hatreds borne from religious fanatics are unreasonable from my point of view and I have neither sympathy nor empathy for any religious zealots.
What I do think, is the United Nations needs to get all participants to agree on a reasonable solution that allows the Jewish people to exist unmolested by any other Country on agreed upon land (with no interference from Europe, North or South America, and Asia.) This agreed upon solution should be absolutely and resolutely enforced by every member of the United Nations with no exceptions.
Treaties to protect friendly states from invasion are not of application here. The uprising was quelled within THE DAY. The reaction is going on 15 MONTHS LATER. Putting down an uprising does not equate with ... no one is bandying words now ... genocide.
Noam Chomsky ... and I, independently, even before I'd heard him ... recognises the fallibility of principle. For, as sure as eggs is eggs, the most dearly held principle will one day come face to face with another ... dearly held principle, and a hard, hard choice will need to be made between the two. On what principle do you decide which of your, now, two opposing principles will prevail? Your answer is your soul. If it is "self-preservation at the cost of the lives of all others" then soul is absent, for in Israel that portends killing all others before they can kill you. If that is the lesson from centuries of oppression (and, excuse me, I am in no way convinced that "the Jews DESERVE their own country", not after we've now seen what they do with it, not now we know they want not just their own country but other people's countries as well, not now we have seen how they pull the strings of power in Washington, in Hollywood, throughout the economic system of the US, not just for their own benefit, but for the deleterious impacts they can impose on others, in short: MONEY, or so I thought you thought, is not DESERT) then I'm now inclined not in any way, shape or form to regret or pity them for those centuries of oppression. This is facile, Fay: because Jews were defenestrated in the Middle Ages, it's okay to kill the Palestinians?
Yes, to the UN. But who is the UN? The UN is the US and Russia. That's why it's powerless. Russia can invade who they damn well please, and the UN can do nothing. And the US? Mr Biden has spent, to the last dime, your Fort Knox pile of goodwill. No one expects any better of the US today than they expect of ... North Korea. That's where you are, in my book.
I am in agreement on most of what you say, Graham. I'm sorry to have indicated that I approve of the slaughter (and yes, genocide) of the Palestinians. I just don't think Netanyahu - a man as evil as trump, but more dangerous as Netanyahu is far more intelligent than trump. Most of my Jewish friends agree with me, they are as horrified by what Netanyahu has and continues to do. I no more understand why he is still a powerhouse in Israel than I understand how some 77 million Americans could vote for a scumbag like trump.
I guess, I may place too much faith in the behavior of my Jewish friends and my digust with past pogroms, but I still feel the hatred of Jews in general is undeserved.
Thank you for this history, Graham, most of which I was unaware. Living all my life in the Continent of North America and born 15 years after the end of WW1 I never learned the history of the middle East. I vaguely knew about the Zionists, but not in detail.
I don't believe Joe Biden is as selfish and uncaring as you make him out to be. We do have treaties and agreements with Israel dating back to 1948. Those treaties bind us to defend Israel from all invaders.
I know a little more about the founding of the new country of Israel in 1948. I also tend to sympathize more with the Jewish people because, in my opinion, they have be despised and discriminated against for centuries from pure, unadulterated, jealousy. As a people they have been more successful in business and gaining wealth, than most Europeans. They have given us brilliant scientists, artists, composers, musicians than other smallish tribes.
I am not suggesting the are better than the rest of us, they aren't. In addition to the Einstein's and Oppenheimer's they given us the Netanyahu's and Epstein's and Weinstein's.
I think they deserve to have their own Country as they did in biblical times, but I disagree with the way Palestinians were treated by having Israel plunked into the middle of them with no discussion, no reparations, no assistance.
The Muslim/Jewish mutual hatred is totally unreasonable. But then most hatreds borne from religious fanatics are unreasonable from my point of view and I have neither sympathy nor empathy for any religious zealots.
What I do think, is the United Nations needs to get all participants to agree on a reasonable solution that allows the Jewish people to exist unmolested by any other Country on agreed upon land (with no interference from Europe, North or South America, and Asia.) This agreed upon solution should be absolutely and resolutely enforced by every member of the United Nations with no exceptions.
First, thank you.
Second, no, thank you.
Treaties to protect friendly states from invasion are not of application here. The uprising was quelled within THE DAY. The reaction is going on 15 MONTHS LATER. Putting down an uprising does not equate with ... no one is bandying words now ... genocide.
Noam Chomsky ... and I, independently, even before I'd heard him ... recognises the fallibility of principle. For, as sure as eggs is eggs, the most dearly held principle will one day come face to face with another ... dearly held principle, and a hard, hard choice will need to be made between the two. On what principle do you decide which of your, now, two opposing principles will prevail? Your answer is your soul. If it is "self-preservation at the cost of the lives of all others" then soul is absent, for in Israel that portends killing all others before they can kill you. If that is the lesson from centuries of oppression (and, excuse me, I am in no way convinced that "the Jews DESERVE their own country", not after we've now seen what they do with it, not now we know they want not just their own country but other people's countries as well, not now we have seen how they pull the strings of power in Washington, in Hollywood, throughout the economic system of the US, not just for their own benefit, but for the deleterious impacts they can impose on others, in short: MONEY, or so I thought you thought, is not DESERT) then I'm now inclined not in any way, shape or form to regret or pity them for those centuries of oppression. This is facile, Fay: because Jews were defenestrated in the Middle Ages, it's okay to kill the Palestinians?
Yes, to the UN. But who is the UN? The UN is the US and Russia. That's why it's powerless. Russia can invade who they damn well please, and the UN can do nothing. And the US? Mr Biden has spent, to the last dime, your Fort Knox pile of goodwill. No one expects any better of the US today than they expect of ... North Korea. That's where you are, in my book.
I am in agreement on most of what you say, Graham. I'm sorry to have indicated that I approve of the slaughter (and yes, genocide) of the Palestinians. I just don't think Netanyahu - a man as evil as trump, but more dangerous as Netanyahu is far more intelligent than trump. Most of my Jewish friends agree with me, they are as horrified by what Netanyahu has and continues to do. I no more understand why he is still a powerhouse in Israel than I understand how some 77 million Americans could vote for a scumbag like trump.
I guess, I may place too much faith in the behavior of my Jewish friends and my digust with past pogroms, but I still feel the hatred of Jews in general is undeserved.
Excellent article.
Thank you, Bill.