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It's quite obvious that I am a strong supporter of Israel. That does not preclude me from wanting Arabs who desire peace, to be financially successful and live happy healthy lives.

After World War II, many Jews returned to the area where Israel, the West Bank and Gaza now exist. They purchased property and did what any people do, they worked and sought to prosper. As the presence of Jews grew, there was objection. This led to strife between Arab and Jew. This escalated to the point that even elementary schools housing Jewish children were taken over.

It was a bad situation. Something had to be done. The result was the partitioning of the territory. I don't think either side was particularly thrilled with the outcome, but what else was there to do?

Israel was recognized as a Nation by some. The Arab side decided to put their eggs in the basket of demanding the partitioning be reversed.

Since that time, the Arabs have focused on that one thing, destroying Israel and taking over the whole area. This wasn't limited to the people living on the West Bank and Gaza. Syria, Egypt, and other players in the region sought to take Israel by force. By then (1967), Israel was able to defend itself, and since then nobody else has tried it again.

During this time Israel granted passes for people living on the West Bank and Gaza to enter it's territory to work. As this continued, acts of terrorism did also. Even as this took place, a significant portion of Arabs remained within Israel's borders, experiencing a decent life, living side by side with the Israelis. And this example, is what a lot of people fail to think about. This is the model that could have been adopted instead of the partitioning, if only everyone had been amenable to that. The two peoples could have lived side by side in peace, each prospering. Israel is in effect, the proof of that.

Those calling themselves the Palestinians, were given quarter in Jordan. They were given quarter in at least one other nation, that escapes me for the moment. Sadly, these people were expelled from those places, as they plotted against those governments. It wasn't just the Israelis that these people developed problems with. The Arab states don't offer these people safe haven. They know what that would result in. They've seen it, and they don't want any part of that.

So what is Israel to do? The Arabs having put on display what willingness they have to live in peace, demand from Israel the right of return. They made many other demands as well. And in 2000, they were given almost everything they wanted. Some have described it as 97% of what they were requesting, but I don't know precisely what the break-down was. It seemed that outsiders were pretty unified by the concept that peace was close at hand, that Israel had bargained in good faith and had given in on things most people had never expected them to. And then Arafat refused the deal, dropped out of the negotiations and declared an intifada.

Over the last sixty-two years, terrorism has been utilized against Israel, European nations, the United States, airlines, cruise ships, and even Middle-Eastern nations. Kenya and other African nations have had problems. To one degree or another, it all stems from the refusal of the Arbas on the West Bank and Gaza to live in peace. Now I grant you, a lot of action is taken and then blamed on that strife, but it isn't all carried out for that reason. Still, it is carried out, and most of it is blamed on that, and some of it certainly is carried out for that and no other reason. In the late 1960s, the Israeli Olympians were attacked in Germany. Has Israel reacted in kind? When Israel's aircraft was hijacked and taken to Entebe, did Israel exact a toll on the Arabs in the West Bank or Gaza? Did they after the Olympic massacre?

Has Israel been conducting terrorism on an international basis? Has Israel's press depicted Arabs as lower life forms, dogs or monkeys? Has Israel's press openly advocated that all Arabs should be destroyed? Has Israel targeted Arab coffee shops or Arab women and children on the street? When Israel retaliates, does it focus on places where large groups of Arabs congregate like shopping malls or other businesses or entertainment events? The Arabs have done all this against Israel.

Has Israel supported proxy groups that have focused on Arabs to kill them? Has Israel armed any groups that are anti-Arab? The Arabs in the region have done that very thing against Israel. The PLO, Hezbollah, and Hamas are each proxy terrorist groups, focused on destroying Israel from the vantage point of relative anonymity. Arafat, Abbas, and others spent their entire lives dedicated to taking down Israel. And in the case of Arafat, he went so far as to divert billions of funds provided for the Arabs by the U.N., Europe, the European Union, the United States, and even Israel, placing it into his own private European bank account.

What Israeli or Jewish person or group can we point to that has done similar things against the Arabs, or has abused funds provided to help the Arabs?

Those who want to live in peace with Israel, are not allowed to push that idea. If Arabs on the West Bank or Gaza openly advocate that, they are strung up. Constantly Israel has to put up with terrorist activity, and the movement to utterly push it's people into the Mediterranean and destroy it (and them). Israel reacts to this on occasion, but if it wanted to, it could simply annex the West Bank and Gaza and be done with it. If it wanted to, it could slaughter everyone on the West Bank and Gaza. Instead Israel actually gives relief funds to the Arabs, food stuffs and supplies, and arms it's police, so that they can maintain some semblance of order. And yet, those guns are turned on the Israelis not all that infrequently.

If Mexico were firing a number of rockets into my nation each day, I wouldn't find that to be acceptable. If the Arabs on the West Bank and Gaza do it to Israel, I'm at a loss to understand why they think Israel wouldn't object and take military action from time to time.

Right now Syria has once again set up a massive supply base in Southern Lebanon just above Israel. And within a year or so, we'll probably have a repeat of the military action that took place three or so years ago. This time Hezbollah has scud missiles that can inflict some serious damage on Israel. This is going to get very ugly.

As I said, I'd like to see the Arabs on the West Bank and Gaza be successful, and live in peace. Evidently that's never going to happen.

I can only say that the people who have refused peace wherever they have been allowed in, and have tried to kill Jews for over sixty years, and have refused to focus on the success of their own people's lives, are very hard for me to sympathize with. If they would put 1/1000th the effort into becoming a successful nation as they have put into trying to destroy Israel, you and I wouldn't be addressing this problem any longer.

You take care. I'm not going to give you a hard time for your stance. I just felt compelled to explain mine.

Later...