Why Americans are so blind

Middle East Times (Egypt) ^ | September 28, 2001 | Henry H. Lindner

[liberallarry]

Front Page News for Egyptians.

[Tom_Busch]

LOL you would like this whackjob's piece.

[Tom_Busch]

Why don't Americans realize that Zionism is a form of ethnic and religious bigotry and discrimination?

Why don't whackjob morons realize that all Arab countries are bigoted and discriminate against Jews.

[Tom_Busch]

Tom, get the cart and the horse in the proper order. Jews lived all over the ME until 1948.

Ok! Then why don't whackjob morons realize that all Arab countries are bigoted and discriminate against Jews since 1948.

Selling the victimhood of the land grabbers is a tall order

Who's trying to sell the victimhood of Egypt and Jordan?

[Bombard]

Ya everything was ok as long as Jews were a minority and knew their place. All this changed in 1948 when all the disposed Jews of Europe migrated to Palistine. The Arabs cannot live with a Jewish state because it is an insult to thier. Americans are not blind we recognize the right side when we see it.

[liberallarry]

" I have never heard an Arab say they hate Jewish people"

The Arabs are not as careful as you pretend at distinguishing between Jews and Zionists.
As I remember "anti-semitism" was dropped from consideration in Durban due to Arab insistance.
Also, I've been following the Arab press, on and off. It's full of anti-Semitic - no just anti-Israeli - articles.

I don't deny that there are plenty of Arabs who don't hate Jews - and vice-versa.

[liberallarry]

"Selling the victimhood of the land grabbers is a tall order."

That's an extremely biased and one-sided view of the conflict, to say the least.

[widowithfoursons]

Hey, Larry: Name ONE enduring accomplishment in history left by the Canaanites; they were a thoroughly self-absorbed people who added NOTHING to civilization. Also, there has never been a Palistinian nation; always, they have been ruled by despots. The success of Israel simply emphasizes the lack of innovation and expertise of the Arab population, and enflames them. If you lived in a sand blown desert, and the people right beside you lived in beautiful gardens, you JUST MIGHT want to have the fruit of their labor. Sour grapes.

[liberallarry]

"...but they were evidently doing OK as they lived in the ME for a couple of thousand years."

What kind of logic is that? They lived in Europe a couple thousand years as well.

[marktwain]

There is much truth in the article. But then, really good propaganda has a lot of truth in it. What I don't see is any real assessment of the problems of Palestinians. I have read stories from both sides of the conflict. Both claim to be justified. It is clear that the U.S. backs Israel for the reasons stated in the article. It is not so clear that the Muslim states back the Palestinians for as many religious reasons as the U.S. backs Israel. It is true that Israel conquered the Caananites to take the land. It is also true the Muslims conquered the people who owned the land before Islam came into being. We have two religious groups who claim rightful ownership, who disagree. Israel is at least as careful of Palestinian rights as other Arab nations are of the rights of their own citizens.

So, we have a conflict of religions. I would have preferred that the U.S. stay out of it, but we haven't for the reasons stated in the article. The U.S. is backing the creation of a Palestinian state, and has pushed for the Peace process to go forward. The Arab countries should do the same, and they are, to a great extent. It seems we are at as reasonable a point as we can be, and are trying to extricate ourselves, while a great number of Muslims call for the dissolution of Israel, which is every bit as legitimate as Jordan.

[liberallarry]

Message sent to the wrong person. I don't agree with what I posted. I posted it to show what Egytians are being fed by their press. Read on and you'll understand more.

[liberallarry]

"Yep and the history of persecution there is well-doumented, isn't it?"

First, that's not a real answer.
Second, it shows that people can live in a place for a long time, even though life ain't great there.
Third, which was the case in the Middle East also.
Q.E.D.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

Why Indians are so blind

[The Raven]

Israel people would never drive a plane into a skyscaper.
Israel people would never beat their women
Israel people would never dance in the street when Americans citizens are killed.

Israel women would never do this===>

[liberallarry]

"How baised? The European refugees had to travel several thousand miles to carve out a country in someone else's back yard."

Here's my reading of history.

With only a few minor exceptions - like the Ainu or the Basques - every society is a land-grabbing society.

The history of Israel/Palestine goes like this;
The Jews grabbed the land from the Arabs and British, who grabbed it from the Turks, who grabbed it from the Arabs, who grabbed it from the Byzantines, who grabbed it from the Romans, who grabbed it from the Greeks, who grabbed it from the Persians, who grabbed it from the Babylonians, who grabbed it from the Jews, who grabbed it from the Canaanites and a bunch of others, who grabbed it from the Egyptians, who grabbed it from the Canaanites, etc.
Tiresome but true.

In the late 1800's European Jews decided they needed a homeland for continued survival and they decided to grab theirs back from the Turks. Unfortunately the Arabs had the same idea.

A nice solution would have been a United State of Palestine or two states - one Jewish, one Arab. The Arabs refused both, insisting the land was all theirs. And they still do.

Because of that attitude I'm all for the Israelis kicking the Arabs out of the West Bank, Gaza, and Sinai and making a really defensible state.
There's lots of precedent for that kind of population movement - it's what happens at the conclusion of most major wars. And it works for a long time.