Opinion  Guy Bechor
Palestinian religion
Guy Bechor
Published: 26.10.05, 09:10
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28 Talkbacks for this article
1. Killing innocents is a religion? NOT
Bunnie Meyer ,   Santa Monica, CA   (10.26.05)
The "palestinians" will never have a culture, they will always have a cult just like the followers of Jim Jones. The "palestinians" will never be a people because people build an nation, not a national club of violence. Lies and more lies, killing and more killing, violence and more violence do not make a religion, do not make a culture, do not make a people, they make "palestinians" and that is a term that belongs in the dictionary under "genocidal groups." The kill others, but they have killed themselves and they are helpless to change their violent behavior.
2. LONG LIVE ISRAEL
SArah ,   Crossville, USA   (10.26.05)
Unfortuneately, he speaks the truth. Palestine will not stop until Israel is no longer, and they have taken over absolutely everything. Religion? NO! Cancer? YES! G-D help us, they WILL NOT succeed!!!!!
3. Not exactly religion, more Fascist Cult
Dudu ,   Kfar Sava   (10.26.05)
4. Justice, not compromise
Palestinian ,   Jerusalem   (10.26.05)
If all the Israelis and Jews thing the same way as you Mr. Bechor, this is a disaster. It seems you have no eyes on the truth and on the ground. Palestinains seeking compramise, and they asking just to build their independent state on 21% of their historical land. But ask yourself: is the Israelis want to accept that ... unforuntly sir .... daily settements expansion in the West Bank says the opposite.
5. Israeli high priests of the terror religion
ilan ,   Ariel   (10.26.05)
No one can overlook that the most ardent adherents of the Palestinian terror religion Bechor describes are Leftists of Jewish descent, both in Israel and abroad. Shalom Achshav, Gush Shalom, Ilan Pappe all come to mind. If we want the Palestinians to abandon their "terror religion" then it is incumbent upon the Jewish community to purge itself of this fifth column first.
6. palestinian religion that practices child sacrifice
mike ,   usa   (10.26.05)
7. secular religion
peter ,   Holland   (10.26.05)
I didn't like Abu Ammar's theatrics and I disagree with a lot of their agenda but Palestian-ism is the mirror image in the nationalism sense of Zion-ism(right of return, Jerusalem eternal capital, Jewish state). The Israëlis have 'high priests' as well.
8. To 4 - Just Us
Shai ,   Israel   (10.26.05)
Just Us is the Pal form of Justice. Self-concerned and conceited, it makes no room for the possibility that there is no need to accept their view of their claim to these lands as authoritative and exclusive. The Jewish claim to this land is superior, in my view. But irrespective of what my view is, peace cannot be achieved by me getting my way, or them getting their way. I think that time is showing that there is no settlement that can be found betweent he Palestinians and Jews that gives either one "justice", because it will of necessity be unjust to the other. Any side that insists on "Justice", then, is simply not willing to pay a high enough price for peace. So it is illustrative who here is calling for compromise (the Jews) and who is calling for Justice (the Palestinians). As long as the Palestinians refuse to accept an agreement that allows the Israelis defensible boundaries, or until they have established a record of not being perceived as a threat, their political and military tantrums will only worsen the likelihood of their getting a state on 21% or any other percent of their "historic lands".
9. to 5
Shai ,   Israel   (10.26.05)
At least the groups you mention are here, in Israel, and they attempt to achieve their objectives within the law. They have a right to try to be part of the debate, and our obligation is to win the debate. Here's how I might propose attacking the issue. The problem is not that we have to purge ourselves of people with left-wing opinions, G-d forbid. You are speaking of our brothers and sisters! The problem is much larger than the Israeli left. It's a worldwide problem whereby moral confusion based on the mistaken notion that all riches and poverty is distributed in a zero-sum game. So, when those who feel guilty for succeeding (the Israeli left are not known to be the Israeli underclass, to say the least) are looking for a cause to support, as good consumers they'll naturally pick the one that makes them feel the most righteous (the most bang for the buck), thus offsetting their guilt. Today, the Palestinians have positioned themselves well to be the recipients of the world's blood-penance for all that's wrong on the planet (which, they'd like to convince us, would never occur if there were no Jews). We all see how good they are with the "bang", and then, we see how good they are with the buck - the Pals receive more per capita in aid than any other group. Thus, Palestinianism is simply the currency the 1st world nations use to sell their guilt at being successful, as though it wasn't a result of an investment in infrastructure, people, etc., instead of Kassams and suicide belts) The UN is the market, the third world is the depository (depending on which causes provide more guilt-riddence per dollar), and the economic bang for the buck in this Palestinian equation depends on increasing the view that Palestinians are victims of Israelis and not themselves (see J. Wolfensohn's comments this week). It also requires showing that African hunger or Kurdi independence is merely bad luck, something that mere liberal compassion could not hope to solve, and thus not worthy of guilt-payments. No, guilt payments require showing that the guilty are at fault, not the recipients. The Palestnian relgiion then has nothing to do with their cause. It has everything to do with the moral confusion that plagues neo-liberals, such that their guilt inspires them to sacrifice humanism at the alter of third-world and Marxist dogma.
10. To 7
Shai ,   Israel   (10.26.05)
Palestinianism is the mirror image of Zionism because "Abu Amar" borrowed Zionist concepts to invent a moral equivalency between the two movements, to the purpose of justifying military confrontation with Zionists. Your point might be more illuminating if he had done so together with non-violent protest, but I have always had the feeling that the Palestinians want Jews not to have a state more than they want Palestinians to have one.
11. self defense
Fares ,   usa   (10.26.05)
Palestinians are fighting a self defence war ,they have the international support for that ....except ...of a bunch of thugs sitting in the capital hill who they have their loyalty to zionism religion more than americanism ..... to the Palestinians , Arab and Muslim americans are doing a great ,superb job for you ... don't worry ,the thugs will be voted out ,some will go to prison (Delay )..some will be Fired midterm (Chaney )they have been exposed to the American public ,big time .
12. Peter, Holand
AK   (10.26.05)
You seem to miss a vital point – Jews are actually People, with a capital “P,” a true nation. Tell me how many other people retained their national identity, culture, religion for 2000 years, without a support of a state of their own. For 2000 years –none. Jerusalem is actually a center of Jewish nationhood and a center of Jewish religion, as well as national identity. None of that can be said about your “Palestinians” who happen to be an artificial construct. Any mention in the Bible (Old and New Testament) about “Palestinians?” – None. To compare a people, who after 2000 years of incredible persecution have actually committed themselves to realize a 2000 –year-old dream to return from 4 corners of the world to their ancestral homeland to the migrants from neighboring regions and peoples settled by the Ottomans from far flanked, but unrelated regions , to populate the desolate area, is a far stretch. Actually, your views perfectly illustrate “Palestanism,” as religion.
13. #11 is wrong
Michael ,   SF,California   (10.26.05)
Israel must be supported by the United States. I will vote for anyone who supports a strong Israeli policy. I am ashamed of Bush/Cheney as I am a Democrat and I will celebrate when he is Impeached. But you know that whomever takes over will continue supporting the only viable democracy in the Middle east. I am proud that America stands for Justice and Freedom, while the Palestinians and most Arab states stand for destruction, desecration, and death. I believe America should have started the war with Saudi Arabia, not Iraq... Saudia Arabia subsidizes most of the Terrorism around the world. Arabs have always been terrorists, starting with their desecration of the name of G-d. Michael
14. Shai
AK   (10.26.05)
You analysis is perfectly correct, yet you fail to spell out how to remedy the problem. Whenever Peres, Oz or some Israeli academic persuasively defends “Palestinians” on TV or writes an op-ed piece for a major newspaper and puts blame for the latest terror incident squarely on Israeli government, the people believe them, why shouldn’t they? Ms. Amira Haas has even taken trouble to return my email and try reeducate me. She very persuasively described what horrible things Jews do to innocent and defenseless Palestinians, the horrors the Israeli government hides from the outsiders like me. Didn’t work much on me, but those arguments work like a charm on some in my own family. The problem is that while anti-Israeli views are widely disseminated in the mass media and academia, pro-Israeli views are to be found in a selected, not widely circulated publications and a few blogs. The general public, outside Israel, simply doesn’t know the history of the region, aside from what they see on their TV every night and nobody bothers to tell them that all that footage they watch is provided by Arab photographers and cameramen and may or may not be true, like the El-Durra fraud. Now that FOX news was partially acquired by Saudi interests, how do you think is Israel being presented, or rather not presented at all? Israeli voices MUST be heard in defense of Israel. They must be articulate, not be always appear defensive and actually believe in Israel’s right to exist and defend herself. So far, only Netanyahu looked good on TV and so far I haven’t seen one Israeli intellectual on the TV stating a case for Israel. Please, try a little harder to state you case, before it is too late.
15. 11 farries - why are the palestinians fighting for a gift?
mike ,   usa   (10.26.05)
israel has been trying for years to give the territories to the palestinians but it is continually refused. you say "Palestinians are fighting a self defence war". what color is the sky in your world???
16. Israel have their high priests....
hiram ,   tel aviv   (10.26.05)
correct...they live in Bnei Brak and Mea Shearim, and are supported by the Israeli government in return for votes... This is called electoralism.....and makes Israel a de-facto Theo-democracy instead of being a free country....
17. To 14
Shai ,   Israel   (10.26.05)
I agree that we can state our case better, but a real victory depends on reaching the intellectual orbit that creates anti-Israelism. Until that's done, I don't think it makes a difference how the case is stated, and I don't think the case is Israel's to make as much as it is that of other more powerful western nations. It will make little difference that somebody has presented Israel's point of view and exposed the weaknesses of opposing points of view when the problem is at the core the incorrect belief that the 3rd world is somehow owed a living and an apology from the Western World, due to the behavior of colonial powers during the beginning of the industrial era. It's a play on Western guilt. We allow them to use to excuse themselves from taking responsibility for their own fates, and for trying to dictate ours. The way I see it, Israel is seen as a proxy for the colonial guilt, and is always going to be set up as a sacrifice for it until Westerners get over their misplaced shame and start demanding the 3rd world take responsibility for itself, based on objective national standards. For heaven's sake, AK, they can't even define terrorism!!!. It's not like this "religion" thing hasn't happened before. In the Victorian era when the man/nature conflict was heated, then, nature itself was cast in the role of the worshipped, when for centuries it slaughtered people mercilessly. Then as well, the "noble savage" ideal was created, a man at peace with nature, the Beilin and Oz and Hass over their time, and there are no shortage of those who cast the Palestinians in the role of a modern day noble savage, whose mores are unfamiliar to us but beatifully consistent within its own logic. We westerners, teeming with doubt, could not compete with the simple man. Western Jews of course play the role of spoiler, like the banker in The Grapes of Wrath, an unseen evil force. The pretense of "the man" against the worker is also at play. Anybody with a communist tilt will side with the third world and Pals, as as it plays on their need to feel rebelious, righteous and anarchic. Again, this has nothing to do with the Pals, and much more with these people's own ideals. it's more about what people are against than what they're for. As long as Israel looks like it's a stand-in for the successful industrialized west, it's going to be hated by these groups as well. Then there's the mass of people who really don't care - and just want things to be fair. I suppose these are the people you want to target. Most of these people don't believe anything strongly enough to take the effort to learn this conflict to its core, and the complexity will leave their heads swimming. They'll go to the Palestinian side by default unless something happens to make shake the formula, of Israel bad, Pali good, such as the withdrawal from Gaza. So what I'm saying is that the Palestinians are, without intending to be, everything good to everybody. How do you argue with something like that? Facts are not as powerful as you think under such conditions. This problem is a lot bigger than Israel.
18. You said it Guy - well done
(10.26.05)
This sums it up perfectlÿ: ""Like with any religion, Palestinianism is total and uncompromising. It speaks of "justice" and "rights", not of compromise and accepting the other. "" Compromise? They dont know what that even means. Its their way, in total, or the highway Send them packing
19. Shai
AK   (10.27.05)
You’re intellectualizing it too much. You cannot afford to wait for the Western mentality to change; you’ll not live that long. Yes, most British intellectuals idealize “noble savage” and intensely dislike urbane and sophisticated Western Israeli Jews, whom they tend to find out-of place in the lands of Laurence of Arabia, especially as portrayed by Peter O’Tool, but, with small exceptions, most Americans identify precisely with the Israeli spirit of optimism, of creating a new society out of wilderness, the “can do” attitude, the non-third-worldliness. That’s the way the US was built. But at the same time, we have been conditioned from the earliest to buy into everything that was attractively packaged by Madison Avenue and Israelis do not offer us anything to buy. The only pictures we get are of Israeli soldiers and bitterly wailing Arab women or Israeli blown up buses sans people. “Palestinian religion” didn’t just happened, it was developed by the best and brightest of the KGB and the satellite organizations, and then the message has been spoon- fed through varied organizations to the Western Leftist and “progressive’ organizations. This has been going on for the last 40 or so years, and just for that many years Israelis have been ignoring it, until now they are waking up and finding themselves up the creek without paddle, so to speak, no message to sell, no propaganda apparatus and not only no plans how to sell their agenda to the outside world, but their own intellectual classes publicly peddle the idea that that their country’s national suicide is the best, and most fair outcome, since their country was conceived in “sin.” And we haven’t even added yet the power of Saudi and Gulf state’s $$billions, with which they’ve been buying everything and everybody, into calculus. To all that there is no Israeli nor even Jewish response. Believe me, Israel is extremely fortunate that totally unexpected and un-courted friend has taken-up her cause – Evangelicals. However, it is up to Israelis to create their message and disseminate it. Propaganda is not a dirty word and Israelis must treat it even more seriously than their purchases of the latest military toys that they are not allowed to use anyway. Israeli politicians cannot leave the “negotiation” tables with their pockets picked and their cause dismissed. Do you know that every winning presidential candidate to date had been promising support for Israel and transfer of the Embassy to Jerusalem? Yes, general foreign public is very important and Israelis should pay attention to cultivating it. As to wayward Israelis, who enjoy undermining their country should get in Israel the treatment they deserve – after all here Jane Fonda will never overcome being Hanoi Jane.
20. the hoax of the 20th century
Yisraeli   (10.27.05)
BTW excellent posts both by Shai and AK. What hasnt yet been said but known by all intelligent people who bothered to learn and study the truth is the complete myth of the so called palestinian people. A clear fabrication concocted in 1964 which gave roots to the PLO. There have been numerous arab writers let alone a few of these so called "palestinians" who have clearly said there is no such thing as a palestinian people. Those who know, know that it was in fact the Jews who were labeled palestinian prior to 47/48. arabs regarded it an insult for they knew the term palestinian had no heritage or hitorical significance as a unique people. They identified themselves as proud syrian, lebenese, iraqi etc. etc. arabs. The support of this myth and hoax just reflects the sad state this world is in. Its time for a culling.......and its coming.
21. To AK
Shai ,   Israel   (10.27.05)
I don't think it's time we have to beat such that "we can't afford to wait". I think it's more about not giving up ideological or actual ground while we wait out the Palestinians. If we believe in ourselves, we'll be able to stand our ground. How effective is propaganda in believing in ourselves? Isn't that kind of confidence something that one earns? It's not handed to you. It takes effort. We need to tread water until the Palestinians hang themselves. Eventually, the terrorist groups that lead them will be rediscovered as the frauds they are and they'll be abandoned as easily as Israel was after 1967, when people grow inpatient with resistence and anarchy as an end in itself. I've said many times in this forum that the Palestinians are more interested in denying Jews a state than in having one themselves, and being a anti-entity can only last so long. Eventually they'll tire out if they don't learn how to compromise, or move on. Remember that before 1967, Israel's similar popularity in the world was due to shame over the Holocaust and cheering for an underdog that, against all odds, achieved a 2000 year old dream. Israel was a symbol of the closing of a historical circle, the righting of an historical wrong and the power of humanism in the face of doubts about humanity. These were things people needed to believe in after WWII. Later, as WWII became more of a memory, it became more about global competition, oil, colonialism, etc., and Israel became a symbol of everything that was wrong suddenly, just like suddenly America is for many. Rather than a timid and fragile nation, it showed itself to be fearsome and assertive, confident and competitive, strong and imaginative. And, Israel's defeat of the Arabs in 1967 was just a bit too bold and didn't square with the "symbol" of what Israel was, so past supporters lost interest in it, some even became hostile and angry that Israel no longer served as a means by which they could stroke their own egos by associating with it. It was a matter of time before they gained revenge by supporting Israel's enemies, electing the Palestinian cause their new cause celibre. I don't think that is over-intellectualization, I think it's an explanation for why opponents of Israel are impervious to anything that supports Israel because there is no longer anything in it for them to support Israel. This is true with a lot of Jews, too, now. Israel, for them, has lost it's symbolic utility, largely because Judaism has lost its utility for them also. Here's where I really disagree with you. If you think that it's about Madison Avenue Packaging, and that the message is the meaning, you'll do fine if you're selling soap, but we're a country. We have our own interests, and it's not to please "consumers" of Israel who live abroad. Our duty is first to ourselves, to survive against the scourge the world is forcing on us. So again, it's not about Israel, it's about others. There's little we can do but wait it out, and tread water. What I would like to see though is more unity amongst Jews, because when we're united it's much easier to maintain ourselves (a three ply cord is not easily severed - Kohelet). That's probably something we can work on, as well as helping the Evangelicals to help us.
22. to AK Shai and Yisraeli
daniel ,   amsterdam   (10.27.05)
Glad to know there are more people who are fed up with things as they are. Our leaders and spokepeople repeat cliche's that don't work, they use arguments that were effective 30 years ago, they accuse people of being anti-semites and work on their guilt feelings. Does it work? Eeeh no.... So what should we do? Go into Al Jazeera mode! Publish pictures of the remains of the victims of suicide bombings. SHOW US THE VIDEO's security camera's made when the bombs went off. SHOCK AND AWE the media into realizing what we are dealing with. Remove the Israeli beauracrats that appear on CNN and BBC and barely speak English, let alone manage to briefly say what is important. I see the army knows how to do it. There are speakers, brilliant speakers like feminist Phylis Chesler and pro-Israeli Arab Brigitte Gabrielle that should be touring the capitals and universities of Europe lecturing and confronting and changing peoples minds. Bring Ray Hanania over, demonstrate that there are also reasonable Palestinians. Do you think any Israeli ambassy invites them? Do you think any zionist organisation hosts them? No, they are ignored. Instead we recently had a Maroccon-jewish lovefest in Amsterdam where the Jewish advisor to the Maroccan king met the Jewish Major of Amsterdam on the issue of intergration. It was a public meeting together with Muslim Maroccan Immigrants. Not a word about Theo Van Gogh, not a word about radical Islam, not a word about Islamic anti-semtism. No, the problem is discrimination of Muslims, you see. That's what they we're telling us. It seems that their way of dealing with radical Islam is to ignore it. Well, either you deal with radical Islam or it will deal with you. Lemme tell you what's happening here. Our Jewish leaders in Holland collect anti-semitic incidents and report them to the local goverment. Puhlease, I don't care if somebody paints a swastica on a synagogue or calls a Jew some dirty names. Real people are being murdered in Israel, their murderers are glorified. That is the real threat Jews should worry about, not echoes from the past. Neo-Nazi's, who cares? But no, we have to repeat the same failing slogans. We have to be polite and decent. We have to be vigilant against a movement that was defeated 60 years ago. Why, I don't know. This is a propaganda war and we are not winning.
23. To 22
Shai ,   Israel   (10.27.05)
Some people say "education" is the solution to all ills. I remember when architects thought that design could change society (Le Corbusier, for one, Mies Van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright, are others). Now it's "public relations" that's the cure all. Yep, it can't hurt. Go ahead and do it. Obviously it's not smart to ignore people who can present our case. But let's be realistic about what can be achieved. People who do marketing, such as public relations people, know that when you want to sell something you have to appeal to what the person believes about themselves. If he thinks he's a stud, then convince him studs buy Corvettes. You're not going to convince anybody that the Corvette is going to make him a stud. I don't think that a picture of a tank against a farmer is ever going to be explainable using PR. Anybody who understands the situation here will know the photographer is making a manipulative statement with his picture, but you first have to ask the question why he took that picture and not another. Journalists are at the forefront of those who are full with their confidence they can change the world. If they didn't think their opinions mattered, they wouldn't become journalists. So they're going to advance whatever agenda they think makes them look like they themselves think themselves to be. Compassionate. Fair. Understanding. The Pals play up to that. They pose for them. They give journalists cache. Unless Israel can do the same thing, PR won't do a damn thing. Neither will "education", and neither will anything else. People need to open their minds to not being "sold" on imagery, but to thinking about what the consequences are of accepting the terms the Islamists and Palestinians are giving us. Will our world truly be a better place when we confuse "freedom fighter" with "terrorist"? Is it really true that it's only a matter of opinion whether democracy is "appropriate" for all humans? Is it possible that overarching mercy to the cruel is in the end cruel to the kind? Is there nothing worth fighting for? PR isn't going to answer those questions.
24. Shai
AK   (10.28.05)
News is a consumer staple, just like soap, that's why pretty airheads appear on your TV screen, instead of actual knowledgeable and seasoned but physically unattractive journalists. And journalists, like everybody else eat, pay mortgages and pay their kids tuitions, so it doesn't take them long to identify with whomever is signing their paycheck, which is an advertiser, whose only interest is for people to watch their commercials. And the viewers know ONLY what they see on their TV screen delivered in 5 second sound bites or read in the headlines and the first two paragraphs of the newspapers. Are you disappointed at the shallowness of general public with 5 minutes attention span? Too bad, that’s life. Not long ago, Americans contributed billions of $$ to the tsunami victims at the same time the poor victims of the hurricane that destroyed most of the houses on the island of Granada got zilch and their roofs are still probably covered with plastic sheets. Ask yourself why? Because the people watched the suffering in Indonesia for weeks and read or didn't one sentence about some hurricane in the Caribbean. Same is with the portrayal of Israel versus “Palestinians. If a viewer sees on his TV screen Israeli soldiers in the tanks and then some little boys and women throwing stones, who do you thing they will root for Israelis, shown as an awesome power fighting a war or little “defenseless” children? That the picture is entirely false doesn’t enter the mind of the viewer and that’s what an effective and propaganda is. The viewer is manipulated without realizing it. Nobody can name even one Israeli victim of terror, but everybody remembers El- Durra boy. The picture of El-Durra boy was being shown over and over and the Israelis never even tried to prove that it was a fraud; it took a man in France to expose it, but not many know of it. Even the use of the term "Greater Israel." yes, that term was actually invented by a Jew in the service of our State Department, is a deliberate distortion of reality. How many people do you think stop and think how utterly absurd it is to refer to "Greater Israel" given the tiny size of the country. The statement was created for a purpose – to label Israel as imperialistic aggressor, to imply that there is actually room for two viable countries on a scrap of land between Jordan and Mediterranean, and to influence public perception as a regional bully. And why you hold on to some imaginary "high ground" and you hope that "Palestinians" self-destruct, I am sorry to disappoint you, they are not static, they have been working every angle for the last 40 years and by know they even succeeded to have Jerusalem Post refer to their terrorists as "activists." Why you wait and hope, they act – bribe, threaten, murder, lie, and especially lie. They appropriated the name” Palestinian “and everybody, including Israelis, who should know better, now use the term; they are aware of their tenuous claim to the land, so they made Jerusalem holly not only to them but to every Muslim on the face of the earth and proclaim this importance to their religion while the Israeli politicians refer to Jerusalem as “real estate” – what an arrogant silly, silly man ex-PM Barak is, not realizing that if you relinquish your claim to your most holly site, you have, in fact, relinquished the validity of ALL claims to any part of the territory, and that includes especially, Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, he is not alone in those views, nor is he alone making such views very public. All right, most people are not very smart, not very interested in truth, sentimental and easily manipulated, but you can play to win without loosing sight of what is really important to you or you can wait and hope for the world to "get it" on its own. If Israelis fail to convince others of the justness of their cause, they will loose, but you’re right in that to convince others, Israelis must believe in their own cause, first.
25. The real injustice is to blame the victims
Lois D. ,   Baltimore, Md./USA   (10.29.05)
Interesting to hear about "Palestinianism' becoming a religion for many when racist Zionism' has become the religion of a multitude of Jews and Christians who unconditionally support Israel as a racist state that horribly oppresses another people based entirely on their identity and treats its own non-Jewish citizens as unequals by even officially referring to them in derrogatory terms which would cause an outrage if the same were applied to Jews anywhere else. I wonder where this author has the chutzpah to talk about Palestinians "compromising" when it is their their rights that are totally trampled on. This is sort of like asking a woman to have to compromise with her rapist.
26. The hoax of the 20th century/?? to 20
Lois D. ,   Baltimore,Md./USA   (10.29.05)
You sound so much like those Holocaust revisionists or white supremacists and neonazis who say that the Shoah was the hoax of the 20th century, which is even a crime in some places for its denial, and then you turn around and follow in their very footsteps. Shame on you, and also the rest of you who have such an indfference to humanity including the author of this article. It's easy from reading some of the posts here to really understand how the most terrible injustices and crimes can be cariried out against people without thinking anything wrong with it.
27. To the author of this article
Lois D. ,   Baltimore, Md./USA   (10.29.05)
Before you write an opinion article, you should at least educate yourself. A "Palestinian state with ts capital in Jerusalem" is according to UN resolutions, and Israel does illegally occupy Jerusalem as well as all of the occupied Palestinian territories. Justice begins when the law is obeyed, and not according to Israeli law. ..
28. Lois, you're confused
Marc ,   Boston, USA   (10.29.05)
First of all, "Zionism is racist" was a racist movement of the UN that it later repealed. There are many non-jews living in Israel happily. They enjoy all the rights of the jewish citizens there. The word goy is just the hebrew word for gentile, it is not derogatory in any way. The "palestinians" are not having their rights trampled on, they do not posses a fundamental right to kill jews and demand their land. The truth is that if you read any primary resource from before 1964, arabs living in Israel and the british colony before israel did not refer to themselves as palestinians. They did not identify with eachother anymore than with Syrians. Israel is not carrying out crimes against palestinians. The palestinians being killed by israeli forces are self-admitted terrorists. They had carried out attacks, killing innocent people or they were planning to do so. Unfourtunately, terrorists gather in populated areas and when soldiers come to arrest them, often terrorists will start shooting. The soldiers naturally have a right to self defence and will fire back. Civilians sometimes get caught in the line of fire. The soldiers do all they can to prevent casualties but they still happen. Its a terrible thing that happens in all wars. But that should not give terrorists the ability to carry out crimes with out retribution. I cannot recall any UN resolutions that call for "Palestinian state with ts capital in Jerusalem", so please refer me to one. The occupation of the territories is not illegal. Israel captured them in a defensive war. The occupation will continue until it no longer protects Israeli citizens. Israel has abided by UN resolutions dispite their biased nature with few exceptions. UN resolutions are not actually law. They simply state the oppinion of the UN. I invite you to argue back, Ill be happy to inform you on any misconceptions you have or maybe even agree with you.
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