Opinion
A Middle Eastern lesson
Guy Bechor
Published: 26.04.11, 19:13
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23 Talkbacks for this article
1. A Middle Eastern lesson
Eliahu Feldman ,   Raanana, Israel   (04.26.11)
Clear minded article. Neat, objective and simple, as usually truth is. You are (a) great Guy!!
2. Mr. Bechor understates the issues
Gee ,   Zikron Yaakov   (04.26.11)
We would not be treated as kindly as the Christians have been. No the Arabs would act more like the Germans did in the 1930s and 1940s.
3. If you pray for the peace of Jerusalem ...
John ,   Alaska   (04.26.11)
... then pray for the IDF to prosper. The IDF is one of the most powerful tools the Almighty uses to safeguard the peace of His people Israel.
4. tom friedman
alexi   (04.26.11)
Tom friedman with his m.s. in oriental studies is a dreamer who is utterly wrong on the arab street in the middle east. Israel has to use force to survive as bechor writes. Otherwise it is gas chambers again. There are some jews who have stockholm syndrome. They identify with the torturers of the jewish people. Sternhall, oz, burg, grossman and even olmert seem to want to bring back the nazi death camps to israelis as they sympathize with the nakba adn abhor the use of violence by the idf. it doesn't feel right. They prefer the melancholy music of jewish suffering. The 6 milion dead spit at them. Obama has also been terribly misguided on his policies offering concessions to iran, Abbas,syria and turkey. Not only obama, but shimon peres did israel a great disservice with his oslo conception a which is a total disaster responsible for killing and injuring thousands of israelis. For Israel to have another state on the west bank as begin said would be a mortal danger and no amount of policing will prevent them from killing which is like breathing oxygen, totally natural. They have to go to jordan, all of them. And Europe, london is the hub of islamic brainwashing mosques;france is scared to death of its 6 million moslems; belgium, spain and norway are aslo scared of their own arabs and are a bunch of cowards who are now stuck in libya. Israel should take their threats and tell them to shove it up.
5. It seems 2 me that if the Israelis need reminding
RJK ,   Canada   (04.26.11)
of old fables in keeping their focus on the real issue in their homeland, then they have already lost the plot. Israel is surrounded by entities whose sole reason for existence, at present, is the annihilation of the Jews=Israel. What is happenind in Syria now, is informative,but not surprising. We, are seeing inside this population at the real Syria. She is in no way different from her neighbors. Only now, she is following thru on the desire that all Israels neighbors have. Syria wants to be looked upon by her fellow Arab countries as a leader in her hate for Israel. She is implementing actions to probe her status in that realm. We should in no way be surprised by her actions. In point of fact, we should rather be more surprised it has taken so long. We should remember that Israel has no friends about her. Israel should look at what Syria is showing her as a reminder of this fact. It reinforces the reality Isreal should focus on: trust no country around about U! You have yourselves to focus on & to protect. Left up to your neighbors...you would be annihilated in as long a time it takes for a raindrop to vanish in a noonday sun. Instantly.
6. Good article, but too soft.
Rehavam ,   Israel   (04.26.11)
7. Well said
IlanaB   (04.26.11)
8. Great comparison
Yossi ,   Ashkelon   (04.26.11)
9. Graet Artical
Ron ,   OC, US   (04.26.11)
I hope Bibi is reading this. If 6M Jews had guns 70 or so years ago the outcome for Jews would have been very different. Perhaps no war at all. If there would have been an Israel there would be millions more of us now. How tragic that so many left wing Jews and spoiled so called academics and Holloywooders would give Jewish Israel up to the tender mercies of the Arabs. We worry about the poor pitiful Arabs with 22 states and billions of barrels of oil and for ourselves little or nothing. Very Sad Indeed.
10. Excellent definition&view of today's arab reality
Csaba ,   Cluj, Romania   (04.26.11)
Well said Bechor, simple and precise. I like it.
11. It also shows where Two State Final Solution leads.
Chaim ,   Israel   (04.27.11)
This article is completely correct. Israel's government pretends the P.A. is our "peace partner". However, the only reason the P.A. isn't committing genocide against Jews is because we are too strong. If we are lunatic enough to allow the monstrous Two State Final Solution and trim our waist to a suicidal 8 miles (15 minute tank ride), "Palestinians" will gladly mass murder most of us and drive the rest from our land.
12. A reminder for Bechor
Ben Alofs ,   Bangor, UK   (04.27.11)
We have known for many years that the Syrian regime is based on brutality. Now that Baby Assad has been put to the test he turns out to be as nasty as Pappa Assad was. But Bechor forgets one thing; the brutality of the Syrian regime does not make the occupation of the Golan Heights more kosher, which is as illegal as it ever was. Israel cannot claim the right of self defense for its colonial possessions.
13. Great article, thanks Guy..with you 100%
Mark ,   Lodz, Poland   (04.27.11)
14. #12 A reminder for Benny Boy from Bangor
Mark ,   Lodz, Poland   (04.27.11)
The Golan Heights was taken in a defensive war and Israel asserts her rights to retain and annex them under UN Resolution 242...pure self-defence, Benny Boy. UN Resolution 497 conflicts with 242... So who's right? If you look at what a farce the UN has become..eg their UNHRW..you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work it out. Guy's article is sound and it's ever apparent you side with those that would unflinchingly harm us, given the chance. Never Again!
15. Wrong Mr. Bechor!
Sari ,   West Bank   (04.27.11)
If we, Arabs, are as you say we are; there would have been no Christians in Egypt or Syria, Jordan, Lebanon PA,...etc. There would have been no Jews who speaks Arabic and who lived among Muslims for over a thousand year. I think there is a need for you to differentiate between the acts of the regime/s, whom you benefited from it's or their ruling/s, and the everyday people whom you picture as animals. Believe they are not animals and they are as human as many of you.
16. The Arabs slaughter their young, from Tunis and Libya to...
Jehudah Ben-Israel ,   Qatzrin, Israel   (04.27.11)
...Egypt, from Yemen and Bahrain to Syria and beyond. This of what the very same Arabs would do to the Jewish young in Israel if they had the opportunity to place their hands on them...!! Thus, we must never let our guards down since the Middle East we witness is not part of a new Middle East, only a new edition of the old one.
17. To Sari
ex-syrian Jew   (04.27.11)
As for Jews in Arab countries. Things went along OK as long as Jews knew their place as 2nd class citizens. When it became convenient we were all kicked out and all our property forfeited. Where were the "everyday people" then? I'll tell you; looting their and occupying their Jewish ex-neighbors homes.
18. Sari #15
David ,   Haifa, Israel   (04.27.11)
you "people" slaughterd an entire family amd a 3 month old baby. Way to be "human." Don't you think you and your "people" should go home to Jordan? Now?
19. To: ex-syrian Jew
Sari ,   West Bank   (04.27.11)
I really have an ex-Syrian Jew who is my friend. I just can't put all Jews, or any other people, in the same category. That's what Mr. Bechor did and I don't think it is right.
20. I liked Mr. Bechor's article.
Luiz Felipe Haddad ,   Niteroi, Brazil   (04.27.11)
The article shows a sad reality in the Middle East and other Asian and African places. Muslim countries are, yet, too far from Democracy. Islamic religion, for me, has no guilt, that resides into bad old Kuram's interpretations. It happened, also, to Christian Catholicism and Evangelism during medieval and post medieval times, having ended, only, after II World War. Intolerance, "believe or die", is very awful. Because of it, Israel must defend herself, but never forgetting the democratic and humanistic principles that inspirated her independence and her struggle for a peaceful life.
21. To Sari
ex-syrian Jew   (04.27.11)
I also have Arab friends. I would however never again live under any government that was ruled by Arabs
22. A lesson for Israel
Avram Goldsmith ,   Toronto, Canada   (04.27.11)
Israel should stand firm against all the Arab's perfidy fantasy( Israel has the ability to detect and desclosure only) should be added that because the weak PR in this matter should be revaled long time ago and as remainder: - during the 6 days war Jordan(from Jerusalem) and Syria from Golan Hights was sheling civil sites. -Fedyns(criminal release from jails with condition to kill the jews) send by Jordan to kill and devaste the border villages - Nowdays for undestanding what could happened for jews without defense in the case of murder committed in Itamar - Incitements of Arab MK which are expolating the Israeli democracy and transformed in an anarcy which is unacceptable by any law base state which will incacerate or deporte this indivduals. Mr Bechor the events in Arab world is display of world hypocrisy and mental ipotency , therfore Israel should be strong in its position which should be very pragmatic and explainable clear.
23. To # 18 David
Sari ,   West Bank   (04.28.11)
See this is the problem, I am really sorry for the incident that you referred to or any other incident where innocent people get hurt by it. But same thing happened here where families were wiped out by IDF. Do you even count them as human? I really believe that hatred takes us no where; it only brings more pain and worries. And even if you kick us to Jordan as you wish, do you think your problems will end??? Peace is the only choice for both of us.
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