The Palestinian Territory tries to make Israel fear them with indiscriminate rocket attacks. Israel continues to severely punish the Palestinian Territory for attacking it.
So what’s new?
For a generation now, the Israelis have taught the Territory that they will punish them severely for killing Israelis.
For a generation now, the Territory chooses to manipulate Israel into overreacting thus winning support and attention from the Arab world.
This is a codependent relationship and should be treated as such.
: apsychological condition or a relationship in which a person is controlled or manipulated by another who is affected with a pathological condition (as an addiction to alcohol or heroin)
Do my readers agree?
Do you care about the Israel and Palestinian Territory fighting anymore?
9 responses so far ↓
hd // January 9, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Asymmetric proxy war meant to push the Israelis out of a land that was questionably gifted to them by some wacky world power while simultaneously usurping another group. Well that is the recent history anyway. But I have to wonder if this may be a minor step in a much larger gambit? My questions is where does this unflinching fealty here in the USA toward Israel come from?
Cari // January 9, 2009 at 9:38 pm
I figured that the US is loyal to Israel to maintain a (Judeo-)Christian influence in the mostly Muslim Middle East. Or, as a Caucasion influence in an Arab region. Race, or religion: either way, not very flattering.
I’d like to see the US mediate this conflict from the middle. There are no “good guys” in this fight.
ReasonableCitizen // January 10, 2009 at 7:38 am
The US is loyal to Israel for three reasons:
1. The depth and influence of Jewish voters and money in American Politics (Democratic Party)
2. The biblical proclamation, I think in Revelations, about how the friends of Israel will be saved in the end times gathers huge support among the Christian voters (Republican Party).
3. After the UN voted to carve out Israel from the arabic Middle East in 1949, no European/American wants to see another Holocaust.
The Jewish people have been ejected from many European countries over the past 2000 years for prejudicial reasons. If they do not live in the lands of their forefathers then where?
When Jimmy Carter wrote his book (Peace Not Apartheid) his point was that the permanent solution for trouble in this area cannot be a large Indian reservation for Palestinians. He was eviscerated by many for his view that Israel should be seeking peace with the Palestinian Territory and not subjugation and control.
The Israeli hardliners are hammers and everything looks like a nail to them…and to many Americans, too.
The Two-State solution is the current thinking that Israel should give up the Palestinian Territory to create a new nation. Israel does not see the value of that at this moment.
Why don’t the Arab neighbors offer haven for the relocation of the Palestinians?
I don’t know. But it seems that with financial incentives from Israel, the US, and other nations that support the current state of affairs ( both arabic and non-arabic) , it seems that a solution to relocate war-weary Palestinians may have value.
Yet, we all want to keep the land that our forefathers lived in. It is a matter of tradition and honor to keep what they once had.
There is no easy solution. Both Israel and the Palestinians must want peace over politics, peace over honor, and peace over blame before the healing process can begin to achieve peace over war.
hd // January 10, 2009 at 7:50 am
Were the Gaza Palestinians free to leave Gaza before the borders are closed during times of conflict? Should they have to leave to avoid collateral damage death? Are they entitled to the “American dream”?
If the scale of international public opinion tips against Israel for the killing of innocent prisoners (in a sense that is what Gaza Palestinians are now as they cannot leave), does Israel care enough to use other means of prosecution? Is there another means? Just what exactly does Israel really want? And the Palestinians for that matter? No clear resolutions in site, are there?
ReasonableCitizen // January 10, 2009 at 8:08 am
Israel wants peace without risk. They fear annhilation by surrounding arab hatred.
The arab countries fear an ever expanding Israeli territory to accomodate Jewish people willing to return and work for Israel. Why do people want to relocate from America to Israel? The historical and biblical belief that the land has a unique role in the development of the Jewish people and the Christian religion. Plus the belief that Jesus/God will one day rule the earth from that place.
Very complicated and very difficult to change the dynamics of this area. It would need a new Testament from God directed towards Muslims, Christians, and Jews before a new dynamic would occur….OR the whole area would have to be dominated by Russians or Chinese (….as Revelations foretells of the bear and the dragon). I think the Muslims, Christians , and Jews would work together to expel foreigners but I am less sure they would work together afterwards.
There are no solutions without relocation of the Palestinians, capitulation of Israeli expansion, or decimation of populations.
It is a difficult problem to solve if none of the three things above will occur.
hd // January 17, 2009 at 11:05 am
It seems highly suspect that the Gaza incursion unilaterally ceases the weekend before the new president is inaugurated. The Israelis state their objectives have been met – really? We will see how soon a Palestinian rocket arcs into Israeli territory again. This was about something else like a last chance to inflict damage with the approval or rather lack of disapproval from the US. They know these actions should be and will be publicly denounced by the next administration.
ReasonableCitizen // January 18, 2009 at 5:47 am
I think that is true.
hd // January 19, 2009 at 11:47 am
If so, then what possible objective could Israel have had in mind? The outcome is more hate toward them from those they antagonize.
ReasonableCitizen // January 19, 2009 at 7:03 pm
At some point in time, any man who is poked in the ribs will develop sore ribs and then he will take measures to make sure that he is not poked in the ribs anymore.
The infrequent and random rocket attacks are like that poke in the ribs.
The objective is to destroy the infrastructure ( men, machines, material) that poke you in the ribs. The tunnels were a way to bring material into the Palestinians. The buildings housed food, men, other materials, communication, etc.
The Israeli’s are very precise in their attacks but when there are that many people on a ‘reservation’ there are going to be civilian deaths.
The rocket attacks are to provoke Israeli response and gain sympathy from the arab world. Today Saudi Arabia pledged 10 Billion dollars to rebuild the Palestinian Territories.
The aim of the PT is no longer peace but conflict and sympathy. The aim of Israel remains the same: protection of the Israeli land.