If we stand back to see a larger view of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict we would go back to the Ottoman Empire well before World War I when the conflicts were small but ware regarded as important as they left an indelible mark on both sides. By 1920 Arab populations had grown that caused ancient tribalism to evolve into nationalism. At the same time Jewish interests around the World were talking about a return to Zion, a millennium old idea about establishing a nation state. The Jewish National Fund began encouraging immigration and provided money to purchase land in the “Land of Israel. This an original work of my own. I do write under a variety of pen names.
Between 1882 to 1908 Arab/Jew conflicts were local squabbles exacerbated by the increasing immigration and the wide-ranging purchase of land.
Following World War I and the collapse of Germany and its ally, the Ottoman Empire, the British took control of all of Palestine by “right of conquest”.
In 1919 via the Paris Peace Conference which promised a homeland for Israel subject to identification of borders drawn by British per the Mandate in the Treaty of Sevres 1920. By 1920 the Jewish population in the region was about 200,000.
The British reneged on the promise of a Jewish homeland. Major riots broke out on a regular basis. The Supreme Muslim Council of Palestine led an Arab revolt 1936-39 massacring Jews in various cities. Negotiations continued. The Palestinians approached Adolph Hitler who promised to eliminated the Jews in Palestine after he had won the war. The Palestinians sent troops to fight with the Waffen SS in Bosnia and Yugoslavia.
In 1947 the UN approved a two nation plan to become effective in late 1948. Arabs revolted as irregular Arabs began shooting, killing and rioting. The violence grew as the British withdrew. Israeli paramilitary groups began fighting back. (2,000 killed – 4,000 wounded). Palestine rejected the UN treaty in favor of the 1948 war on Israel. And there has been constant warfare since that time, some exceptions. Recently there was a relatively quiet time. That was broken by Hamas and their rockets. Any nation has a right to defend itself.
Israel is fighting for its life.
There is much media attention to the injured and killed children in the Gaza Strip. It is a tragedy the same as in any war. The mistake here is not who fired into some school yard, it is why is there war at all? This war has very deep roots and it seems as if this will continue until one side is completely destroyed to the point that they cannot come back to fight again.
Some small thoughts about those kids:
1. All surrounding borders have been locked down and it seems refugees cannot leave. So far there are 33 tunnels into Israel. Why not dig under the Egyptian border. Isn’t Egypt the friend of Palestine any longer?
2. Why couldn’t those kids go through existing tunnels into Israel?
3. Modern filed artillery can spot the location of an enemy’s artillery, then fire in return with great accuracy. However, you must move the artillery piece after every volley because the enemy can do the same. Do you suppose Hamas is firing from places of advantage and moving before return fire hits their position? Like in a school?
4. Are there children soldiers? We know of teens who are vest bombers.
5. Why wouldn’t Hamas call a cease-fire and ask for the evacuations of these children?
6. Israel built bunkers for the protection of its citizens, why hasn’t Hamas done the same? After all, they knew war was coming.
Back in the day when FDR and Truman put their heads together, they promoted the formation of the UN. The UN has been reduced in importance as time passes by, and now it is just another voice calling for peace. There are no peacekeepers worth mentioning from the UN. And the United States is not the world’s policeman. If America is to enter a war, some national security interest must be at stake. Therefore I reject the idea of our involvement.
Military action is not diplomacy. I fail to see any solution in the middle-east and their various battles. We should recognize that the war in Iraq did upset the balance of power in that region including the incentive to create more terrorists.