Thread: Middle East Comparisons

I know there are several Hamas/Israeli threads running, but still take the time to look through this article.

I think it is pretty spot on.

Good Luck

Mosshttp://http://www.independent.co.uk/...s-1297595.html

In Ireland, my favourite journalistic justification for this bloodbath came from my old mate Kevin Myers. "The death toll from Gaza is, of course, shocking, dreadful, unspeakable," he mourned. "Though it does not compare with the death toll amongst Israelis if Hamas had its way." Get it? The massacre in Gaza is justified because Hamas would have done the same if they could, even though they didn't do it because they couldn't.

Fintan O'Toole, The Irish Times's resident philosopher-in-chief, to speak the unspeakable. "When does the mandate of victimhood expire?" he asked. "At what point does the Nazi genocide of Europe's Jews cease to excuse the state of Israel from the demands of international law and of common humanity?"

whether the Northern Ireland Good Friday peace agreement – or, indeed, any aspect of the recent Irish conflict – contained lessons for the Middle East. I suggested that local peace agreements didn't travel well and that the idea advanced by John Hume (my host in Derry) – that it was all about compromise – didn't work since the Israeli seizure of Arab land in the West Bank had more in common with the 17th-century Irish Catholic dispossession than sectarianism in Belfast.
What I do suspect, however, is that the split and near civil war between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority has a lot in common with the division between the Irish Free State and anti-treaty forces that led to the 1922-3 Irish civil war; that Hamas's refusal to recognise Israel – and the enemies of Michael Collins who refused to recognise the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the border with Northern Ireland – are tragedies that have a lot in common, Israel now playing the role of Britain, urging the pro-treaty men (Mahmoud Abbas) to destroy the anti-treaty men (Hamas).

It would appear the above link is broken, here it is again.

Robert Fisk’s World: Wherever I go, I hear the same tired Middle East comparisons - Robert Fisk, Commentators - The Independent

Moss

The Irish got back their state, as the Palestinians will. As the Vietnamese, Indians, blahblah.

It is the way with massively popular national liberation movements. We, on the sidelines, hope to make it as clean as possible.

I truly hope that you do have an impact sabang, there is a viable solution, I think it is the Oslo Accords ( but I will have to check ) to revert to the pre '67 war borders, Palestinians get their own state and then International aid and commitment can make a difference.

Israel wont sign, because now they state there has to be Palestinian accord, now this is as likely in the short term, as Jordan/Syria/Egypt winning a war in the region.

Moss

If I was living in a desert and was surrounded by half a billion people who wanted to kill me, I'd just pick up and move. It's a quality of life thing. Would any of you want to live in Israel if you had the choice of moving to another industrialized country? A perpetual state of fear with permanent enemies. Nice. What an environment to raise your children in. I just don't understand why any Jewish person stays there. Many of them have happier options.

it is the land gifted to them by God
jerusalem the perfect city

Originally Posted by Bugs

Too bad their Arab “brothers” who seem so worried about how badly the Palestinians are treated by the Israelis don’t seem willing to open their boarders and allow the Palestinians a safe place to live.

Ah, but one did a long tome ago and was rewarded with a coup attempt by the Palestinians . . .

Does Black September 1970 ring a bell for anyone?

Palestinians tried to overthrow King Hussein of Jordan and take over the Hashemite Kingdom or at the very least set up a power sharing agreement. The PLO and various other factions.

Tens of thousans of people died, most of them Palestinians. . . at the hands of their Arab brethren.

I wonder why other Arab countries don't want millions of them in their borders.

Originally Posted by panama hat

I wonder why other Arab countries don't want millions of them in their borders.

Probably for the same reason some of the Israelis don't want them in their borders.

^ Precisely

Originally Posted by panama hat

^ Precisely

Maybe they can live in Gitmo? I heard Obama is making some space there.

Originally Posted by Bugs

Originally Posted by panama hat

^ Precisely

Maybe they can live in Gitmo? I heard Obama is making some space there.

Hang on, hang on . . . are they to be classified as enemy combatants as well?

Will they then overthrow Castro?

Like sand in the hourglass . . .

Can of worms, Bugs!

Originally Posted by panama hat

Like sand in the hourglass . . .

Please don't tell me you watched that crap when you lived in the US.

Originally Posted by Norton

Originally Posted by panama hat

Like sand in the hourglass . . .

Please don't tell me you watched that crap when you lived in the US.

, no . . . no . . . and . . . NO!