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i'm writing this message with great restraint, because i know i'm likely to offend someone. i guess i can't really write or think objectively about the "situation" in the middle east, because i have personal contacts and connections to the Israeli people and the land. i just read the new york times article on the current situation right now, and colin powell's response really angered me. he basically renounced the actions israel took against the palestinians today (entering the west bank and holding yasser arafat under siege). to me, this seems hypocritical. the u.s. would not just sit back if groups of terrorists continually came into our country, into our cities, and blew themselves up, killing and wounding our people. as it is, we are doing worse things as revenge in afghanistan than fighting in isolated areas, like the israelis are doing. these suicide bombings have been steadily increasing, and there is no way to stop them. israel is fighting back the only way it can, and the u.s. is not backing them. israel is the only democratic country in the middle east, and it is vital that america shows solidarity towards her, especially in times of war, like now. and for all of the euphamisms - the "conflicts," the "situations" - they are void. israel is at war with the palestinians. israel tried for a cease fire, they tried for peace, and now they are fighting for their very existence and way of life. kind of like what we're fighting for now, isn't it? and yet, the united states chooses to criticize instead of support. now i have proof for my cynical outlook of america.
*Allison*
yea im sorry i really have to disagree with you hear. first america is Israel's largest backer. the most lobbying money given to the u.s. government comes from israeli support groups and thus coverage has been very one-sided. the fact is that neither the palestinians nor israeli governments are in the right both have committed horific terorist actions agains innocent people. Also what right does israel hae to invade a largely arab part of he west bank and claim it because it is their "holy land" Im sorry that seems ridiculous to me. Im n atheist personally bu if there is a god i cant imagine he would want people killing over his holy land. Your right though collin powell is hypocritical in his condamenation. the answer i believe is not that they should support israel in its war bu that they should condem all acts of violence perpetrated against innocent people. thus powells condemnation is justified however it should be applied to us as well.
I dont know the situation as well as I wish I did in that I dont really trust what most sources in America will tell us. But Anarcho-commie-chris is right, America definitely DOES back Isreal and that is just another reason why Colin Powell's renouncment of Isreal's actions is hypocritical. Isreal has one of the worst human rights records in the world..along with Egypt and um Turkey I think...and hah, guess what? America backs them all! I think that both sides are in the wrong in the Isreali/Palestiniean conflict in some ways and I just wish the whole thing could stop. I think both sides should be a little more interested in compromise instead of blowing each other's brains out. And I also think America should take away their backing for Isreal and stay out of it.
-Amanda
just to clarify a few of my beliefs on this... i wrote my first post at a really emotional point. while i do still stand by the basic message, i was not trying to say that everything israel does is right and everything the palestinians do is wrong. personally, in this situation, i support israel over the arabs, and i think that the u.s. needs to maintain a critical ally in the middle east - the only democracy - just as much for their benefit as ours. and i was just pointing out the hypocracy of our country, which really upsets me. also, i don't necessarily support the war - i do support the division of israel into a palestinian state and a jewish one, and i would readily give the west bank back. but i don't know what is right in this situation. i'm hoping for peace just as much as anyone, but it's also not realistic at this time.
*Allison*
why divide the land? i think its a shame that a supposed holy land can't all be shared by the people of the earth. im personally an agnostic but i imagine if their is a go he wouldn't want people dictating qualifacations for living on his land. i think the whole argument is a hypocrisy, an assualt on any real religous values, and i think religion in this case is being used as a front for power mongering world leaders.
unlike in america, religion will always be connected to israel, simply because of the holy sites of the land. israel was created as a state by the english specifically for jews, regardless of the arabs already living there. thousands of jews move there simply because of its religious significance or as an escape from oppressive governments in their home countries. so, like it or not, the war in israel is about relgion, and i definitely believe that the majority of it is due to religion, and not necessarily power. and, difficult as this is for me to say, the only way that peace will be achieved in the middle east is if a palestinian state is created and the israeliss and palestinians are seperated. this conflict has been going on for thousands of years, and there's no way it's going to stop without the creation of two different states. the two sides feel too strongly about their causes. palestinians raise their children to believe that if they kill an israeli, they will be sent to heaven, and israelis are raised with a similar hatred. it sucks, massively, and it scares me. while it explains the intensity of the violence and suicide bombers, it also ensures the continuation of the hatred for at least the next generation, and, with all probablity, for years and years in the future. there is always violence in israel - it just escalates to a different level sometimes, like now.
*Allison*
just to let you guys know, monday was yom ha'shoah - holocaust remembrance day. this is typically a jewish holiday, but i think it's important that we spread the word to more people, mainly to prevent the same thing from happening to any group again, and to increase tolerance. i still know people that claim the holocaust never happened, which is ridiculous - and frightening. also, i know people who think that another holocaust is beginning in israel , which i definitely don't agree with. but the potential loss of israel could make the probability of another jewish holocaust much higher. israel is a safe haven for the jewish people, and its existence almost certainly ensures ours. just take a moment to remember all of those soldiers, victims, and others involved against the nazis during ww II. thanks.
*Allison*
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