Back to Israel again because it is weighing so heavily on my mind right now... Were people living in the land when it was made Israel by the UN in 1948? Absolutely. Was war declared immediately against the new state, and Israel won? Yes, it did. Were subsequent wars won to rid the land of “occupiers?” Yes, and Israel won each time. I’m sorry, but there is no going back.
What galls me is the hypocrisy of Americans who insist that Israel is an “occupation” of Palestine and must be dismantled. I would like to know when you plan to give your house back to the Native American group who lived in your community before various groups of Europeans occupied – oops, I mean colonized the US. We are no different than Israel. Were people already living in the US when Jamestown was set up and when the Mayflower arrived? Of course. Were subsequent wars fought to get rid of them? Yes, and the Native Americans unfortunately lost. Is it fair? Fuck no, but I don’t see a huge movement here championing the “right of return.”
In fact, the US is probably a more egregious occupier than Israel is. We’ve violated gazillions of treaties with various ethnic groups and even ignored Supreme Court decisions about forcibly removing people from their homes and “relocating” them to reservations. Even after we’ve granted Native Americans land for their own “states,” we’d take it back as soon as it was convenient. Example: Thar’s gold in them hills in the Dakotas? Well, shit, who knew? No need to waste precious metals on the Injuns and all. We’ll just barge right in and mine away. Fuck the legal documents and all.
Another case is Buffalo and large swaths of upstate New York. Guess who technically owns all of that land? Yep, a group of Native Americans. (It’s a booby prize, to be sure, but it’s still their’s fair and square.) Where do all the Americans who want Israel to go away stand on this “occupation?” Why are we not protesting that Buffalo should be returned to the people who have a signed treaty saying it is theirs? Maybe the Oneidas, the rightful owners, the people who were there first, should start sending in suicide bombers. It seems that those who oppose Israel find any means to rid Palestine of its occupiers to be legitimate. Why shouldn’t the Native Americans get to use the same tactics to get rid of us?
I am not saying that every Israeli policy is OK because that is absolutely not the case. I am, however, saying that Israelis are no more an occupying force than your average American. If you are American and you want Israel dismantled and returned to Palestine, then you better be willing to put your own home and life in the same place when the Native Americans make their claims.
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good analogy. Of course, the people that feel that way are already so set in their ways, no logical argument can sway them. People are retarded.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are posting on this. I am surprised to see that more people aren't, given the volatility of the situation and its importance.
ReplyDeleteIf all of these Arab nations are so concerned that the Palestinians have land, why don't they offer some up? Because the land is not the point, I suppose.
I do think Israel overreacts and makes it worse for themselves - but given the history of the Jews, especially the Holocaust and the threats by Arab nations, I can't really blame them for fighting like hell to stay alive.