Last night members of the Israeli navy boarded a boat manned by pro-Palestinian activists and aid workers in International waters and killed 9 non-combatants as well as wounding 30 more. The boat was aimed at the Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip in order to bring greater international attention to the atrocities being committed there.
It is interesting that this should happen this weekend, as I was doing a little elective research on the Palestinean-Israeli Conflict if that shows you how much of a nerd I am. In this process I have been absolutely shocked at the situation that has been building momentum since 1917.
As a brief synopsis that does not do the conflict justice, Britain promised Israel to be a homeland for the Jewish people. This came to fruition in the years immediately following WWII as the UN Partition Plan ceded 50% more land to Israel than the originally proposed offer. This led to civil unrest in the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” as well as many more Israeli-Palestinian wars that granted the Israeli’s even more land. The Palestinians now reside primarily in two segments of the Israeli state, The West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Obviously there are a number of different opinions on this. There are arguments on both sides and there have been since the creation of this state. What I hope to do is look at this through the scope of human rights.
Lets take the Gaza Strip for example, a small sliver of coast in Southern Israel that has been occupied by Palestinians. After the militant Hamas organization took over Israel has begun a resource blockade that allows for no import or exporting by the residents of Gaza. Also the government has begun to ration the supply of electricity, fuel, and water to this area. Israeli fears of Hamas led to a horrific air assault just last year on “Terrorist” locations. Said “Terrorist” locations include elementary schools, hospitals, communal wells, universities, and refugee camps. 464 Palestinians were killed, many non-combatants and children, which bumped the total to 868 Palestinian deaths by Israeli Military in Gaza for the year. This compared to 15 Israelis dead in the same time period.
On the other side of the country is the West Bank. There are 2.4 million Palestinians living in this small parcel of land that include Jericho and East Jerusalem. Israel has put up a concrete wall to separate itself from this land, even though 350,000 Israelis live in communities inside of it. Jordan has also acquired some of the land on the far Eastern side of this land, leading to further disillusionment of the Palestinian people. Governmental regime Fatah, the rival of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, is in control of the West Bank and the conflict between the two factions has led to much internal stress for Palestinians.
The conflict between these two nations of Israel and Palestine has been a largely bloody and violent one. However due to Western support Israel has always had superior firepower and technology, leading to a lopsided war. In total roughly 12,497 Palestinians have been killed in various conflicts, compared to 1,484 Israelis.
There are a bevy of theological and social issues behind this conflict. However the atrocities to human rights are so blatant. Israel has violated the Geneva Convention multiple times by attacking U.N. sanctioned property and using White Phosphorous shells that led to many burn victims. However a blind eye has been turned by many Western Powers that are invested fiscally in Israel (Including the United States, which just committed 3.2 billion dollars to aid Israel over the next fiscal year).
There have obviously been a great number of human rights violations done to the Jewish people, and biblically they were appropriated the land of Israel. However it is very difficult to connect modern Israel with the nation of Israel from the Bible. Modern Israel is a secular state, only 3/4ths of the nation even claim Judaism as their religious form of expression, and the nation is primarily ethnically Jewish not religiously Jewish.
The obvious comparison for me is South African Apartheid. The exclusion of the Palestinian people for no apparent reason and the dehumanization by the Israelis makes this connection. In fact famed South African leaders Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu have been attempting to bring the attention of the world to Israel, saying how similar their situation was. They have also been very proactive in bartering peace between the two in a non-violent way, which South Africa modeled so eloquently.
However the Palestinians do not have a marketable non-violent leader like Mandela or bona fide World interest in their situation. They are by no means fully innocent in this situation either; they also have propagated much of the violence.
These are a people stripped of a nation, reacting out of anger and strife. Continued Militant action by no means will quell this conflict. The only foreseeable means of moving on are either a holistic forgiveness on both sides and a commitment to peaceful coexistence, or the creation of a Palestinian state. A cycle of redemptive violence has been continuing in this nation for the past 60 years, and as technology develops the results become increasingly destructive.
Our responsibility as informed people is to understand the conflict, and to draw attention to human rights. Neither side is right, but there needn’t be a winner in this scenario. Once peace is established, then there will a victory. Until then, we are all losers. 
To finally admit the Palestinians “are by no means fully innocent in this situation either; they also have propagated much of the violence” is probably the understatement of the year. And you seem to have left out much of the facts concerning the raid on the flotilla. You seem to assume that the Israelis are automatically lying in their self-defense claim.
I always find it interesting that every Muslim nation has the goal of driving the Israeli people into the sea, yet the little nation of Israel is continually berated for defending itself. The Islamic world is incredibly large, yet they won’t rest until they have completely taken every square inch of legitimate Israeli soil. The U.N. is demanding Israel to reveal it’s nuclear arsenal to them, via signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, yet Iran and North Korea is given a pass. Israel is in a struggle for survival and I don’t blame them at all for protecting what they have by any means possible.
Well as far as the flotilla raid goes, it is hard for me to fully trust the IDF when they have admitted to lying about using white phosphorous in last year’s airstrikes on the Gaza strip, their immediate reactions are pretty difficult to believe. And what exactly do you mean by “legitimate Israeli Soil”? are you referring to biblical layout, “from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates” which gives them much more land than they already have, or are you referring to the original Balfour declaration treaty which they have already doubled? I am confused…
Be not confused. I can see you have a problem with Israel’s existence and that they have ‘too much’ land already. We could sit here and bicker all day long about who’s lobbing bombs, blowing people up via suicide bombers, who’s lying about what … the bottom line is do you think the Arab, Muslim, Islamic nations are willing to co-exist with Israel, and if so with what concessions?
I mean for the life of me, I can’t remember hearing the nation of Israel proclaim the desire or goal of annihilation for anyone, but I seem to recall that happens just about on a daily basis from many Islamic countries towards Israel.
I feel like there is a definite possibility for the two nations to coexist, it is going to take a great amount of work on both parts. Violence is not the answer on either side, yet there is a cycle of such violence that needs to be stopped. I know that the way things have been is not at all conducive to a quality coexistence. The cycle of fear that has been present for so long is not beneficial for either side.
“We have to kill all the Palestinians unless they are resigned to live here as slaves.”
-Chairman Heilbrun of the Committee for the Re-election of General Shlomo Lahat
“There is a huge gap between us (Jews) and our enemies. Not just in ability but in morality, culture, sanctity of life, and conscience. They are our neighbours here, but it seems as if at a distance of a few hundred meters away, there are people who do not belong to our continent, to our world, but actually belong to a different galaxy.”
-Israeli president Moshe Katsav
Of the “memorable quotes” featured on MIFTAH’s Web site (some of which have already been debunked in Part I), the following is attributed to one Chairman Heilbrun:
We have to kill all the Palestinians unless they are resigned to live here as slaves.
Source given: Chairman Heilbrun of the Committee for the Re-election of General Shlomo Lahat, the mayor of Tel Aviv, October 1983
Investigation: The quote is found on numerous anti-Israel sites, in addition to MIFTAH’s, but the facts do not check out. While Shlomo Lahat was indeed re-elected as mayor of Tel Aviv in 1983, no record was found of any “Chairman Heilbrun.” The quote was traced to a 1988 book, The Hidden History of Zionism, by radical Marxist Ralph Schoenman (dismissed by mainstream historians as a crazed conspiracy theorist), and is one of many bogus quotes in the book attributed to Israeli leaders. According to Schoenman’s footnote, the quote by Heilbrun was hearsay relayed to him in private conversations:
Cited by Fouzi El-Asmar and Salih Baransi during discussions with the author, October 1983
Needless to say, Schoenman’s scholarship, upon which many anti-Israel Web sites depend, leaves much wanting. CAMERA contacted former Mayor Lahat who attested that he has never employed, known or heard of any such person as “Chairman Heilbrun,” and that the reported incident never took place. Lahat also emphasized that he would never allow any of his employees to make such statements, as it completely contradicts his own sentiments about Palestinians.
Summary: Fabricated quote, fabricated source
(http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=8&x_nameinnews=96&x_article=775)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad /1/2010: warned Israel against further raids on Gaza, saying that a “storm of anger from the nations of the region will uproot you.”
Personally I see no way that Sharia law will let Muslims and Jews co-exist.
I have been studying this topic for most of this year, and it is so heartbreaking. You know what’s strange, is that Christian evangelical support (i.e. sending Israel more money than we do the entire continents of Africa or South America) is for Jews, for (in my opinion, unfounded) theological reasons, but not for Palestinian Christians. –And I don’t think Christians should only support Christians at all, but if we were going to use weird logic like that, you’d think support would be for other Christians, you know? But our Western paradigms blind us to their very existence! Why aren’t we told about how Palestinian Christians and Muslims have been living as friends and neighbors for centuries? (Hello! The Gentiles who converted to Christianity? Who do we think their descendants are?)
In a documentary we just watched last week, an Israeli (de)construction company just showed up to a Palestinian family’s house and began demolition. They threw everything into a pile in the street and destroyed it. Some neighbors tried to pull the mother of the family away from the rubble, but she just looked at them and said, “No, I can’t leave, the children will be home from school soon. This will be the shock of their lives.”
I think your siting of one possible incident is somewhat disingenuous; not to dispute whether it happened or not. I’d like to know the source of the “documentary”. Again, I can’t sit here and fathom how anyone can defend the motives of the Islamic nations. I agree that not all Palestinians should be uprooted. Maybe they should condemn the actions of Hamas. When they don’t that makes them just as guilty in the eyes of the Israelis.
I feel as though further continuation of this conversation is not beneficial due to our strong convictions. I am sorry that we do not seem to hold the same opinion on this. However I would encourage you to broaden your knowledge of all Islam, not just the extremist side. In the end religions and beliefs are categories that are easy to define people by, but there human beings involved on both sides. Like I said in the final part of this post, “Our responsibility as informed people is to understand the conflict, and to draw attention to human rights. Neither side is right, but there needn’t be a winner in this scenario. Once peace is established, then there will a victory. Until then, we are all losers.”
I couldn’t agree with you more. Eventually there will be peace, but that particular one will be temporary.
Thank you for your time and insight. I wish you and your family well.
trev: good post, and you’re definitely right that the brief outline doesn’t do the conflict justice; all the books in SPUs library couldn’t do it justice…
you said that the british promised the jews the land. true, but they had also promised the land to the palestinians before the ambiguous balfour declaration…anyway, that’s beside the point. i like the fact that you realized we can all agree that no one agrees.
so you move to human rights, a good move. the question becomes, what human rights violations have been committed? you said, bombarding Gaza while using white phosphorus and attacking civilian buildings, along with the disproportionate means and casualties.
i can agree that these are immoral and unethical actions. conventional international law tends to agree as well, along with customary international law.
however, given the situation, as steve says, Israel views Hamas as a terrorist organization, as does most of the western world. not to say the western world is always right, ’cause everyone and their mother knows its not, but if we take up israel’s viewpoint, Hamas as a terrorist organization allows for different international laws and norms.
that being said, Israel hasn’t signed on to protocols I and II of the Geneva Conventions, which would be the parts they are “violating.”
however, i’m not defending Israel’s actions here. What they have done is unfortunate and perhaps, just maybe even avoidable. but, as an honest opinion, i can’t see any other state, given the capabilities, do anything differently in their situation.
Coming from Hamas’ side, they see Israel as an enemy that they cannot coexist with. this is not common sharia, steve, but an extremist form of sharia law, historic examples in christianity being the crusades, the french wars, or hitler. this is unfortunate as the arab world does not neccessarily feel the same. With the exception of Iran, (not even arab) most middle eastern countries would welcome a peace agreement with Israel, it’s coming to terms that is difficult.
Look at Fatah in the West Bank, they’re a non-militant party that is looking to accomplish a peace deal with Israel, but because the Palestinians aren’t unified, it can’t happen. you can’t broker a peace with half a people.
Also, if we’re to talk human rights violations, regardless of signed treaties or international norms, Hamas is definately guilty as well. Hospitals and schools are bombed because that is where Hamas is, or where they stockpile weapons. they use civilians as body shields. But, to them, they are protecting their existence just as Israel is, although, steve, you were correct in saying that Israel hasn’t threatened to destroy them.
all the same, nothing is going to happen until one side discards their self-righteousness.
If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves seek my face, turn from their wicked ways… then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land…
That was God’s response to King Solomon after the wisest man who ever lived asked God to remain present in the magnificent temple he had built for Him. God said He would bless the land but this was an not a covenant without condition… humility and repentance, two qualities that the nation of Israel was unable to consistently demonstrate during the chronicles of the Kings that followed Solomon. In fact Solomon himself could not even keep his part of the covenant. I love the Old Testament and I love God’s unique relationship with the nation He called to show His power and mercy to and through. But as the Old Testament moved to the New we find a people without a land of their own and a new promise, an unconditional new covenant that includes all peoples. This promise was not tied to a piece of land but to the heart.
I have had the opportunity and privilege to meet women from all over the world two of the women that stand out were both in their 70′s when I met them. One was Jewish and the other Palestinian, both lived in Israel for most of their lives. The wisdom these two women who had both lost loved ones in the conflict was amazing. Neither claimed ownership of the land, both desired one thing, peace.
In a world where all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, it seems we all stand on level ground in need of a God whose love is as great as His holiness, whose mercy is as sure as His promises and whose people are all who humble themselves, turn from their wicked ways and seek His face.
Sadly, this is one situation that will probably have to play itself out in a very large scale war. This is not Northern Ireland. Although there was a kind of land grab there, still it is not as complicated and no one wants to annihilate either country.
See relevant posts at my site. Good post for further thought. The problems did begin with the creation of Israel and Britain’s imperialist attitude from centuries of spanning the globe. We Anglos went out into the world and because few Europeans were out there on ships in the 1400s, we felt superior to the whole human race. We must have been God’s chosen to let the lesser peoples know the right path. With this historical background, it is easy to see where you can then go on into the middle east where you have had Palestine as your “protectorate” and divide things to your liking becuse you know better than thee poor benighted people. What this is is not Britain being “bad” and “Palestine” good. What this is is a statement of how things evolved – the mindset really of the time on the part of those who were dominant. Had the Palestinians been in the same spot, they may well have been of the same mind set.
My view is idealistic. With a past that was constituted on the thinking of the time with the amount of information available to them, it behooves us to start from today, with a hat tip to the past, and try to work things out in the context of the information that is available to us now. In any event, the best way is the “slow down” way – not the dithering way – but a measured reaction with so many fingers on so many buttons.
The flotilla knew what they would meet up with and they knew there would be force. That is a given and they admit that in what I have read. The Israelis played their part as the activists envisioned. Now the trick will be to stop the shift that is happening in the larger context – Turkey’s drift away from NATO and toward Iran, Brazil and Russia – and bring back some balance.
The US and Israel need to revise their play books. So far, we are using those of the Muslim states. We do need to change and adapt. If survival is the key, that is what we will have to do. Now that Israel has been established in many minds as the aggressor, if they should agree to end the blockade, sign the non-proliferation treaty and etc. than if the Muslim states try to obliterate them the means exist to stop them and the first of them would be diplomatic.
Hi Trev
I saw where you did stop by my site. Yes, I’m a blog buddy of Steve’s but we have differing views and are not joined at the hip so anytime you want to respond to one of my comments, you will not encounter a wall of words although Steve will tell you I am wordy. I really like your site and liked this post and Steve said to come visit here. He’s a nice guy. We’ll both be back. SH
PS are you in the states or another part of the English speaking world?
Chad
You are right – there will be no peace unless one side tosses aside self-righteousness. I wish the US and the Israelis could be that side. Only in that will they put their philosophies on a path to be accepted. If you try to force your ideas and ideals on others, it never works.
But how to stem the tide of secular Islamic states like Turkey becoming theocracies? That means a wildly different way of life and a system so different from our own – Sharia law. When the West is playing in the Middle East these days, they have at the back of their minds what is happening in Europe and to some degree here. The laws of Islam are not the same as those of the west so essentially you have had two differing models at war with one another.
Israel does have human rights violations against it to be sure. But I think in the end what is really going on goes beyond the Arab-Israeli conflict. It gets to the Iranian goal of establishing itself at the leader in the Middle East and the reestablishment of the Caliphate in the area that once existed. This is complicating matters these days. This is why it is interesting to know the history of the crusades and of the formation of the state of Israel but in the end, it is the goals and objectives of the players on the field at this moment.
The US wants the Palestinians and Israelis to make peace so that it will remain a separate issue and if things are calm in that area, it may be possible to work through the other regional conflicts. But that is not what Iran wants. It is no longer a question of just Israel and the Palestinians sitting down to make peace. I wish it were.
We can only hope no one presses the wrong button right away. It will be interesting to see what happens with this next ship from Ireland. Turkey may just break the NATO chains and escort it through the blockade – and they might just get pre-approval from NATO to do it. Stranger things have happened. In the end, Israel will have to drop the blockade. The rights of Palestinians will have to be addressed and perhaps in a larger context than in the past – such as in the UN. The only other venue would be war.
Trev:
A very good discussion is going on over at http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com
The site is run by an attorney and assistant clinical professor of law at Cornell, William Jacobson, Esq. It is very pro-Israel but others show up and it is a very civilized discussion. It may help you in confirming your research. I was a librarian/archivist so I am interested in giving people information they might use. I live in the US in western NY. I also do the occasional CNN ireport. I am one of their oldest reporters but I have had a lot of air time in the past.
PS on CNN I am “Infoaddict.”