Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

 

Honestly, politics are not the theme of this blog, and this post probably shouldn't be here, but after  talking to multiple people non-israelis, watching some news and reading some internet articles especially on Russian news sites, I've got the urge to write this.

It is really difficult to write about this subject, trying to collect all the facts and all the pieces of history, coping with my emotions - I really want to be understood correctly and want to help others to understand the core of the conflict. 

  

I see that multiple media sources and many people consider Israel an aggressor and almost a terrorist state, and I think it's because they are ignorant of the situation and lacking essential details of the conflict. I would like to clarify some facts and answer some questions (if there will be such) and hopefully my post can be useful for reasonable and adequate people among you.

Before I start, it is important to mention that I do not idealize Israel and do not consider it a saint state, but it is important to stress that me personally, the majority of Israelis, and the Israeli government does not seek deaths of civilians - neither on Israeli nor on the Palestinian side.

So the main difference between the two sides is as follows:

-Hamas-wants to destroy the state of Israel and all its citizens. 

-Israel - fights the terrorist government of Gaza and wants to destroy its militant facilities, equipment and cease any terrorist action coming from that side.

Did you know that the governmental goal of "Hamas" is the destruction of Israel?
Did you know that main goal of Israel is the safety and prosperity of the state?

 -How come! - You'll ask - if Israel has such good intentions and does not want the death of innocent people, why is the number of deaths as a result of the mutual-week bombardment of Gaza exceeds a hundred people, while the number of people killed in Israel - "only" 4 people. Why?

In fact, fewer  people are being killed in Israel because human life has the highest value for the state. Israel actually goes to many concessions and compromises in order to keep these numbers as low as possible (well, and also because Hamas does not have great weapons). Gaza, however, works the opposite way. Palestinian government calls on civilians to die in the struggle against Israel, and those who refuse are being simply used as a human shields - innocent children and women.

Did you know that Hamas specifically sets its missile installations in schools, in hospitals, in the courtyard of civilians, in densely populated areas? So Israel can be blamed for hurting civilians at the international scene!

You don't believe that? Frankly, like to any logical person it seems unreal to me, that it became a national cult to die for the sake of destruction of other people. Unfortunately most Palestinians are being raised that way today. See below transmission of Al-Aqsa TV (Palestinian TV) - Fathi Hammad proudly points out that the death of women and children has become the industry of Palestine.

                                         
 

Next video was done by Israeli pilot, who looks for Palestinian civilians before bombing the enemy rocket launcher and recalls the bombing after he notices some citizens.

Did you know that the Israeli military warns civilians in Gaza when they're bombing HAMAS facilities? That it spreads leaflets out of the planes and sends SMS (text messages) notification.

Why? because Israel does not need the victims among the civilian Palestinian population. If the videos above are not satisfactory for you, here's the video of the report to UN about operation Cast Lead in 2009, which have began just about the same way as current events have, and continued with Israeli forces entering Gaza. Describing Cast Lead, Colonel Richard Kemp states the following:" Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare. Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population"

 

Thus, we can say that more than a hundred dead Palestinians are killed by their own people who support terrorism- awful, isn't it?

Did you know that Palestinian terrorists relentlessly firing rockets on Israel for 12 years?

see statistics here:

Did you know that Israel continues to supply Gaza with electricity and water?; that it treats Palestinian children in Israeli hospitals, and even now - sends  dozens (even hundreds) of trucks with humanitarian aid?

-Well, of course!-You will object. 

Israel keeps Gaza under a siege!

Yes, Israel controls some Palestinian borders, and this measure has been taken by Israel to prevent the free import of weapons and terrorists into Gaza via the sea. This "blockade" has not been removed, because Gaza is controlled by Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization (by Israel, by U.S. and by European Union). At the same time, Israel does not control the border with Egypt.

By the way, here's a wonderful little interview with "Russia today" and Avital Leibovich, a representative of the Israel Defense Forces. Despite the fact that the RT correspondent obviously provokes Avital and is clearly biased, Leibowitz answers his questions very specifically and to the point.

 

So why Israel would have any right at all to blockade or not to blockade Palestine?! - You will exclaim - Why don't you just leave them alone and allow them to become a state?

 Unfortunately at this point Israel simply has no such authority. U.S. imposes a veto on Palestinians to become a separate state, since it is under Hamas rule, a terrorist government. Israel has already demonstrated its willingness to make painful concessions and completely withdrew all its troops from Gaza in 2005 together with all its citizens who lived there. Maybe it sounds simple, however eight thousand Jews who lived in the Jewish settlements in Gaza lost their homes, history, neighbors, and other things that connect them to their grounds, where generations spent their lives. They complied with the request of withdrawing from the so called "occupation of Palestine", and in return received regular cross border attacks . In addition, I can go long into details that Fatah and Hamas - two Palestinian political parties (the West Bank and Gaza) are enemies of each other themselves (but this is already a different story).

Here you will decide to go into the history and pull out your main bargaining chip:

 Palestine-is not an aggressor! Palestine just fighting for their territory.  Israel invaded Palestine, seized the land on which the Palestinians have lived for centuries, and drove them into the fights for return of their land. 

This  is a major misconception of the people who defend Palestine in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The conflict is commonly viewed as a territorial problem - Palestine needs the land, because they want to build their own state.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be the case.

HAMAS's goal is not to build their own state, but to destroy ours. They do not want prosperity, development and well-being for their own territory. Priority is to wipe Israel off the world's map and for this purpose they are ready to sacrifice their own people as martyrs. It is a tragedy for the ordinary people who live in Palestine, who are being used as Hamas tools, but it is a fact. Hamas does not want to solve the enormous internal problems that Gaza has, which splits and aggravates its citizens, instead they are looking for an external enemy, hatred to which will allegedly bring Gazan people together. And it is sad that Israel becomes the target of their anger. It is easier to convince the people to hate than it is to convince them, that they can prosper under the Hamas regime.

  

Did you know that Israel didn't captured the territory in order to build her own state? and did not expel the Palestinians from their land?

 First of all, the country Palestine never existed. After belonging to Jews during the first and second kingdoms, this piece of land was an eternal colony and mandate, belonging to Romans, Turks, Brits (this is a separate long history lesson that I can elaborate on a little later).

Second of all, establishment of Israeli state on British territory was authorized by UN, an international organization, recognized by all Arab countries. Don't you think that it doesn't seem logical that Arab countries take its resolution only when it suits them?

Third of all, the piece of land that later became Israel and Gaza was initially divided by UN with the idea of creating two states, Arab and Jewish, which means that it was offered to Palestinians to have their own state! When Israel received the right to build the state, it began to build a state, while the Palestinians didn't seem to be concerned about building their own. They were much more concerned with attacking the new Jewish state on the territory legally given to them by the UN.

It is an absolute truth that Jews came to Palestine in the late 19th century, long before its formation. They came to a desert and started working. They dreamed of building a Jewish state, and were ready to build it with their bare hands, literally. This is a wonderful and amazing story, worthy to know if you are interested in Israeli history at least a little bit . People who created this state, built it on the bare grounds of desert and rocks. These people deserve admiration and respect. The work that has been done by Zionists (which is not a dirty word) for a hundred years after the first aliyah and for 60 years since the official establishment of the State of Israel - is unprecedented. Ask yourself: would you be ready to leave everything you have now?  for bare grounds where you will have to start digging with a shovel and plant trees, build homes from scratch, lay water pipes and raise chickens - just because you do believe that you are worthy of your own state? which by the way, you might not be able to see in your lifetime? 

The State of Israel was born that way.

Now ask yourself: Why didn't Palestinians do the same? Why didn't they build anything, didn't try to create a state? 

 Ok, maybe they were good as they are in the 19th century, but what about '47, when the land was divided to create a Jewish and Arab states? Why weren't they successful? Why does their territory today, stand at almost the same level of development as it was back then?

Of course it is the easiest thing to blame Israel for taking the land by force, blockading and bombing and you can also accuse UN of unfairly divided territories since Israel got 56 percent of the divided land. But did anybody ever checked what 56% went to Israel? Jews did not ever elaborate on it and did not cry the blues: they were thankful that the land was given to them and they built a prosperous state on it. But if you decide to check, the pay was not great-the land had neither good soil, nor oil (the lack of which can not be ascribed to any of the Arab countries). But does anyone remember that Israel did not expel Palestinians from the land? that all who remained were granted citizenship and became members of the Israeli society? that refugees are only those who fled on their own? And do you know why they were running? Because, the first day after the State of Israel was proclaimed, it was attacked by five (!) Arab states (Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan). Now can you imagine that Israel won that war (later called the War of Independence)?! The majority of Palestinians fled to neighboring Arab countries and to the area of current Gaza strip from which now they shoot their home-made rockets on Israel and spend on it their entire budget.

Arabs didn't stop there and continued the war with Israel in the following years after its establishment.  Six day War (1967) and Yom Kippur War(1973), resulted in conquering additional land from the Arab states by Israel! Part of which were later returned (Sinai ,which is larger than he entire state of Israel for example) for the sake of peace. 

So as you see, history is an exciting thing and helps us to understand the current situation, line of actions and decision logic, as well as to identify the general character of the nation and its government.

Israel is a state who desires peace, ready to lay down their arms as soon as Gaza lays down theirs; It is ready to recognize Palestinian state under circumstances that don't threaten its own existence. A state where the lives of its citizens hold the main value. Not an ideal state, not a saint or a victim state, but also not a bloodthirsty terrorist aggressor, bringing up hatred and blood lust in its citizens.
I hope my post will help you to clarify the issue and in the end take a look at a video below which explains in a very simple way the problem of Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

Thank you for your attention.