Muslims vs. Jews (part two)

Let's take a quick look at current events; something of more interest than the historical precedent cited below. The hot topic on the lips of the inhabitants of the Middle East is the security wall being constructed by the Israelis. Opponents insist it's a land grab into Israeli-occupied territory of the state of Palestine. Proponents insist that it's necessary to protect the citizens of Israel against militants and terrorists. They, of course, cite 870 deaths and 6,000 wounded since the latest intifada began in September 2000.

Recently, a resolution was introduced to the U.N. Security Council - the only assembly in the U.N. with binding powers - that condemned the construction of the security wall and deemed it illegal. Ten nations voted for the resolution, four abstained, and one voted no, and consequently vetoed the resolution. The veto, of course, was issued by the presiding Security Council President, John Negroponte(and representative of the United States).

http://www.un.org/apps/news/storyAr.asp?NewsID=8560&Cr=middle&Cr1=east

Now, before you jump to any conclusions, there is a bigger perspective to consider. First of all, the resolution was drafted by four countries that, by demographic, are predominantly Muslim and have histories of anti-Jewry "proclivities"; Syria (oooh, big surprise), Malaysia (look up Dr. Mahathir), Pakistan (a country sympathetic with territorial conflict issues(see Kashmir)), and Guinea.

I, like many others, have fundamental issues with the argument altogether.

• There is no sovereign state of Palestine; there never has been. The name "Palestine" was given to the region by the Romans, after the Philistines. They were eschewing the more common reference of the time, Judah (or Judea).


• The so-called Palestinians are, by and large, ancestrally connected to other countries and NOT Judah-cum-Palestine. Those countries include Greece, Turkey, Assyria, Syria, Egypt, Arabia, and countless others. ...Homeland my ass! Arafat is Egyptian!


• If "occupied territory" belongs to the "occupier", then how does fencing it constitute a "land grab"?


• Too many have forgotten that the land "occupied" by the Israelis resulted from 1967 Six-day War that, by the way, was instigated by no less than 6 Arab Armies!(Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, Iraq, and Algeria) ...the spoils of war, I say.

This list of issues is far from complete, but it's a good start. Egyptian-born Yasser Arafat, founder of al-Fatah and former leader of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization), is currently the president of the Palestinian Authority, a provisional governing body enabled by the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, of Israel. While the leader of the PLO, for two decades Arafat pursued his political aims through terrorist violence. For his efforts, he gained nothing. In recent years, his policy has softened, but even now, when presented with the Road Map for peace, he still refuses to abandon armed conflict as a means to gaining Palestinian sovereignty.

So if you missed that, let me recap. The recognized leader of the Palestinians (and I use the term loosely) continues to support armed conflict against the Israelis.

Let's talk briefly about the reference to Palestine. It is, what I call, a Lenin-lie; Lenin has been quoted as saying, "A lie told often enough becomes the truth". The notion that Palestine was ever a soveriegn state is no more valid than referring to New England as a soveriegn state of the United States; it was, and still is, no more than a geographical region that identifies a collection of states. If you want a truer comparison, I contend that the Mexicans have a more legitimate claim to Texas than the Palestinians have to "their land".

Now, if there was a threat between the borders of the United States and ...say Mexico, wouldn't a security fence be a logical precaution/solution? Oh...wait...we have one of those, don't we...and our "threat" isn't based on a history of terrorism, but illegal immigration.

Can you feel it....the aperature opening? Can you see the bigger picture beginning to emerge?

Soon, I'll discuss the geo-political ramifications of Muslim/Jewish conflict. It's both complicated and simplistic...