Mike Pouraryan
Why has the Lord foresaken Palestinians?
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To What End?
The Palestinians continue to suffer as the world cotninues to talk the talk and no visible action is evident.
Over the last day or so, Secretary Clinton had a busy day of meetings. She saw the Jordanian Foreign Minister and the Egyptian Foreign Minister and talked up the need to start up the Middle East Process. What I continue to be concerned about is the fact that Israel continues on building settlements, taking Palestinian land and getting away with it. America has to step up and really force Israel to change its tune. Thankfully, the rise of J Street in Washington will give those in Washington who have bought into the AIPAC nonsense for so long another way to look at the world.
I am fully aware that Israel is not Likud and is not only what Netanyahu and Lieberman profess it to be. There is a large segment of Israeli Society that understands differently. It seems to me that the time for talk is over. What happened on the Gaza border with Egypt has shown how the conventional way of thinking is simply not working anymore. Israel has also begun targeted assassinations and bombings within Gaza as well. If Hamas and Fatah can get their act together then all bets are off. But time will only tell. In the meantime, the ordinary Gazan will continue to just suffer until the world realizes how the poor souls in Gaza have been so wronged.
The UN is trying its best, but under very trying circumstances. The world spent billions on elections in the Congo to prop up Kabila while the country continues to be beset by Corruption. Haiti continues to muddle along. Yet, somehow, Gaza seems to the stepchild of the world.
Over the last day or so, Secretary Clinton had a busy day of meetings. She saw the Jordanian Foreign Minister and the Egyptian Foreign Minister and talked up the need to start up the Middle East Process. What I continue to be concerned about is the fact that Israel continues on building settlements, taking Palestinian land and getting away with it. America has to step up and really force Israel to change its tune. Thankfully, the rise of J Street in Washington will give those in Washington who have bought into the AIPAC nonsense for so long another way to look at the world.
I am fully aware that Israel is not Likud and is not only what Netanyahu and Lieberman profess it to be. There is a large segment of Israeli Society that understands differently. It seems to me that the time for talk is over. What happened on the Gaza border with Egypt has shown how the conventional way of thinking is simply not working anymore. Israel has also begun targeted assassinations and bombings within Gaza as well. If Hamas and Fatah can get their act together then all bets are off. But time will only tell. In the meantime, the ordinary Gazan will continue to just suffer until the world realizes how the poor souls in Gaza have been so wronged.
The UN is trying its best, but under very trying circumstances. The world spent billions on elections in the Congo to prop up Kabila while the country continues to be beset by Corruption. Haiti continues to muddle along. Yet, somehow, Gaza seems to the stepchild of the world.
The Political Brief
Something that strikes me as a little odd is how none of the other Arabs want the Palestinians. They all have room to share with them. But they sure seem set on taking the garden the Jews made of Israel instead of making their own. If the other Muslim countries gave a rats behind about the plight of their Palestinian brothers, they'd do something constructive to help them... instead of providing weapons and encouraging the killing to continue.
Does this mean the Muslims are more interested in destroying Israel than in saving other Muslims? Ya think?
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Since alliances and times change, I will remind you that International Law has mandated a two state solution. Should we just discard International Law and let Israel do whatever it wants? Israel has a "god given" right to be a "jewish" state. If that is the case, then what about the 20% of the Country who is of Arab descent? This is like saying that the Hispanic Americans (now 16% of the American), and African Americans (which are about 15% of the country ) are to be foresaken because they are not white?
Israel has a right to defend itself...there is no question about it..but this right of "self-defense" can be done in a more responsible way that guarantees it a place in the community of nations. You need to visit http://www.jstreet.org/ and also take the time to read http://www.haaretz.com/ and http://peacenow.org/ and realize that what Bibi and his foreign minister say is not the only game in town in Israel.
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Israels' treatment of the Palestinians is the greatest travesty in the world today, made even greater by the lack of knowledge and awareness that Israel's supporters have.
Oh and he probably doesn't exist. That's most likely why God has forsaken them.
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Netanyahu once said "If the Muslims disarm, there would be no war. If Israel disarms, there would be no Israel." He's right...
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1) There was a military coup in Iran. As you know, I have written extensively about it..and the solutions offered by both the so-called liberals and conservatives are non-starters becuase they will be used by the gang currently in charge in Iran to suppress the mass movement. The regime is dead....but it will not go away quietly...I noted this six months ago when I feared that they would pull off a "Burma"...and they did...but the struggle goes on...and the non-violent movement will succeed;
2) Rwanada was where the world failed. Everyone knows that. The present President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, has done a maginficnent job to bring back Rwanda from those tragic days. Some of the things I read about Rwanda leads me to wonder why such wise men do not exist in other parts of the world;
3) Until Kim Jong-Il is alive, North Korea will muddle along. The only thing King Jong Il is interested in is Kim Jong Il and China will work to prop him up to avoid an economic and human catasrophe on its border...
4) As for Guatemala as an FYI, the Attorney General of Guatemala has indicted the head of the armed forces for forcing this so-called "criminal" from office...the only people who seemed to support the "coup" were Jim Demint and a few of the well paid lobbyists/mouthpieces for the coup government....
As for the UN itself, what you need to realize is that it is at the mercy of the member-states. I think the UN can do a lot better....but the UN has been supplanted in a major way by organizatoins such as the G20 and the World Economic Forum.....but some of the work the UN does is quite admirable and we have to make sure that we acknowledge that. The other we have to constantly guard against is being lazy and labeling people and ideas in simplistic ways.
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I don't believe that Israel must disarm. What I am suggesting is that Israel can be bold. Rabin was bold and had the courage to shake Arafat's hand. I had hoped that Netanyahu would do the same...but that's far from it. Israel is changing..the world is changing..and Israel needs to understand that..and I don't believe that it does..and there lies the long-term challenge
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Knowing the difference between right and wrong and acting accordingly is not simplistic. Furthering a political agenda at the cost of common sense is as simplistic as it gets.
The Political Brief
The OT evidence (and archeological and enthnological evidence backs this up) shows clearly that this part of the world ALWAYS had many inhabitants -including, incidentally, the Caananites - who were there even before Abraham. The Caananites had lived there since Neolithic times and remained in that region THROUGHOUT - they never left. Abraham came originally from the Chaldeas in what is often callled Mesopotamia - and is now part of Iraq. He left there with his entire household some time before 2000 BC. (see GENESIS).
At certain times in their history, the Israelites subjugated many or most of these neighbour peoples and imposed Judaism. But they all remained. So did the Israelites. THEY NEVER LEFT. Now that is VERY important!! Furthermore, they intermarried with some of these peoples (read e.g. RUTH).
By around the time that this part of the world was speaking bastardised Greek (i.e. around the time of the two books of Macabees), the Jews were actively proselytising and Greek- speaking or HELLENISTIC colonies of JEWS BY FAITH were now becoming common in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). You may note that Saul - later St. Paul - came from here and was originally an avid Jewish persecutor of the new growing Christian faith.
These HELLENISTIC JEWS were alslo becoming well-established in Cyprus and the Eastern Meditarranean. When all this became part of the Roman Empire with its proverbial 'roads' and efficient communication network, Hellenistic Judaism was spreading.
You may note that it was to these Jews first that Paul and his companions preached on their missionary journeys and only a little later, and after much soul-searching (read ACTS), did they preach to Gentiles - and then only to Greek-speaking ones. Jesus and his disciples would have been reasonably fluent in this bastardised Greek (or Koine). The books of the New Testament, including the Gospels, were all first written in this.
During the centuries of the great Islamic conquests and empires (in what later became known as 'The Middle East' - which included what now became known as 'Palestine' - i.e. what had formerly been called ISRAEL), THE SAME PEOPLES - including the biblical Israelites of OT times or - to put it another way - 'the children of Abraham' - in very large numbers (although a tiny few did not) CONVERTED to Islam and began to speak ARABIC ...
Not Hebrew - which had ceased to be spoken, in any case, by most Jews well before NT times. And not even Aramaic (a related Syriac language - spoken by most Jews in ISRAEL ITSELF by NT times )... Jesus and his disciples spoke Aramaic, not Hebrew, for everyday usage.
So, in other words, in the middle ages (from about the eighth century on, or a little earlier), the Israelites - and ther neighbours - mostly became MOSLEMS speaking ARABIC.
Hence the absurd short-hand that has labelled them all as 'arabs' - just as it has so mislabelled the descendants of the peoples of Ancient Egypt and of Mesopotamia. It is a politically very DANGEROUS short-hand, as well as disingenuous.
During the middle ages, when Christian Europe was a cultural backwater and the Islamic empires were making all the running - in science, technology, engineering, medicine, literature, even the arts ... hard to beleive now but true!! - MANY peoples on the borders between these two chambers ( Christian Europe and the Islamic East ) CONVERTED to Judaism - especially in what later became Slavic Eastern Europe and Russia.
To do so had certain attractions - for one thing; they could become traders and merchants - and especially bankers and could travel freely between the two worlds - even during the Crusades! Money-lending for profit was then considered usery and was proscribed in most Christian AND Islamic countries - not so for Jews though.
Before the appalling attrocity of the Nazi holocaust in World War Two, around 80% of the world's Jews were still here in Eastern Europe and Russia. They even, many of them, had their own (philologically mainly SLAVIC) language - YIDDISH. They were ethnically mainly SLAVIC. Many more were ethnically GERMAN. They were the descendants of these Eastern Europeans and Russians - at least the far more numerous Ashkenazim Jews were. They were NOT in any ethnic sense whatever 'the children of Abraham'.
Incidentally, neither were the, less numerous, Sephardic Jews, who had converted in Spain during Moorish times and many more of whose ancestors had been non-Turkish converts living, in mediaeval times, in the Ottoman Empire and enjoying the same advantages as the Slavic and Russian converts - and for the same reason (consider the political geography of mediaeval Europe) .
Of those European Jews that survived the appalling holocuast, many became the pioneers of the 'resurrected' state of ISRAEL - CREATED IN 1947 as a 'homeland' for the Jewish 'people'. There was one massive problem, however: this country already BELONGED to somebody - the PALESTINIANS, its rightful inhabitants!
Many more of the 'Israelis' who came, and have come, in later waves were, in fact Americans: by birth, by nationality and by citizenship. Because of the key psephological importance of these Jewish voters, the United States not only steam-rollered the rest of the UN nations into accepting a state of Israel - which most Asiatic states had voted against! - but continued, and continues, to support the state of Israel, both militarily and economically, as well as politically.
And where such support falls short, world Jewish organisations, businesses and even wealthy Jewish individuals continue to pour money into Israel. Much of this is spent by the Israeli government on its every kinds of acts of aggression against the Palestinians - not just the terrorist leaders and groups but ordinary Paelstinians - INCLUDING FAMILIES, WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND THEIR HOMES. It is happening (largely un-noticed by the world's media) on an almost daily basis.
The state of Israel long ago violated the borders agreed by the UN at its creation in 1947 and has continued for more than half a century illegally occupying not only the West Bank and Gaza but also ALL of the tiny interland areas of central Israel which should have remained part of Palestine when the whole country was partitioned. (No-one even TALKS about THAT particular violation anymore - not even the UN!)
When will it all end? Not until the whole world removes the scales from its eyes, looks at the ACTUAL historical FACTS (as oppsed to Israel's warped version of them!), ceases to be beguiled by the Israeli's brilliant propaganda machine AND STOPS LETTING THE PALESTINIANS CONTINUE, generation on generation, to suffer the 'scapegoatism' for the world's conscience about the appalling Nazi holocaust. It is that simple. It is that dismal.
And not until totally misguided Christians, especially in the United States, STOP believing that the Israelis must be supported (including financially) in every kind of agression IN ORDER TO KEEP ISRAEL STRONG for a second coming of Christ! Oh, and, by the way, I'm a Christian.
Quintin J. Watt - cultural historian.
The Political Brief
For example, most Irish people don't devote themselves to explaining the Moorish influences in their history. They are simply Irish. Americans are a wide mixture of many races and cultures, yet most of us (who were born here) call ourselves Americans... even those with little or no Native American ancestry.
The history of the Jewish people is very lengthy, indeed, because they traveled and intermarried with many other groups over the centuries. But if you ask a Jew what his nationality or heritage is, he won't give you a rundown on every distant ancestor and where they lived. The Jews were a fragmented people who made their way to Israel and formed their own country. Since 1947, they have turned a chuck of desert into a garden spot and focused on higher education, being awarded many prizes in medicine, science, and other areas of advanced learning. They have a thriving economy (compared to the rest of the Middle East) in spite of being under constant attack by Muslims.
Conversely, the Palestinians lived on the same land and it remained basically unchanged for centuries. They seem to devote their energies to destruction instead of creating anything beneficial for mankind. Is it better to remove or displace a productive society to accommodate a violent and primitive one? Shall we return all land that was taken in war to the original inhabitants? That would change the map, wouldn't it?
I maintain that if the Palestinians want their own homeland, they should get it from fellow Muslims. There is plenty of sand and dust available. Then we could see what progress they made in, say, 50 or 60 years.
You must answer ultimately not to me , nor even to your own false representation of history and facts but to your God (I am assuming that acknowledge him) and mine. For he alone (not the world's current 'superpower') can judge human attrocities be they committed against Jew Christian Moslem or other, be they acts of national and institutionalised terrorism or private crimes, be they committed against democracies dictatorships or any other species of nation - be they EVER committed against FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS!!!
'Thou shalt not kill'.
Qunitin J. Watt
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It's only fair. I'm sure everyone in Nevada and New Mexico will understand.
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Ruby, if Canada were attacked by Muslims, the first thing the US would do (under a real president, not the fraud we have now) would be to defend the Canadians. If, God forbid, they lost and Muslims took their country, they would certainly be welcomed here. I doubt that the Canadians would demand a separate area for themselves. Especially since our cultures are so much alike. (You know, like Muslims are alike.)
It's a little hard (impossible) to imagine the freedom loving Canadians trying to win friends and influence others by blowing themselves up and killing civilians in the US. But then, Canada is basically a Christian country and doesn't go around committing cold blooded murder in the name of Jesus.
EITHER - and that includes OTHER PEOPLE'S COUNTRIES!!
- Quintin J. Watt
The Political Brief
As far back as human history has been recorded, in every war the victor has taken the land in question. "To the victor belongs the spoils." Ever hear of that one? From Biblical times until today it has been the case. Shall we now change that for the Palestinians? Maybe they should assimilate like every other conquered people has done. Or move to a place they like better?
In very truth, it sounds much more to me like those insipid whisperings of The Tempter whose overtures Christ heard AND THEN REJECTED during his time in the wilderness.
This is the voice which Adolf Hitler claimed to be listening to when he saw it as his divine mission to rid the world of the Jews. It is the voice which justified slavery in the United States, the original theft of that country from the Native Americans, of Australia from the Aborigines. It is the voice which for so long was used to justify Apartheid in South Africa; the voice which Oppenheimer and his team (and then the US military) listened to when they developed, then used and tested (on the Japanese), the world's first nuclear weapons.
This is the voice which, for centuries, suppressed all knowledge or enquiry in pre-renaissance Europe, which permitted for so long a man to legally beat his wife and denied her any political representation. It is the voice which was used to justify the 'acceptability' of sending small children down to work in coal mines and which sought for so long to keep the poor in a state of ignorance and servitude and squalor.
Each and every time that this voice is listened to, it is another disciple for Satan and and another victory for humankind's eventual destruction. It is another nail in the coffin of the salvation of this planet and of the human race itself. If THAT is where you want to take this argument and on THIS argumentation that you seek to justify crimes against humanity, then God help you (and all who think like you!)
I see no purpose in continuing a debate with one who seeks to advocate such diabolical and pathologically evil morality. It frankly sickens me.
OVER AND OUT
Quintin J. Watt
The Political Brief
Note: When trying to make a point, it's both better to (A) understand your subject and (B) not blame your opponent for your own flawed position.
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Settlers Pack Up Protest Tent Peace Now "Shows Lack of Public Support"
Today, the settler council packed up its protest tent, which they had pitched outside the Prime Minister's Office two weeks ago, and left the area.
Yariv Oppenheimer, Peace Now General Director: "The lack of public interest and support in the their protest against the Settlement Freeze clearly shows that their battle for public opinion was a failure and the majority of Israelis support the freeze and a return to negotiations".
Peace Now Objects to Opening of Israeli Only Road in West Bank
On January 4, 2009, the Higher Planning Council subcommittee will be considering the official objections by Peace Now and the residents of Beit Hanina over the planned route of Highway 20, designed to connect the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood and Route 443 through the private lands of the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina. Route 20 is planned as a road for Israelis only, to connect Jerusalem and 443, making the paving of the road illegal.
See more here:
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Peace Now Demo Generates Media Attention
See here pictures and news coverage of Peace Now Demo against new settlement in East Jerusalem: Really Long Link
We have to also remember to keep an atmosphere of mutual respect. For us to be able to have the "grass root" crediblity to take on the HuffPosts, the Daily beats, the Daily Call (that came out today) so that they understand that they don't speak for us.....
Thanks again everyone.....and "see" you all later on tonight on the Web.
The 'issues' as you are pleased to call them, Mike Pourayan, are, with respect, not the window dressing - they are the naked, pulsating and still bleeding heart of an entire people - the NATIVE people of that ancient and biblical land once called Israel - robbed of their homes, their country, their identity and even their status as fellow human beings (in many instances) ... their plight is, in very truth, identical to that which so many Jews (to the eternal shame of all who stood idle while it happened) suffered during the early years of Nazi oppression, dsicrimination and segregation in pre- world war two Germany. Their plight is identical to that which so many black Africans suffered in the formative years of Apartheid in South Africa, under Malin.
All human beings of conscience know that such things are WRONG in the eyes of any God - be he called Yahweh, God or Allah - and insidiously corrupting to the souls of those who commit them.
I'm afarid I will NEVER and CAN never allow such knowing acts of wickedness to pass by the commentators' pens as 'mere details history' - to quote, with intentionally lugubrious irony, the weasel words of infamous French neo-fascist Le Pen, who thus flippantly described the Nazi gas chambers.
True, lasting and meaningful PEACE - as opposed to a politically expedient travesty of it - will ONLY come about, for both Israel and Palestine, when there has been, as there had to be in South Africa post-apartheid, a genuine catharsis of PEACE AND RECONCILIATION. This latter, by its very definition, demands a righting and a making amends for ALL past grievances inflicted by the oppressor upon the oppressed.
I am deeply saddened to say that I have seen as yet no grain of evidence for any desire for anything of the sort on the part of any Isreali movement, political or otherwise.
What continues - and my forthcoming book so-titled will seek to explain this - is, in very truth, a PALESTINIAN HOLOCAUST: 'holocaust' meaning, as we know, a kind of sacrifice - allowed to perpetuate by a guilty conscience-ridden Europe and United States, which acted so late in terminating the attrocity of the Jewish one.
Quintin J. Watt, Cultural Historian
The Political Brief
Typical of a liberal, of course, when arguments fail, all you can do is sling insults and throw tantrums. Not to mention wasting other people's time and patience. Keep taking up space here if you like. I've had my say.
Quintin J. Watt (I shall spell my name any way I choose!)