How can we become fully and truly human in a world plagued by violence, pain, sorrow, greed, exploitation, war, failure and death?
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Occupation 101
I shared this video once before, but I think I ought to post it again, given that we now have a new administration in power - one that would do well to consider the case presented here:
Thanks for you remarks under my post at The Distributist Review.
I will be talking about this situation on my radio show this evening. Details can be found by visiting: http://thepaleocrat.com.
It would be great to have you call and give your take on the matter. It appears that you have been following it for some time and with a great concern for justice. Once again, your comments are welcome.
Professor McAdams, I'm afraid you have not considered this matter in full context. Why were rockets being fired? Because Israel was blockading and starving these people. And Hamas agreed to a cease fire (to Jimmy Carter indeed!) if the blockaded were ended. It was Israel who refused to end it.
Look, the root of this conflict is occupation. Israel does not just happen to be in conflict with Palestinians. They stole their land, they illegally took over Gaza and the west bank.
Israel has illegally built settlments, taking all the best land and water.
They subject the Palestinians to radical poverty, hundreds of chekcpoints. They take over their homes, tear down their homes, beat them, imprison them, and kill them by the thousands.
Look at it this way. Suppose your country was taken over by a foreign power. Then suppose that foreign power, came, beat you up, killed some of your family, tore down your home of 30 years and demanded you vacate your ownland.
Then you were put in a refugee camp, and forced to cross so many checkpoints you could not get to work or the hospital. You are forced to live in dire poverty.
Now suppose I told you that you should simply "leave the people doing this to you in peace." How would you feel? How would you react?
Put yourself in such a situation, in which you are invaded, impoverished, and your rigts denied, and you might learn something of what it is like to be a Palestnian.
Comments from many different points of view are welcome. But I will not publish any comments that are hateful, insulting, or filled with profanity. I welcome and encourage dialogue and disagreement but will not publish any hate speech.
Nice to see you making apologies for Palestinian terrorism.
ReplyDeleteLook . . . this whole issue would go away if the Palestinians (and the Muslim world generally) would simply decide that Israel can live in peace.
I make no apologies for terrorism. Whether it is Israel or the Palenstinians killing innocents, I do not stand for it.
ReplyDeleteBut did you watch the video? It's mosty Jewish made and most people interviewed are Jewish and even Israeli, so it's hardly pro-hamas proganda.
By all means, I hope Israel is left in peace, but they need to leave the Palestinians in peace for that to happen.
Thanks for you remarks under my post at The Distributist Review.
ReplyDeleteI will be talking about this situation on my radio show this evening. Details can be found by visiting: http://thepaleocrat.com.
It would be great to have you call and give your take on the matter. It appears that you have been following it for some time and with a great concern for justice. Once again, your comments are welcome.
By all means, I hope Israel is left in peace, but they need to leave the Palestinians in peace for that to happen.
ReplyDeleteYou mean they should the rocket attacks and not respond?
You think Jimmy Carter should just go and say to Hamas "please, please stop the attacks?"
Professor McAdams, I'm afraid you have not considered this matter in full context. Why were rockets being fired? Because Israel was blockading and starving these people. And Hamas agreed to a cease fire (to Jimmy Carter indeed!) if the blockaded were ended. It was Israel who refused to end it.
ReplyDeleteLook, the root of this conflict is occupation. Israel does not just happen to be in conflict with Palestinians. They stole their land, they illegally took over Gaza and the west bank.
Israel has illegally built settlments, taking all the best land and water.
They subject the Palestinians to radical poverty, hundreds of chekcpoints. They take over their homes, tear down their homes, beat them, imprison them, and kill them by the thousands.
Look at it this way. Suppose your country was taken over by a foreign power. Then suppose that foreign power, came, beat you up, killed some of your family, tore down your home of 30 years and demanded you vacate your ownland.
Then you were put in a refugee camp, and forced to cross so many checkpoints you could not get to work or the hospital. You are forced to live in dire poverty.
Now suppose I told you that you should simply "leave the people doing this to you in peace." How would you feel? How would you react?
Put yourself in such a situation, in which you are invaded, impoverished, and your rigts denied, and you might learn something of what it is like to be a Palestnian.