Do Palestine and Israel just need more understanding? Give peace a chance?[/quote]
Getting sucked up into this again and I will attempt to be civil and answer the question.
Do Palestine and Israel need more understanding? For anyone who has spent any time at all in the middle east (outside of just visiting Israel) one would realize that a lot of the anger directed towards the US has been because of their unfailing, unequivocal support of Israel. Israel today would not exist without the US.
Having said that I do not believe Israel should not exist. My position on this topic is admittedly absolutely biased except that I can see logic and passions on both sides - my mum's family was jewish, (although converted to catholism in Egypt but by heritage I am jewish -parenthetically -my grandparents were jews whose family was driven out of Spain during the Inquisition and emigrated to Egypt - in addition, quite a few members of my grandmother's family were wiped out in the Holocaust - OK - on my Dad's side, he had immediate family who had lived for generations in Palestine and who were kicked out during and after 1948. Needless to say that this particular topic has always been an interesting, if at times tragic topic of conversation at our dinner table.
I understand and respect the fact that the jews wanted a homeland after WWII and were handed Palestine by the Brits because of historical need to go back to their holy land. Despite the fact that large tracts of land were legitimally won during wars, HUGE numbers of people were displaced unfairly and became refugees in their own country, Lebanon, Jordan, etc... Today, they have less right to return to their country than a Russian with jewish heritage who has never set foot in Israel.
They have lived for multiple generations in sub-human conditions, knowing nothing but violence, hostility, humiliation and loss, with sporadic access to jobs, education, infrastructure, housing, etc... at the whims of the Israelis. They have only known war, bombs and a diminished way of life. So, do I condone suicide bombers? Absolutely NOT - do I understand their innate anger and resentment - YES - do I think they are animals for resorting to these tactics? that is a tough one because like I said in a previous post, if some other people came to this country and forced out whole communities do you not think that as civilized as we all claim to be they would not also take arms and lash out at any symbol of authority? Would they not be indiscriminatory in their anger and desperation?
Without redressing the wrong that was done - peace will never be possible in the middle east. If the US were seen as being less partial and truely committed (without dictating terms of peace), then possibly there would be a chance.
If the palestinians had had better leadership, capable of inciting some form of grass roots passive resistance and revolt then maybe the conditions would be different today. But the odds have since the beginning been stacked against them - in addition, despite the claims that Israel makes of being one of the only democracies in the mid-east, everyone knows that it is only a matter of time until they repeal or give up the one man, one vote law because their population will very quickly be overtaken by palestinians.
It is so easy to sit in our comfort, on our couches, watching on big screen TV's from far far away these war-torn regions and playing judge and jury, condeming unilaterally and expressing self-serving disgust and venom for actions that most people could not even begin to comprehend.
I have mentioned this many times before - I know plenty of palestinians, lebanese, etc who have grown up privileged with wealth, access to higher education, have traveled, etc... and they are torn up, angry, disillusioned and in sincere despair - so try for one second to imagine what someone with none of that access must feel??? Can you?? I certainly can and I long for someone in this country to have that level of compassion and who can genuinely and sincerely help guide forward a just and fair resolution towards peace.
HUH????Sounds like double talk to me...
J/K sb44, thanks for the clarification of 6thg's logic 
