I've written excessively long messages about this before and I'm going to keep it exceptionally short this time so let me give a bried history of the arab isreali conflict.When Isreal was created in the late 40's it was meant to be a home for Jewish refugees escaping the holocaust. Modern Isreal was divided in two and the Isreali half was mostly uninhabited desert and areas with native jewish communities. The Palestinian half was the better half as far as land is concerned, and compromised Gaza and the West Bank. Arab nations seeing this as an intrusion, despite the fact that Isreal in its original form didn't really encompass much inhabitat land, decided to attack in full force. Seven different arab nations all converged a massive military force 20 times the size of the small and barely formed nation of isreal. Even with outside help from the US and others, isreal was still expected to lose, but through some ingenious tactics and hard fighting isreal defended its borders and slightly increased its land. Though defeated, the arab armies still maintained supremacy, and continued fighted periodic wars with isreal from the late 40's on through to 1968. In 1968 there was the 7 day war that everyone knows of. The arab armies of seven different nations all converged on isreal wielding superior numbers and firepower, yet once again isreal managed to defeat them through superior tactics (bombing the egyptian air force on the ground for one). In this humilating defeat in the span of seven days, Isreal nearly tripled its size pursuing the fleeing arab invaders. It gained Gaza, the west bank, and the sinai desert. Since then no formal invasion of isreal has taken place since they now have the military advantage.
This is the dilemma that is currently being debated. The Sinai desert, an area rich in resources with access to the Suez that is equal of greater in size to all of Isreal, was given back to Egypt. In exchange all Egypt had to do was sign a peace treaty recognizing Isreal's right to exist and not be driven into the sea. Isreal has proposed the same agreement to all concerned arab parties, offering to give back all of the territory it gained in exchange for a piece of paper recognizing thier right to exist. In the Palestinian example the Isreali leader Barak offered the Palestinian's soveriegn control over the West Bank and Gaza in exchange for such a treaty. The peace process was going on track, until at the last minute Arafat changed the treaty and demanded certain clauses related to Isreal proper (Isreal of late 40's) and also the hieghts (a strategic posistion in isreals north that the arab's used to shell the isreali's until they captured it from them). Isreal under Barak made many peaceful moves like this, including the giving of several thousand assault rifles when the arabs wanted to form thier own police force in gaza and the west bank rather then isreali troops. Now those rifles are being used to kill isrealis in running gunfights. Barak was never re-elected since many Jews saw him give and give and give yet the arabs would not even recognize isreals right to exist (it is important to note that it may not all be arafat's doing. there is a good chance he is getting death threats from islamic extremist if he were to sign the treaty). The current string of violence we've been hearing about basically goes like this.
Arab suicide bomber every two weeks
Arab riots to celebrate the bombing or protest something isreal did
Isreali troops quell the riots, try to use rubber bulloets but switch to real ones when palestinians start shooting
Arabs and isreali's soilder or civilian die in the firefights
Cycle continues
Now I want to summarize all of that history into a few sentences.
Isreal has NEVER been the aggressor. Any land lose by the arabs has been due to them attacking Isreal.
It is still the standpoint of many arab governments that isreal should be driven into the sea and all jews in the middle east killed.
Isreal steal arab land when it was formed in the late 40's. Any occupied arab land came from the wars. And if you go back to the way way way beginning, jews were there long before they were driven out by arabs and romans and christians etc.
Isreal is the only one making concessions in the conflict. Thier only demand is that arabs recognize thier right to exist. Yet arabs still wish to extermiate them as a people.
Now why pretell does america care? Why do we allign ourselves with isreal if its such a risk? The reasons are a few:
1) Isreal helps develope most of our better military equipment. Thier quality education system and constant need for military R+D helps them make better weapons then our blotted inefficient system can.
2) Isreali intellegence is the best in the world. It's true they missed this one, but so did the rest in the world. Yet if you ask anyone they will tell you that Isreal has the best intellegence and is or eyes in the middle east.
3) Isreal is the only real democracy in the middle east. All the arab countries are ruled by kings, dictators, or religous extremist (not the kind of people we have things in common with). America has historically stood up for democracy and freedom from oppression (which most arabs face at the hand of thier leaders).
The Isreal/Palestine conflict is only a physical manifestation of a greater cultural difference though. For a much more detailed post on what we should do and the real root of conflict, see my post titled:
Cut of the Head of Terrorism by Attacking its Culture
