We helped create the nation of Israel. We give billions of dollars - 25% of our entire foreign aid budget - to Israel each year. We supply them with hardware, technology, nuclear devices - nobody is supposed to know about that - satellite intelligence and they quite routinely thumb their noses at the United States. Benjamin Netanyahu was literally caught on tape bragging about how easy it is to lead America around by its nose.
They refuse to curb their expansion into the "West Bank." They refuse to stop settlement building. They refuse to negotiate in good faith. In negotiations they always include a poison pill that makes it impossible for the Palestinians to accept the results. Am I against the nation of Israel? No. I firmly believe they have the right to exist and I support a two State solution. However they have to be meaningful States with the ability to develop their economies, grow and make an enriching life for their citizens.
Now Netanyahu wants US to start a war with Iran on Israel's behalf. He's rattling his saber and threatening to start it if we won't. My opinion? Let him. We'll sit this one out. If Israel wins, the entire matter will be settled once and for all. What other Middle Eastern nation would mess with Israel after such a win. If Israel loses, again the matter will be settled once and for all. It will become a cautionary tale for all nations who refuse to deal justly with their neighbors and get along.
When Jewish refugees immigrated into Palestine following WWII, by and large the Palestinian people welcomed them with open arms as brothers. More accurately as cousins. They are ALL Semitic people. The Jewish immigrants could have set up shop, built homes and businesses and lived in harmony in what they considered their ancestral homeland. However, this was not good enough. They wanted a Jewish State of their own. To this end, in 1948, they petitioned the United Nations and got their wish. As a result of this, tens of thousands of Palestinians who had been living there for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, were displaced. They lost their lands. They lost their businesses and many lost their lives. I wonder why they're pissed?
When the United Nations created Palestinian refugees by fiat, the displaced were pushed into the surrounding nations thus creating a social and economic burden on those economies. This is why Israel finds it's self surrounded by enemies. They might have done as the Palestinians did for them. They could have allowed those people to remain where generations of them had lived, toiled and died. Everyone could have sought peace. Yet at every turn, rather than seeking peace the choice was conflict. This is where we stand today. I hope we will learn from the lessons of history and reverse course. I hope that sane peaceful Israelis will take control of their government and choose real peace for a change. Am I holding the Palestinians blameless? No I'm not. However, with power comes responsibility. The most powerful must often sheath his sword first to deescalate a conflict. Make no mistake, Israel has and has had no better friend in this World than the United States. They might not want to ruin that relationship.
Benjamin T Moore Jr
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