Punch on: Open thread 27/01/2010

Cel says:

12:15pm | 27/01/10

Agreed ChrisG.

Faten says:

02:47pm | 27/01/10

I agree with N, whilst most people would acknowledge what happened to the Jews under Hitler, its astonishing that its okay by Israelis to do unto others what was done to them.
ChrisG, if you think Israelis are not persecuting Arab Israelis than perhaps you should read more into what is happening over their.
I am not referring to the bombings and shooting, I’m referring to the Arab Israeli’s who are treated like second class citizens, are not allowed to Marry non-Arab Israeli’s so that they can’t increase their population by marrying Palestinians and bringing them into the country.
Although the official language of Israel is Hebrew and Arabic, Arabic is banned from the public sector.
This from http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/0999/9909019.html “No major scholarships have ever been awarded to an Arab; there are no dorms for Arabs and no college-related jobs or financial aid programs. They justify this legal discrimination by the fact that we do not serve in the army. There are numerous blatant and official methods used to keep Palestinian Arabs out of the universities.” racism at its peak, but of course its not racism if your not white!
I’m sure theres many more examples, but of course people like you and others with just brush that all aside, afterall their mainly Muslims so who really cares.

Faten says:

03:03pm | 27/01/10

Apologies, I do not believe that all citizens of Isreal are racist, or all of its government members are, its policies are racist.

ChrisG says:

12:55pm | 27/01/10

“N”, I don’t accept that Israel is persecuting Palestinians, and reject the Ghetto comparison.

Let’s get the history and context right. Israel was created as a state by the international community recognising the thousands of years connection and presence of jews to that area. A two state solution was proposed. The Arab states attacked the new state. That Arab State war created the first set of displaced persons. Israel offered to negotiate - this was rejected and the Arab States did not allow any normalisation or settlement of the adjoining territories and the displaced. The Arab States attacked again in 1967 - that created the second major flow of displaced and the second set of border disputes. At the time, and on occasions since, Israel has tried to negotiate the recognition and peace that would allow relations with Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to normalise.

Every action by Israel since 1948 in Gaza and the West Bank can legitimately be seen as an act of self-defence, including creating walled security for itself. In regard to economic development and restrictions on access across borders, what I find stunning is the view that Palestinians should be allowed, by right, to engage in the economy of the state they are trying to destroy. Again though, such engagement is is possible when terrorist incursions cease and Israel is recognised.

The culprits in regard to the suffering of ordinary Palestinians, can be properly identified as the Arab States who rejected Israel’s existence, Arafat and his period of bloody and corrupt leadership of the PLO, and now Hamas. The only thing that stands in the way of ending the suffering of the Palestinians is Palestinian leadership that continues to wage war against Israel and is willing to accept its own people as collateral damage.

ChrisG says:

02:45pm | 27/01/10

“N”, there is a simple cause and effect to the conflict: Palestinian leadership commits to the right for Israel to exist, foreswears terror and stops attacks, with the effect that Israel, as it has done on a couple of occasions, including by then Prime Minister and current Defence Minister Barak, hands back control of the territories to a Palestinian state committed to coexistence and in receipt of the international development aid that would be forthcoming. It’s called win win.