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Who is besieging whom?Reader comment on item: Arabs, Israelis, and Underdogs Submitted by IVAN (Australia), Apr 4, 2009 at 07:28 For more than 60 years Israel has been attacked time and again, then besieged strategically by surrounding Arab nations and has faced boycotts, terror, "Jew murder by suicide", continuing to be incited in Islamic schools. In recent years Egypt and Israel have supported an incomplete tactical blockade on the Gaza Strip and its nihilist rulers, elected by Gazans fully aware of the Hamas charter's declared aim to destroy Israel. The imbalance of these two sieges is inverted by those who pretend underdog status and attract sympathy and impunity to Hamas, despite its inhuman behaviour. From time to time and frequently, claims are made [seriatim] and that the only obstacle to a peaceful settlement between Israel and the Palestinians is variously: the Israelis do not want peace; "it's the occupation stupid"; the settlements; the Golan Heights; Israel racism since the time of Ben-Gurion; and charges of Israeli war crimes. And what about the re-invention of Arab "principles", successively revolt, pan-Arabism, secularsm, Ba'athism, Islamism with its 'innocent spiritual advisors' and mendacity. Take your pick among these dragon's teeth. Alternatively, major obstacles to a peaceful settlement between Israel and the Palestinians are really Arab oil; hurt pride and perceived dishonour at failures to overcome the Jewish state, at the resilience of Israeli society; at the escape of Jews from prescribed dhimmi status; at the contradiction of the demands of Koranic prescriptions; and the Jihadist movement. Add to these, the failure of the Palestinians to execute any of the early requirements of the Road Map; Hamas presence constraining the PA always to 'look over its shoulder'; incitement against Israel continuing in Palestinian schools and mosques. Paradoxically, the United Nations has perpetuated conflict by blessing Palestinian movements from the time when the General Assembly, ultra vires, gave Arafat a platform and specific committees; refugees were given the peculiarity of UNRWA which intervenes in partisan style and ignores its responsibilities to Jewish refugees; UN human rights bodies concentrate their venom upon Israel, whose defensive stringencies against Palestinians are those required and eventuating from by decades of defensive wartime conditions. Anti-Israel hysteria and boycotts by left wing fascists in the Red/Green coalition are among the distortions that dog, demonize and delegitimize the small, outnumbered, besieged Jewish state. WHICH IS THE UNDERDOG? Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments". << Previous Comment Next Comment >> Reader comments (32) on this item
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