Fascinating story: How a pro-Palestinian American reporter changed his views on Israel and the conflict

Submitted by PezDispenser (Israel), Feb 16, 2017 at 17:08

http://www.jpost.com/Jerusalem-Report/A-view-from-the-frontlines-480829

"Before I moved to Jerusalem, I was very pro-Palestinian. Almost everyone I knew was. I grew up Protestant in a quaint, politically correct New England town; almost everyone around me was liberal. And being liberal in America comes with a pantheon of beliefs: You support pluralism, tolerance and diversity. You support gay rights, access to abortion and gun control. The belief that Israel is unjustly bullying the Palestinians is an inextricable part of this pantheon. Most progressives in the US view Israel as an aggressor, oppressing the poor noble Arabs who are being so brutally denied their freedom."

[...]

"Being personally affected by the conflict caused me to question how forgiving I'd been of Palestinian violence previously. Liberals, human-rights groups and most of the media, though, continued to blame Israel for being attacked. "

[..]

"Where do these double standards come from? I've come to believe it's because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appeals to the appetites of progressive people in Europe, the US and elsewhere."

[...]

"I admire the liberal desire to support the underdog. They want to be on the right side of history, and their intentions are good. The problem is that their beliefs often don't square with reality."

[...]

" even the kindest, most educated, upper-class Palestinians reject 100 percent of Israel ‒ not just the occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. They simply will not be content with a two-state solution"

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".