Despite the fact that the map above inaccurately labels this region of the Middle East as "Arab land", the area the map depicts is indeed overwhelmingly Muslim (if not necessarily Arab). I find it interesting that a people can be so demonized and persecuted for wanting to preserve and defend their Biblical homeland that dates back for many millennia to the Jewish people. It certainly helps to put things in perspective, I thought.
4 comments:
I think the old paradigm of the Arab world coming to "take back" the Jewish state died in the 1970s after numerous Israeli military victories. Most Arab states accept Israel being there (some unofficially, others officially), and it is now largely considered to be a fringe position to call for the destruction of Israel.
Both Jews and Arabs have lived in what is now Israel for centuries and both have been expelled for periods of time. In my view, both sides have a legitimate claim for the land, however, and that is why the UN originally partitioned it into two separate states. Going back further than 1947, to me, is irrelevant.
That is where the Palestinian issue comes in. It is a fact that many Palestinians were forcibly displaced to make room for Israel. I don't believe in a "right of return" for Palestinians, but I don't think their claims can be ignored or dismissed. Most of the original Israeli settlers were from Europe who had no real ties to the area.
It is smart for the US to have a two state solution, as both the Bush and Obama administrations have. Both sides need to give in a little from their hard line positions. Israel will not survive in its continued state if they don't settle this Palestinian issue soon. Israel used to be almost universally admired, and now they are almost universally hated. A change in that trend line has to happen, or there won't be an Israel at all. You can only survive as a pariah state for so long.
Dave, I would agree with much of what you have said with the current exception of Iran and its proxies. Iran has a puppet control on the Damascus government thus controlling Syria. They also have terrorist minions in Lebanon to do their bidding against Israel.
Comments from Ahmadinejad calling for Israel's destruction are not something of the past and if they mullahs controlling Iran did not agree with this position, Ahmadinejad would have long ago been removed from power.
It strikes me as sad that Israel has indeed become an international pariah even though a majority of the time it is simply because they are defending themselves from other people that wish their destruction.
Remember, Paine, that Iranians are not Arabs. They are Persians, and nearly all of them are Shia. Iran was not involved in the wars against Israel in the past. Their conflict with Israel is relatively new.
They do fund Hezbollah in Lebanon, and contribute greatly to the instability of that country, but their influence in Syria has been greatly reduced. There have even been "off the books" peace negotiations between Israel and Syria.
Dave, I acknowledge and agree with your statement there, sir.
That is kind of what I was referring to in my original post when I said that the map did not depict accurately everything as being "Arab Land". The Iranians, as you noted, are a good example of this fact.
And while Iran's influence has waned in Syria of late, I would bet that in the event of a huge event, Bashar Assad and his nation would follow the dictates of the Iranian theocracy.
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