In this intractable conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, I have heard both sides claim the “other” doesn’t exist.
In Gaza, more than one Palestinian has told me that Israel doesn’t exist and they refuse to acknowledge Israel’s existence.
On Facebook, I have read comments by some Israelis and Americans that Palestinians do not exist. Wasn’t there an American Congressman last year who announced there are no Palestinians?
I suspect both “WISH” the other didn’t exist and then they could create the reality they dream of.
The reality, however, is that both exist —- like the sun and the moon —- there is no denying the fact that there is a State of Israel today. Nearly 8 million people live in Israel. And the indigenous people who lived here peacefully before the creation of the State of Israel in 1947 are the Palestinians.
There are over 11.6 million Palestinians in the world today, of which 4.4 million live in the occupied territories in the West Bank and Gaza. By 2020, if current birth rates continue there will be more Palestinians living in historical Palestine than Jews, hence the “demographic threat” that some Israeli officials worry about.
I am not passing judgment on the legal rights of either side, and I’m certainly not arguing that there is equality between the “occupier” and the “occupied.” I’m noting a simple, undeniable fact, that the State of Israel exists today, and there are millions of Palestinians living on this land too. Am I’m urging everyone on both sides to take their “blinders” off.
Some examples of this deliberate blindness which make future peace very difficult, if not impossible, include:
- Refusing to teach children about the “other” people. Israeli textbooks ignore the history of the Palestinians and the Nakba. The Palestinian textbooks ignore Israel and the Holocaust.
- U.S. and Israeli policy ignores the legitimate election of Hamas, as if they don’t exist, and they refuse to even talk with Hamas, preferring to carry out targeted assassinations instead.
- Building a very high “security” wall so that Israeli citizens don’t even see the conditions and life on the other side.
- Some Palestinians claim that the State of Israel doesn’t exist (legal or otherwise) despite the fact that the vast majority of nations on this planet recognize the State of Israel.
- Even some Arabs claim that Palestinians do not exist.
People can continue with their wishful thinking and this nonsense, or they can recognize the reality that exists today. The Earth is not flat, and wearing blinders will not change the facts. The first step towards a future for everyone is acknowledging that everyone exists, in my humble opinion.
لماذا غزة؟ Why Gaza? 
Once again the issue of the treatment of women comes up. It seems to be pervasive among many dominant cultures and religions. I am a woman raised and living entirely in the USA. Women have more freedom here than in some other parts of the world; but even here there are political forces attempting to put women back into their “place” assigned to them by a misogynist view of “God”. Cultures that practice misogyny rob themselves of all the wisdom and strength and intelligence of roughly half their populations. No wonder things keep turning to war. A woman knows as men cannot what it takes to bring a child into the world. That knowledge is so desperately needed and no council of exclusively males will ever possess it.
Moderator ….. what or who do you “moderate”? Your words above remind me of the words that Nonie Darwish shared on my campus in New Mexico. Do you know Nonie Darwish? This is what I wrote about her speech.
http://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/2012/02/hate-speech-or-a-courageous-warning.html
The “Moderator” has outdone his/herself. Sounds rather biased to me. I think the problem I have with your piece Lora and your continued comments on this issue are several. But I will list just one. The problem I have is that the STATE of Israel exists at the “discretion” of outside interests with agendas. British, U.S., etc…Thus, when we speak of a “state” of Israel, we only have a “state” of Israel because it benefits folks who actually don’t even live there, those being outside Western strategic, and economic interests. There would be no “state” of Israel if the United States did not want that particular state there. It would have all been done a long time ago. At times Lora, your comments reflect a patronising and condescening tone toward those you wish to help. Folks tried to suggest that to you on your FB post, which appears to be the initial impetus for this blog posting. I think your vociferousness is getting you in trouble on this issue, and listening to some of those critiques that appeared on the FB thread would be a good way to begin an internal critique. The problem comes from your tone which is pretty much chastising and telling folks in those countries how they should “think” about their situation. You mean well, but this time, you have overstepped. I suspect that you don’t mean it this way, but to be blunt, that is the way it is coming across. This is my honest commentary to you. It is just my take on it, but I am trying to be honest because you have asked us to do so. Thank you for all you do.
By the way, I am not jewish at all with no history to judaism so the comment is merely based on many years of experience and research, and has nothing to do with personal biases.
This comment by you “moderator” is a joke, given your last diatribe. Your agenda was clear. We all got it. How about you stick to moderating this particular time, and recuse yourself from the discussion?
http://www.geni.com/projects/The-Jewish-Kingdom-of-Khazaria/13139
Does the fact that over 90% of so-called Jews are actually descendants from the ancient kingdom of Khazaria? They converted en masse in around 800CE, when a King Bulan decided that it would be to his benefit not to be either Christian or Muslim in order to better trade with both empires. How do a people from the Caucases have a right to Palestine?
It is historically incorrect to claim that a people known as palestinians lost land. This is not at all accurate. If you look at the timeline from the creation of Israel and from historical documents from the time the country was British mandate, there is no palestinians living on the land at all. Palestinians are in fact, a military creation made to commit intifada. British presence in Palestine reported that thousands of people from neighbouring Arab countries, predominantly from areas now known as Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, flooded into the area. “Palestinians” started only to appear on the land from late 1920’s and onwards.
The British Hope-Simpson Commission recommended, in 1930, “Prevention of illicit immigration” to stop the illegal Arab immigration from neighboring Arab countries.
The British Governor of the Sinai (1922-36) reported in the Palestine Royal Commission Report: “This illegal immigration was not only going on from the Sinai, but also from Transjordan and Syria.”
The governor of the Syrian district of Hauran, Tewfik Bey El Hurani, admitted in 1934 that in a single period of only a few months over 30,000 Syrians from Houran had moved to Palestine.
In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, an executive member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), said in an interview to the Dutch newspaper Trouw: “The ‘Palestinian people’ does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel.”
Even the present Hamas minister, in a plead to the Arabs to provide funding so they can murder more people, declared that it was their duty since palestinians were Egyptians and Arabs, and not a separate people. These palestinians are a terrorist creation, and therefore, their native Arab countries don’t want to allow them entry back into their home countries and these illegals are now stuck in palestine.
It is understandable why Muslims would claim Israel never existed. They don’t acknowledge Israel. In fact, after Israel they have promised to come to Spain and Italy. Did Spain and Italy occupy and land belonging to “palestinians”? No, they never have. But because the medieval caliphate tried to invade Spain and Italy, of which they succeeded to occupy Spain and were later driven out, Muslims insist that these two countries rightfully belong to them and don’t acknowledge them as nations belonging to their actual inhabitants. According to Islam, no other faith or country has the right to exist, except a Muslim one.
Islam has created a racist war against the jews that has lasted for 14 centuries. It is time for the jews to have the right to live in peace from these aggressors. It is the same Grand Mufti, who initiated the mass immigration into Israel, who also encouraged the nazi’s to create mass extermination of the jews. This is documented by former nazi staff and there is plenty of historical facts supporting this.
It doesn’t matter if all of Israel would be handed to them, because this conflict will never end. It is not about land. It is about religious racism and the desire to commit total genocide of jews – according to the repeated instruction of prophet Mohammed.
Those who support the terrorism organization that is palestinians today, with the leadership of Hamas, also support Muslim military terrorism against Spain and Italy in the future, as they have promised. It is truly ignorant and evil.
“Allah willing one day we will return to Andalusia. We will liberate it and Islam will return”
A video from the Muslim kalifa movement that want to demand Spain back to the occupying Muslims: “The Lost Kingdom Al-Andalus”
Palestinian Islamic Scholar Al-Yaziji We Hope to Conquer Andalusia and the Vatican:
Antisemitism in Islam’s Foundational Texts:
Cleric: “The Jews Are the Eternal Enemies of Muslims Regardless of Palestine”:
You prove my point. There are people who deny the Holocaust happened — deny the state of Israel exists — deny the Palestinians exist — deny that climate change is a real and present danger — deny, deny, deny.
I’m not going to try to persuade you to change your mind, although there are plenty of respected historians whi disagree with your version of the facts.
Instead, I’m going to ask you “what are you the moderator” of? Please tell me a little more about you.
I am sorry, but generally Americans are extremely unaware of the world and paint a naive picture of reality. The world is not American. Your idea of democracy and freedom is not their idea of democracy or freedom. America is a deeply hated country in the Middle East. ANY non-Islamic country is viewed as an enemy state. Guess what Muslim idea of democracy is? Sharia law. And what is Sharia? The senseless murder of non-Muslims, hanging of apostates, rape of women, burning gays alive, incest and sodomy of infants and children, stoning and murder of women – and a completely one-side immunity to men for all their crimes against the minorities in society.
Having lived many years in these regions, although it is wonderful that people want to help to make things better, I can honestly say you are not helping anyone. The only thing you are doing is supporting terrorists.
The references I gave you are not opinions. They are actual facts. Irrespective what the terrorists you support in Gaza state in their propaganda (and they are very skilled in warfare and propaganda) a historical fact is a fact and not an opinion, and can be researched.