The world is truly obsessed with the Arab-Israeli conflict.
This can be illustrated best by how little the world seems to care about other violent nationalist conflicts.
Take, for example, this news piece: “Tamil Tiger rebels ‘kill 53’ soldiers”. About a third of the way into the BBC article comes this statistic: “At least 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict.” The time frame, provided a couple of paragraphs later, is 25 years.
According to various online sources, including B’Tselem, an Israeli NGO collecting statistics, and a UN agency with a predictably long and unnecessarily complex acronym – OCHAoPt (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Occupied Palestinian Territory) – over a twenty year period, 1987-2007, the total number of both Palestinian and Israeli casualties of the conflict is around 7,500.
(And here’s a question: Why is Gaza even still included as part of the Occupied Territories? After 2004’s controversial and bitter evacuation of permanent Israeli security forces from Gaza and 2005’s subsequent election of Hamas, is there a reason Israel is still considered an occupier?)
The twenty-year time period includes both intifadas – the two periods, outside of wartime, where violence was most rampant in the region.
Yet, still, the casualties figure is close to ten times less than in the Sri Lankan conflict.
Is there even a point is posing the obvious question “why”? Why the discrepancy? In attention, in focus, in condemnation, in humanitarian aid?
Apparently the Orwellian proverb – albeit slightly modified – still holds true: All conflicts are born equal, but some are more equal than others.
The January 11 rally sponsored by Americans Against Terrorism supporting Israel’s right to self-defense drew a crowd of 3,000 people. This rally, which was almost entirely unheard and invisible to passersby and hecklers on Lincoln Street, featured orderly and thoughtful speakers.
The 250 protestors on the west side of Lincoln Street came to chant, heckle and provoke. These people were chanting that U.S. aid to Israel is a crime, down with lying politicians, free Palestine, etc. in a provocative and hostile fashion. If U.S. aid to Israel is a crime then the U.S. is a criminal and violent acts against the U.S. are justified. What could they mean by “free Palestine?” There is no Palestine, so apparently they mean “destroy Israel.”
The two gatherings were very different in size, manner and intent.
Brilliant observation! Now that Israel evacuated Gaza–why referred to as occupied territory? Just goes to show what a sham the whole thing is. Shame on BBC. I guess it’s not even worth responding to a news outlet so transparently deceiving and manipulative in its presentation of news –and so transparently anti Israel to the point of ludicrous. 20,000????!!!
As always, super insightful.
When do you take over the reigns at The New York Times?
The IJN rocks!!!! Rocky Mountain Jew ROCKS!!!
What a tragedy that Israel, whose cultural traditions are dedicated to ethics and human rights, has compromised Judaic principles by committing war crimes. The Israeli military is facing investigation for atrocities committed against the people of Gaza, including the use of illegal chemical weapons that cause human flesh to burn to the bone.
It’s now become pitifully apparent that Israel’s intention is not peace, but ethnic cleansing and land appropriation. A recent 60 Minutes program exposed Israel’s unethical techniques for removing the indigenous population from the West Bank, with the admitted goal of preventing the creation of a Palestinian state. Another news report revealed a 60% increase in illegal Jewish settlements in the Palestinian West Bank during 2008, which Israel’s Defense Ministry tried to conceal, “fearing the data could hurt the country’s international relations.”
In its desire to confiscate the area that was set aside in the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan as a homeland for the Palestinian people, Israel has sacrificed its moral authority by stealing, lying, concealing crimes, depriving people of their basic human needs and rights, and massacring civilians in Lebanon and Gaza. They’ve lowered themselves to the level of thieves and terrorists, and violated the Golden Rule of Jewish ethics; “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor,” – Talmud, Shabbat 31a.
How tragic that because of Israel’s unethical behavior, Israeli civilians are more at risk of becoming victims of terrorism and anti-Semitism has increased throughout the world. How embarrassing it must be for Israeli citizens having to justify their nation’s crimes in the name of security for Jews, at the expense of Arab children’s lives.
My sympathies go out to Israelis and American pro-Israel Jews, for the daunting task they have in reconciling their conscience with the attempt to defend Israel’s indefensible conduct.
Shalom.
Embarrassing?
Sue: I am a proud Jew and resident of Israel.
You are so filled with hate toward Israel. Spewing hate and lies about Israel masked in transparently veiled “empathy” and “moral high ground” is for the cowards and the foolish. Why don’t you start reading some facts, like history books and contemporary FACTUAL literature about Israel and the middle east?
@ Tsviya Frieder
There is a Palestine. Whatever your opinion might be, the entity does exist and has its own government and civilian police force.
Rocky Mountain Jew thinks it’s great that Jews got together to rally, but shouldn’t that mean that those opposed have a right to their say as well?
@ Sue Gray
You raise a very interesting point that goes to the core of the psyche of the Jewish people. For so long Jews were the oppressed, their existence uncertain, constantly living under the rule of others. The founding of the State of Israel has changed that, which should be a positive thing. But it has come at a price, namely the militarism that pervades Israel. You obviously think this is unnecessary while others feel it vital for the nation’s security.