After WWII the British petitioned the U.N. to give over sovereign rule to a small portion of the Palestinian land for a Jewish state and call it “Isreal”. Surely, you can understand the sentiment of that act after the treatment of the Jews by both the Germans and the Russians. The surrounding neighbors of the Palestinian land; Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, et al. thought this was a very bad idea.

So much so that they joined forces to attack “Isreal” were it to be formed. This coalition of Muslim countries advised the muslims living in Palestine to vacate the premises or else risk getting caught up in the carnage of clearing the land of Jews “from the river to the sea”.

Those who left chose sides…and chose poorly. The U.N. and U.S. sanctioned government of Isreal routed the invaders and in the process took more land to ensure greater security (the spoils of war). The muslim population that left the area were not permitted to return. They were considered enemies of the Jewish state. The muslims that stayed were not only allowed to stay, but were given full citizenship in the new Isreal.

The “Palestinians” living in the desert and in West Jerusalem are suffering not so much at the hands of the Jews, but at the hands of their own leaders. The U.S. and its allies have given billions of dollars to the PLO and its representatives over the past 60 years for infrastructure and investment in the areas they currently occupy only to have it stolen and squandered by these “leaders” (Arafat et al).

They have been kept poor and destitute for political purposes by their own people so that the conflict continues until they get their way!!

People like yourself are well meaning but easily led astray by images and propaganda. Why do you think the Palestinians continue to reject a two state solution? Listen the the speaches given by their own leaders (both political and religious), the only solution for them is the obliteration of Isreal. Don’t be decieved!

There’s plenty of motive throughout the muslim world for the destruction of Isreal. Given the opportunity they will try.

Ask yourself this: Why are the leaders and voices of the people of countries that hate the U.S. (even before Bush) and Isreal love Obama so much?

When the world loves or hates you it should give you pause.

Thanks for being here and for spending your time commenting the post!

This post is a translation, as said next to the title. But I can give my opinion…

I understands your questions and the right everyone have to ask about the ideals and the history of a candidate. If someone wants to be in politics, he needs to know lots of his private life will no longer be private. Questions should really be asked.

I also agree that if you pick some of the events you can give me a nice picture against palestinians. But this is not the question. I would never say one side has the reason and the other doesn`t, simply because I think this doesn’t exist! Always, in a dispute, both sides are responsible. But reading and studing this question, some things are facts! Palestinians are suffering a holocaust there. And if I were an Israeli, I would not agree with that. I’m a Brazilian, and I don’t agree with a couple of things we do here! This is a matter of principle. I can’t agree with violence, and state violence is even worst. I have brazilian friends who went to palestine to a couple of days, and they described horror scenes…

And I can`t actually understand this Right of Return… Imagine: where you live in US, there were the natives 5 centuries ago… Imagine if they come back tomorrow and ask you to live your house? This is wrong, yeah? Yes! Imagine now another situation…

The Jews lived there for thousand years, yeah? YES! No one had the right to run then away! But this happened! It was wrong but it happened. Years and years later, poor people, agricultural society, started cultivating that land… No one was living there. And they worked on that land for centuries! The romans started taking out the Jews… NOT the palestinians who lived there when the Jews started comming back. So, I can’t see Right of Return, because they left that land almost 2 thousand years ago, and the ones they had to take out that land were not the ones who took the Jews out.

This is a very difficult point to discuss. This really touches people. But I think the way things are working now, is not the better. I really admire Mahatma Gandhi and I think we should “fight” the non-violance “battle”…

You are welcome to comment back!

Warm wishes,

V.W.

i’m stopping by at random. i understand this is one of your older posts, but it is a most relevant one.

U.S. politics aside… the question is “What does the future of Isreal and the Middle-East look like according to Mr. Khalidi?” History is only so important – it teaches us, but how has it shaped us?

Was it (is it) not reasonable to know with certainty what a presidential candidate envisions? When the words say one thing and the history and associations imply something very different, what questions are to be asked?

Did you walk away from the Khalidi lecture more or less inclined to sympathize with the Palestians? Are you confident that you have the whole story? i could throw a perspective at you that is entirely sympathetic to the Jewish side simply based on an accurate rendering of hand-picked historical events.

The issue at hand is “Right of Return”. If you were an Isreali, is that what you’d want?