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donsutherland1 · 05-26-08, 10:35 AM

Vader,

Unfortunately, some of those who take the pro-Palestinian population treat the Palestinian and Arab narratives as complete and unchanging truth. Hence, the very idea that there is more to the proverbial story than that of Palestinian dispossession contained in those twin narratives is dismissed out-of-hand, as is the reality of Jewish historic legitimacy. Worse, many of the decisionmakers in the region hold similar positions. That commitment to dogma is a recipe for implacability. It has fueled acts of aggression time and again.

Yet, if one moves beyond those narratives, to take a closer look at the historic Middle East dispute, one finds that Arab rejectionism, not Israeli "occupation," has been the driving force of the historic dispute. The "occupation" commenced only after the 1967 war. Before then, in 1947, one witnessed the Arab leadership rejecting any kind of compromises that fell short of Arab possession of the entire territory held by the British Mandate. After Israel's re-establishment in a portion of the territory, the Arabs launched the 1948 war in a bid to conquer Israel. They repeated their aggression against Israel in 1956 and 1967. Prior to such naked aggression, there was no "occupation." That did not deter the Arabs from their aggressive designs nor their adding the saga of "occupation" to the narrative of dispossession. In reality, "occupation" explains little or nothing. That Israel has given up the entire Sinai Peninsula to Egypt affirms that Israel does not seek territorial expansion. Instead, if peace is to have a chance to take hold, it is the root cause of Arab rejectionism that must be set aside.

In my opinion, those who actively encourage the Palestinians to hold firm to their narrative and seek to ignore the role Arab rejectionism plays, do no favors for the Palestinians. They merely invite a situation in which a negotiated settlement is rendered all but impractical. Such an outcome does not benefit the Palestinians. While terrorist organizations such as Hamas might successfully exploit the situation to perpetuate their existence, ordinary Palestinians suffer mightily.

05-26-08, 10:35 AM	#9 (permalink)
donsutherland1 Moderator Mod team member Join Date: Oct 2007 Last Online: Today 12:44 PM Location: New York Posts: 2,457 Thanks: 812 Thanked 1,564 Times in 873 Posts Lean: Centrist Gender: Awards:	Re: Why I cant respect Palestinian haters. Vader, Unfortunately, some of those who take the pro-Palestinian population treat the Palestinian and Arab narratives as complete and unchanging truth. Hence, the very idea that there is more to the proverbial story than that of Palestinian dispossession contained in those twin narratives is dismissed out-of-hand, as is the reality of Jewish historic legitimacy. Worse, many of the decisionmakers in the region hold similar positions. That commitment to dogma is a recipe for implacability. It has fueled acts of aggression time and again. Yet, if one moves beyond those narratives, to take a closer look at the historic Middle East dispute, one finds that Arab rejectionism, not Israeli "occupation," has been the driving force of the historic dispute. The "occupation" commenced only after the 1967 war. Before then, in 1947, one witnessed the Arab leadership rejecting any kind of compromises that fell short of Arab possession of the entire territory held by the British Mandate. After Israel's re-establishment in a portion of the territory, the Arabs launched the 1948 war in a bid to conquer Israel. They repeated their aggression against Israel in 1956 and 1967. Prior to such naked aggression, there was no "occupation." That did not deter the Arabs from their aggressive designs nor their adding the saga of "occupation" to the narrative of dispossession. In reality, "occupation" explains little or nothing. That Israel has given up the entire Sinai Peninsula to Egypt affirms that Israel does not seek territorial expansion. Instead, if peace is to have a chance to take hold, it is the root cause of Arab rejectionism that must be set aside. In my opinion, those who actively encourage the Palestinians to hold firm to their narrative and seek to ignore the role Arab rejectionism plays, do no favors for the Palestinians. They merely invite a situation in which a negotiated settlement is rendered all but impractical. Such an outcome does not benefit the Palestinians. While terrorist organizations such as Hamas might successfully exploit the situation to perpetuate their existence, ordinary Palestinians suffer mightily.