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How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the conflict

ChezC3

Relentless Thinking Fury
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In the summer of 2015, just three days after I moved to Israel for a year-and-a-half stint freelance reporting in the region, I wrote down my feelings about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A friend of mine in New York had mentioned that it would be interesting to see if living in Israel would change the way I felt. My friend probably suspected that things would look differently from the front-row seat, so to speak.

Boy was he right.

How a pro-Palestinian American reporter changed his views on Israel and the conflict - Arab-Israeli Conflict - Jerusalem Post

There is usually no middle road when it comes to the I/P issue. I myself a staunch defender and supporter of Israel for too long to remember. I literally have written no less than 200,000 words on the subject ( a god-damned book!) on political sites such as this and have yet to be persuaded to change my opinion, if anything, to the contrary, I've only become more convinced of my opinions.

I've avoided this issue for the most part on this particular site largely due to the fact that I've heard all the arguments, I've seen all the data, have listened over and over to the perceived unjust, heavy-handedness of the Israelis all of it and I find no enjoyment rehashing the same old rebuttals -- as true as they may be -- over and over and over again.

The behavior and outlandish claims, the stubborn refusal to seek compromise by the Palestinians and their supporters have actually moved my position further away from compromise, as I'm sure it has had the same effect on others. The same I'm sure will be said by the other side of the argument.

If more people on that side of the argument had the ability to be as open-minded as the author of this article I have no doubt they would find hard-liners such as myself more agreeable to meet them half way.

But until that happens...
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

How a pro-Palestinian American reporter changed his views on Israel and the conflict - Arab-Israeli Conflict - Jerusalem Post

There is usually no middle road when it comes to the I/P issue. I myself a staunch defender and supporter of Israel for too long to remember. I literally have written no less than 200,000 words on the subject ( a god-damned book!) on political sites such as this and have yet to be persuaded to change my opinion, if anything, to the contrary, I've only become more convinced of my opinions.

I've avoided this issue for the most part on this particular site largely due to the fact that I've heard all the arguments, I've seen all the data, have listened over and over to the perceived unjust, heavy-handedness of the Israelis all of it and I find no enjoyment rehashing the same old rebuttals -- as true as they may be -- over and over and over again.

The behavior and outlandish claims, the stubborn refusal to seek compromise by the Palestinians and their supporters have actually moved my position further away from compromise, as I'm sure it has had the same effect on others. The same I'm sure will be said by the other side of the argument.

If more people on that side of the argument had the ability to be as open-minded as the author of this article I have no doubt they would find hard-liners such as myself more agreeable to meet them half way.

But until that happens...

I have a feeling you wouldn't have been so supportive if it had been a pro Israeli reporter who changed his mind......
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

T"he behavior and outlandish claims, the stubborn refusal to seek compromise by the Palestinians and their supporters have actually moved my position further away from compromise, as I'm sure it has had the same effect on others. The same I'm sure will be said by the other side of the argument."

I agree with you completely. My main beef with the pro-Palestinian types is the lack of credible evidence to back their beliefs. I find them mostly relying on fabrications and distortions history to make their points.
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

lemme see; Israel has the track record of violating more UN resolutions than any other nation in history, they have never signed the NPT yet they have over 200 nukes according to a former US president, Israel is a ******* state, Israel attacked a US Navy vessel = the USS Liberty without provocation killing many US service members & knowing full well it was a US flagged vessel (which even Iran has never done), Israel continues to build 'settlements' that most every US president has requested they cease to build ................... where do we stop .................

yes, the Palis are terrible ............... I remember when they attacked the USS blah blah blah, when they took land from Homer Simpson, and they have nukes too ..................
 
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Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

and the case for a Greater Israel grows that much stronger...
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

lemme see; Israel has the track record of violating more UN resolutions than any other nation in history, they have never signed the NPT yet they have over 200 nukes according to a former US president, Israel is a ******* state, Israel attacked a US Navy vessel = the USS Liberty without provocation killing many US service members & knowing full well it was a US flagged vessel (which even Iran has never done), Israel continues to build 'settlements' that most every US president has requested they cease to build ................... where do we stop .................

yes, the Palis are terrible ............... I remember when they attacked the USS blah blah blah, when they took land from Homer Simpson, and they have nukes too ..................

lol.

1. UN is corrupted so violating resolutions obsessively focused on israel while systematically ignoring most others is meaningless.

2. If you don't sign the NPT there is nothing preventing the development of nuclear weapons, so your "argument" is both illogical and nonsensical. Contrast to Iran signing the NPT (agreeing to be bound by a pledge not to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for access to technology) and then systematically violating those pledges.

3. not sure what the asterisks are? Zionist?

4. Conspiracy theory

5. Woopedy doo.
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

lol.

1. UN is corrupted so violating resolutions obsessively focused on israel while systematically ignoring most others is meaningless.

2. If you don't sign the NPT there is nothing preventing the development of nuclear weapons, so your "argument" is both illogical and nonsensical. Contrast to Iran signing the NPT (agreeing to be bound by a pledge not to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for access to technology) and then systematically violating those pledges.

3. not sure what the asterisks are? Zionist?

4. Conspiracy theory

5. Woopedy doo.


The US Government constantly *****es when other nations vilolate UN resolutions so, they either believe in the UN, or don't mind the UN being "corrupted" as you state.
Maybe the UN is corrupted because of the US: after all the US has poked it's nose into the business of other nations, started more military actions, been in more military actions, etc., than any other nation in modern history. Yes, I see where the corruption is coming from; from a tyrannical bully ........

Iran has nukes? I wasn't aware of that. That has to be news to even the CIA ............. funny stuff you are spewing there ............
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

The US Government constantly *****es when other nations vilolate UN resolutions so, they either believe in the UN, or don't mind the UN being "corrupted" as you state.

Not relevant. The US cares when genuine bad actors ignore genuine efforts by the legitimate forces in the UN to affect positive change. They don't care when the General Assembly passes a resolution condemning the Jews for eating babies and then appointsd a commission that finds the baby eating is the worst thing to ever happen in the history of man.

Maybe the UN is corrupted because of the US: after all the US has poked it's nose into the business of other nations, started more military actions, been in more military actions, etc., than any other nation in modern history. Yes, I see where the corruption is coming from; from a tyrannical bully ........

You're drifting...

Iran has nukes? I wasn't aware of that. That has to be news to even the CIA ............. funny stuff you are spewing there ............

Right. Cause they clearly were not trying to get them, using the technology made available to them through their signature of the NPT...
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

I have a feeling you wouldn't have been so supportive if it had been a pro Israeli reporter who changed his mind......

Only a feeling? He plainly told you what side of the argument he's on. So I'm not sure what you're going for here.
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

The US Government constantly *****es when other nations vilolate UN resolutions so, they either believe in the UN, or don't mind the UN being "corrupted" as you state.
Maybe the UN is corrupted because of the US: after all the US has poked it's nose into the business of other nations, started more military actions, been in more military actions, etc., than any other nation in modern history. Yes, I see where the corruption is coming from; from a tyrannical bully ........

Iran has nukes? I wasn't aware of that. That has to be news to even the CIA ............. funny stuff you are spewing there ............

Nice deflection and transition to anti-US rant! :applaud:thumbdown
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

Nice deflection and transition to anti-US rant! :applaud:thumbdown


not a deflection; a reply to points #1 & #2 from the previous post

I am pro America but it is pretty obvious that America has lost it's way & it didn't happen just yesterday; it happened decades ago

this nation (US) is basically it's own enemy, as it's many failures over the decades have proven

yes, I am pro US but our policies are killing our nation & I care about that

if I didn't care then yes, I would be anti-US

there; you learned something today .........
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

not a deflection; a reply to points #1 & #2 from the previous post

I am pro America but it is pretty obvious that America has lost it's way & it didn't happen just yesterday; it happened decades ago

this nation (US) is basically it's own enemy, as it's many failures over the decades have proven

yes, I am pro US but our policies are killing our nation & I care about that

if I didn't care then yes, I would be anti-US

there; you learned something today .........

Yeah, America should be pro-Arab (xenophobes, anti-semites, anti-LGBT, anti-womens' rights). :roll:
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

Yeah, America should be pro-Arab (xenophobes, anti-semites, anti-LGBT, anti-womens' rights). :roll:


that is a fair depiction of the current administration; congrats ..........
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

... Liberals, human-rights groups and most of the media, though, continued to blame Israel for being attacked. Ban Ki-moon, for example, who at the time was the head of the United Nations, said in January 2016 ‒ as the streets of my neighborhood were stained with the blood of innocent Israeli civilians ‒ that it was “human nature to react to occupation.” In fact, there is no justification for killing someone, no matter what the political situation may or may not be, and Ban’s statement rankled me. ...
i disagree. my forefathers fought against an occupational force for their own freedom and their own sovereign nation
and they killed the opposition in that process
you might have heard of it. it's called the American Revolution
 
Re: How a pro-palestinian american reporter changed his views on israel and the confl

that is a fair depiction of the current administration; congrats ..........

Changing the subject again, because you can win the debate. :lamo
 
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