20060106

Israel & Palestine

Israel is even more prominent in the news these days because of Sharon's perceived impending demise, which threatens the newly formed Kadima Party and chances of peace with Palestine. The nature of Palestine itself is currently under discussion at All Things Beautiful.

I have a simple principle to determine who owns what piece of land, when it comes to nation-states, and that is the right of conquest. This and only this have been the enduring principle of ownership throughout history. It does not care who was there first, tracing one's lineage back as far as one can, nor does it does not care who is there most. For better or for worse, the Israeli has managed to hold that sliver of the Middle East by force of arms, and triumphed over those who would try to take it for themselves. There is no morality to conquest. But there is morality afterward, as to how you treat the conquered, and how you behave as the conqueror. As far as I can surmise, the Palestinians are treated better in Israel than in Jordan or Egypt; better than the Jews would have been treated had the situation been reversed.

Unfortunately, I fear the "Palestinians" are a lost people, whose only culture is hate and violence. They have become this way not from occupation but from manipulation and encouragement of their Arab brethrens.

Also worth reading:
General Ariel Sharon: A Military Perspective at the Officers' Club
Not a Fish
Belmont Club

1 comment:

Huan said...

There are plenty of Palestinians who do support peace, but they are in the vast minority and would be better off dissociating themselves from the current Palestinian movement. The Palestinians as a whole still support terrorism, indiscriminate slaughter of innocent civilians, as legitimate, not just against Israeli, but the west in general, and even other Arabs. When given an opportunity to build, they seek to employ violence against their own for political gains. All you have to do is peruse the events in of 2005.

I have not demonized them. I do not believe they are evil. I do believe they as a whole have "lost" their way, embarking on a path of violence and destruction. I have made a generalization. Like all generalizations, mine too have plenty of exceptions. But exceptions are just that, exceptions.

If my comment on the Palestinians seems thin, it is because it was not the point of the post, which pertains to who has the "right" to that strip of land. Had the Palestinian been victorious, then they would have had right to the land. But it takes more than viciousness to build a nation.