Despite energetic opposition from Israel and its gigantic lapdog the US, the UN has done the decent thing and recognised Palestine as a sovereign state.
Stand by for endless crap on defining its borders and much murderous mischief from the religious and racist state of Israel, the world's biggest running sore and the most sinister threat to world peace. This one will run and run, alas.
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I hold no particular brief for the Palestinian Arabs, but is unquestionably true that they were forced out of their land and homes by the creation of the state of Israel, at the behest of the USA and furthered by the world's collective horror at the Holocaust.
It should not be forgotten that the first Israeli settlers in their new land achieved full independence by terrorist means, mainly at the expense of British lives.
The problem now seems pretty intractable, with the ever-present chance of a really serious conflict engulfing the Middle East.
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I'm reading Andrew Marr's "History of the World" at the moment. only a few chapters in so far but it has served to re-ignite my view that "countries", "borders" and "states" are but a convenient figment of homo sapiens minds, created to serve only the function of enabling of aquisition and the imposition of power over those who have less of it.
Can't immediately think of a workable alternative though.
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One advantage, in theory, of the new Palestinian status is that armed Israeli incursions into Palestinian territory can now be treated as acts of war or armed aggression. And, in theory, the thuggish Israeli 'settlers' who have set up outposts there can be sent packing.
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>>And, in theory, the thuggish Israeli 'settlers' who have set up outposts there can be sent packing<<
And, in practice, they will stick two fingers up at the UN, and do exactly what they want as usual, safe in the knowledge that they are by-far the most heavily armed country in the M/East, backed by Uncle Sam.
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Indeed I think the phrase 'America's bible belt is Israel's safety belt' is one I've and sums it up. Without the US they wouldn't have anything like the miltary equipment they have now, they couldn't afford it all without it being near given away.
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Maybe the tide is turning though, the Jewish lobby didn't manage to get their preferred man in the big house,
thankfully.
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>> Andrew Marr's "History of the World"
This reminds me of the story in yesterday's comic saying that 'to ensure world-wide sales' the TV version of Marr's HOTW put skins and leather skirts on the actors playing early hominids and humans, instead of leaving them naked.
Tee hee - like putting trousers on grand pianos so that their shameful legs wouldn't be seen by ladies or lust-crazed gentlemen. Perhaps though Mr Marr just wanted the actresses to wear something he could slip his hand inside.
:o}
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I didn't think that had got statehood, just one rung up the observer status ladder?
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His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
We tried to sort it out post WW1 - but did a rather poor job of it.
Last edited by: R.P. on Fri 30 Nov 12 at 17:09
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Waste of time and effort.. neither party seriously wants to live in peace..
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My view of the history of the world, in terms of "countries", "borders" and "states" is that there seems to be two themes:
1) One state building an Empire and lording it over its neighbours until it collapses.
2) mass movement of peoples from one place to another, whereby they take over.
For example,
- the Romans settling in "Romania"
- Vandals taking over southern Spain "(V)andalusia"
- Anglo-Saxons invading Britain and pushing out the Celts (Partly because they were under pressure themselves from newcomers from central asia)
- British/French invading North America
- Spanish/Portuguese taking over South America
- British taking over Australasia from Aborigines/Maoris
- Israelis returning to Palestine
The last example is the only one with any possibility of true debate, since it is the geographical homeland of the Jewish people. The problem is the issues that it causes in trying to correct a historical wrong after such a passage of time.
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I have come to the conclusion that we in the West just dont get the Middle East at all, the answers the West comes up with for their troubles are often to the wrong questions.
One way or another it will sort itself, but Im not sure we will like the result.
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>> we in the West just dont get the Middle East at all
Of course the West 'gets' it Stu, having largely made it what it is and maintaining a complex web of relations with its countries and factions. That doesn't mean the West can control it though.
If it hadn't been for Israeli expansionism and racism, and uncritical US support for that followed by the cackling goslings of the capitalist West, Islamism as we know it in all its awful swarming malevolent idiocy just wouldn't exist. There might be some Muslim proselytising - Islam does have that side like many a Christian cult - but there wouldn't be any El Qaeda-style terrorism. The unanswerable argument for that development all along has always been the finger pointed at Israel and the US. Not much mileage in remarking to furious Muslims that two wrongs don't make a right.
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>>Of course the West 'gets' it Stu <<
I personally think it is an arrogant Western idea that it has the answers to all the worlds problems, even managing to condense it into a paragraph, not to mention some divine right to pontificate at people from afar.
I suppose though that if Iran gets its way, your problem with Israel will be solved, Middle East style.
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Palestinian statehood - Roger.
