Quote from Lobster:
Thanks for letting us know. They almost fooled me into thinking it were a normal religion like Christianity and the terrorists were evildoers who just happened to have that religion, like the Christians who burned witches or brutally slaughtered the native Americans in the most excessive holocaust ever or those who ran concentration camps. Or like the Jews who systematically terrorize and murder Palestinians and are destroying their home land.
"Their homeland" and "systematically terrorize" show your absolute ignorance (like most people) about the history and current realities of this postage stamp country. One of many good books to read is MYTHS AND FACTS.
Not only have Jews remained (regularly slaughtered and/or oppressed) throughout the Middle East for thousands of years, but there were still ancient Jewish communities in and around Israel right up until Israel was partitioned. In the late 1800s, observers (authors like Mark Twain and politicians) noted that Israel was primarily a barren dessert, with only a few man made productive areas (created and tended by newer as well as by ancient Jewish communities). The relatively small number of so-called "Palestinians" were essentially nomads.
Then, when Jews began immigrating to Israel before the actual partition (when Israel was 1/3 of its current already ultra-tiny size), "Palestinians" were encouraged to leave by other Arab states, so that those abandoning their homes could return and take over the entire area (under the rule of other Arab states) after the Arab countries destroy Israel. Palestinians left based on Arab propaganda and out of greed, and when Israel successfully defended itself, against all odds, and the "Palestinians" became refugees, no Arab country would take them in (although some managed to pour into Jordan). Thus, they became refugees, and most lived in an Egyptian ruled Gaza strip and Jordanian ruled West Bank.
Meanwhile, Israel took in as many Jewish refugees (500,000) from Arab countries, where these ancient communities fled from after being slaughtered upon Israel's partition, as people it lost when Palestinians voluntarily left. In other words, 500,000 Palestinians voluntarily left, while 500,000 Arab Jews fled to Israel to avoid the slaughters that were occurring.
The rule of these Arab countries (especially Egypt) was brutal, but as with almost all other cases around the world, no worldwide outrage was declared. Jordan expelled ancient Jewish communities from the West Bank (and from "E. Jerusalem," where Jews were the largest ethnic/religious group in the 1800s), while Egypt did the same in Gaza. Then, when Israel took over these areas in two more wars where it was defending itself, Israel became stuck with occupying and overseeing a multitude of refugees. Despite treating the people better than the Arab countries, and treating them as well as Israel could given the intent of many "Palestinians" bent on Israel's destruction, and despite the millions who have been slaughtered in ethnic cleansings around the world, and despite the slavery that persists to this day (such as that imposed by Arab descended Muslims in N. Sudan upon the Christians and Animists), Israel has been the subject of more demonization and Arab lobbied UN investigations than any country in the world.
And despite the inherent dangers, Israel negotiated in earnest with a life long terrorist (Arafat), offering money, an airport and potential statehood to the "Palestinians." The Oslo process started gradually, with Israel ignoring a myriad of terrorist bombings, gradually withdrawing and transferring security to a newly created PA. In 1998, Israel was granting concessions at the Wye River Peace Accords that showed tremendous faith given the vulnerabilities these concessions created for Israeli security. By 2000, Israel offered 95% of the West Bank and Gaza, part of Jerusalem and other concessions. This offer was made despite the fact that much of the West Bank and Gaza (including the land the settlements are built on) was SOLD to Israelis BY Palestinians. Even today some members of Arafat's negotiating team have said that Israel was negotiating in good faith, that the offers were very fair and that they pushed Arafat to accept. Yet, instead of accepting, or instead of even continuing to negotiate, Arafat resorted to what he had long planned on using as a negotiating tool probably all along (and what he had pretended to renounce), which was terrorism (both explicitly and implicitly).
The vast majority of Israelis, including the majority who wanted and believed in the negotiations with Arafat (that is, even those who believed that Arafat was somewhat sincere) became shocked and angry, and they decided to take a hardline on terrorism. Meanwhile, "Palestinians" (like most Arab countries) continue to teach in their schools (as they have all along) the most vicious demonization of Jews (from relating them to the devil to lying about their genes, traditions and humanity). While Israel goes out of its way to try to avoid civilian casualties in the toughest of circumstances (urban combat), "Palestinian" terrorists target Israeli civilians while the "Palestinian" masses cheer such murders (as they also did with Sept. 11). That is where we are today! And I have only scratched the surface. Please don't read a few stupid clippings, or listen to some lying and deceiving Arab backed propagandist and then make general and ignorant statements about this conflict.
Additionally, the Christian abuses are in the past, and the Nazis used race (albeit it referring to Jews as a race), not religion, as the basis for their ideology and genocide. As a matter of fact, the Nazis had a good relationship with Arabs (who offered congratulations to Hitler when he invaded Poland), and Hitler was visited many times by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (who asked Hitler to help eliminate their "Jewish problem."). The Arab countries only joined the allies, just before the conclusion of the war (when surrender was but a formality for the axis), because this was a precondition for automatic membership in the then new organization known as the UN. Moreover, Hitler also hated the Catholic church.
Meanwhile, intolerant Muslims (which, despite politically correct assertions to the contrary, is a large percentage of the islamic population) have attempted or committed genocides, forced conversions and political dominance in countries around the modern world. [/B][/QUOTE]
'