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Tashah said:I've looked into this avenue myself and keep abreast of new opportunities. Since Afghanistan and Iraq are militarily occupied, they will comply if the issue is pressed. As for the others... don't hold your breath waiting for the 'We love America' rapture.
I won't hold my breath. Holding my breath wouldn't change much of anything. I do believe that with as much political and financial weight that the United States holds, that a few could be persuaded to allow such a thing. Even if only a few did it, the idea is to project a positive image as best as we can. Even if we only get into a few countries, the people of those countries could see Americans in a light that maybe isn't portrayed in the media all the time. People talk. That's how the Peace Corps has to work. It's just like how JFK intended to use the Peace COrps to fight communism. Every member to be an ambassador of America, freedom over oppression and capitalism over communism.
Then your understandings and mine are radically different. Jews have been in Israel since the partiarch Abraham.
Muslims claim Abraham has their patriarch just as much as Jews, and Christians do.
Israel's territorial integrity was lost to the conquest of empires, i.e.. Roman, Christian, and Muslim. We didn't steal anything, we have been here since antiquity and it is indeed our homeland. I always find it strange how you liberals love the UN except for the explicit UN Resolution that restored the territorial and cultural integrity of Israel. From my point of view, the Land of Israel was incrementally stolen by historical empires, Muslim conquest, and the caprice of western colonialism.
Forgive me. "Steal" is an incredibly inappropriate word, for one. Also, I did not mean to say that Jews did not live in Israel before the Zionist movement started, but in 1931 there were around 175,000 Jews and 860,000 Arabs in that particular area. Compare that statistic to today. In 1949, in the area that became Israel, there were around 800,000 Palestinians and only 170,000 were permitted to stay.
This information is from:
http://i-cias.com/e.o/israel_5.htm
If you feel this a flawed or fabricated source of information on the history of Israel, I would appreciate seeing one that a resident of said country finds to be credible/respect with, that is if it's not too much trouble
Let me in turn be perfectly frank. Out of a whole globe of available candidates, you only see fit to explicitly single out Israel for indictment and castigation. Mistreatment of people? Perhaps you should attend to your own messy house before throwing your incriminating stones. Do these examples ring any alarm bells? Native Indians. African Slavery. Mexico and Central America. Mormons. Resource exploitation. Gunboat diplomacy. McCarthyism. Japanese internment. Guantanimo. Abu Gharaib. CIA renditions. Iraq.
I don't pretend that America is perfect. The reason I have brought up Israel is because we are talking about Arabs and we are talking about possibilities as to why Americans have earned the hatred of Arabs, and how to rectify that situation.
That's only a miniscule tally of your mistreatments... not to mention a whole globe full of regimes that murder, rape, torture, and exterminate as we speak. And you dare to single out Israel? Have you no decency?
I don't mean to single out Israel. I feel that Israel is relevant to the discussion of Islamic terror. If you like, I could talk about the Russian mistreatment of the Chechens. I did not mean to offend anyone, sincerely. I believe there is a problem in Israel and if we could resolve it fairly for all parties it would be very beneificial for many people. I don't believe it can be resolved with treating every Palestinian like prisoners, nor do I believe that it can be done by having Israel "wiped off the map".
Israel is not their land... and Israel is not going anywhere. If Palestinians loathe being treated like prisoners, then they should cease acting like criminals.
If you treat every single Palestinian like a criminal or an animal, don't be surprised when that's how they act.
Israel has totally withdrawn from Gaza. Per Samaria and Judea (the West Bank), I personally envision and entertain no further Israeli withdrawal. The Palestinians gambled everything when they joined with the invasion armies, and they lost the 'push Israel into the sea' gambit. They sought nothing less than the cessation and extermination of Israel. When you lose a gambit of this horiffic magnitude... a correlating price is extracted.That was long ago. Surely you do not mean for every genaration of these people to pay for the sins of their fathers and grandfathers?
I will say this as plainly as possible Gandhi>Bush. Israel will return the West Bank to Jordan when the United States returns Texas to Mexico.
Texas fought a war for it's independence. After being solo for a year or two(maybe more, Texas history was in the 8th grade), we were annexed. I find the analogy to be a bit off.
Per your ideology of a non-violent global rehabilitation ... this scenario can only work if EVERYONE agrees to work within the confines of this parameter.
I don't believe that. The British hardly agreed to nonviolence, and the KKK even less.
Even India, the homeland of Gandhi, realizes that a viable ideology utilized in a domestic arena does not translate internationally... as there are too many global actors who embrace an expansionist agenda and revel in violence and bloodshed. Perhaps your utopian dream will someday become a reality. But until that horizon dawns upon mankind, those of us who cherish our homeland will do what we must to keep the barbarians from the gates.
I understand your will for defense. I do not want to see your country in harm's way any more that I want to see it do harm. I do, however, believe that when it does harm to Arabs, Palestinians, what have you, it brings itself into harm's way.