I Hate Yoshi
Okay I'm getting a little tired of some people deciding that they are the only ones with facts. So I'll lay down some FACTS.
The 1948 creation of the Jewish state of Israel porduced an enduring zone of cultural and politcal tensions with the eastern Mediterranean. Jewish migration to the area accelerated after the British took Palestine from the defeated Ottoman Empire after World War I. In 1917, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration, considered by some to be a pledge to encourage the "establishment of Palestine as a home for Jewish people." After World War II, the British agreed to withdraw from the area., and the United Nations divided the region into two states, one to be predominatly Jewish, the other primarly Muslim. Indigenous Arab Palestinians rejected the partition, and war erupted as soon as the British departed. Jewish forces proved victorious and by 1949 Israel had gained a larger share of land than it had originally been allotted. The remainder of Palestine, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, passed to Jordan and Egypt, respectively. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees fled from Israel to neighboring countries, such as Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, where many of them remained in makeshift camps. Under these difficult conditions, the Palestinians nurtured the idea of creating their own state in the land that had become Israel. The Israelis, not surprisingly, remained adamant that the country was theirs. Israel and its Arabic-speaking neighbors fought major wars in 1956, 1967, and 1973. In territorial terms, the Six-Day War of 1967 was the most important conflict. In this struggle against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, Israel gained substantial new territories in the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. Israel annexed the easter part of the formerly divided city of Jerusalem, arousing particular bitterness among the Palestinians, since Jerusalem is a sacred city in the Muslim tradition. The center is sacred in Judaism as well, and Israel remains adamant in its claims to the entire city. A peace treaty with Egypt later resulted in the return of the Sinai Peninsula in 1982, but tensions then focused on the other occupied territories that remained under Israeli control. To strengthen its geopolitcal claims, Israel also built additional Jewish settlements on the West Bank and in the Golan Heights, further angering Palestinian residents and nearby Syrians. A cycel of violent actions and equally violent reprisals accelerated with the Palestinian uprising in 1987 that became known as the "Intifada." The conflict continued unabated until 1993, when the two sides began to negotiate a settlement. Preliminary agreements called for the construction of a quasi-independent Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and across much of the West Bank. Radical factions on both sides denounced the settlement as a sellout, and political polarization among both the Palestinians and the Israelis heightened tensions across the region. Israel also has harshly resisted ongoing Palestinian terrorism, while Palestinian leaders such as Yasser Arafat have criticized continuing construction of new Jewish settlements in the West Bank. A tentative agreement late in 1998 strengthened the potential control of the ruling Palestian Authority, or PA, in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. A new cycle of heightened violence erupted late in 2000, howeverm as the Israelis continued with the constuction of new settlements in occupied lands and resisted PA moves toward more autonomy. In addition, Palestinian unemployment and poverty rates also have soared since 2000. The Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights remains the key point of the conflict with Syria. Syrian authorities argue that peace in the region is possible only after the territory is returned to Syrian control. The government of Israel, however, counters that it is vulnerable to attack from any potentially hostile state that might occupy this strategic highland. The region's relatively abundant water supplies add to Israel's determination to retain it.
Now for a little of my specialty, applied sociocultural anthropology. Looking at things from an economic standpoint, Israel's total GNI is nearly 100,000 million dollars compared to only 5,000 million for Palestinian controlled areas of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. GNI per capita is over $16,000 for Israel compared to less than $1,800 for Palestinians. GNI per captia after PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) is over $18,000 for Israelis and still under $1,800 for Palestinians. The economic growth of GDP as a percentage is 2.3 in Israel, one of the highest in the region. Palestinians are currently declining in GDP by .2 percent. What does this tell us? Things aren't equal, not by a long shot. To make another comment, the U.S. gives Israel over three billion dollars a year in aid. Palestine? Zero. From a demographic standpoint, Palestine has a little over 3 million people while Israel has about 6 1/2 million. Population density in Palestine is double that of Israels at nearly 1,400 people per square mile. This leads to serious overcrowding. To add to the problem, Palestines rate of natural increase is more than double that of Israels which means that the area will only become more crowded. The total fertility rate of Palestinians is double that of Israels at 6 births per woman of childbearing age. Nearly half of all Palestinians are under age 15, which creates a burden to provide for so many. All of these are staunch indicators that Palestinians are seriously impoverished just going by simple and common economic and social standards. So once again things are not equal by a longshot. If you want some sources try reading a book inside of some internet website.
First check out the World Bank Atlas of 2001. That will give you all of the figures you'll need. Then read Mark Tessler's 1994 book called The History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict from Indiana University Press. A just for good measure, pick up Les Rowntree's 2003 edition of Diversity Amid Globalization from Prentice Hall.
SC
Sausage-in-training
Dude what the hell are you talking about?Originally posted by Yoshi
Actually, I don't. Losing a single American life, Islamic or not, in that effort would mean failure. A single American life is worth more than we could possibly take in such an action.
You want the US to wage war against muslims as long as theyre not inside the US?
What about the enemy within then?
Oh and please reply to me in the other thread.
Do you prefer dogs or cats?
The History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict...
The first is an atlas, the other's a textbook. Those're cool.Kirkus Reviews, emphisis added by myself
A dense, well-annotated portrait of Jewish and Arab histories, national aspirations, and conflicts, focusing on the origins of modern Zionism and Arab nationalism with a view to the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Political scientist Tessler (Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinians, not reviewed) here determines to present an objective depiction of Jewish and Arab histories, in tandem, in an attempt to show the parallel conceptions of religion, history, and...
...and thus, the Chao has spoken.
And Chao did it good =p
I think Stone's still presenting a solid case.
Rezo~Isn't one of the primary focuses of a 'just war' the minimization of civilian casualties? I forget...
Originally Posted by Diff-chan
Sausage-in-training
So the things I said, the links I provided, the arguments I made are all without merit then?
I Hate Yoshi
What's wrong with being objective?The History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict...
quote:
Kirkus Reviews, emphisis added by myself
A dense, well-annotated portrait of Jewish and Arab histories, national aspirations, and conflicts, focusing on the origins of modern Zionism and Arab nationalism with a view to the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Political scientist Tessler (Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinians, not reviewed) here determines to present an objective depiction of Jewish and Arab histories, in tandem, in an attempt to show the parallel conceptions of religion, history, and...
The first is an atlas, the other's a textbook. Those're cool.
...and thus, the Chao has spoken.
SC
Sausage-in-training
I Hate Yoshi
Sorry.Paragraphs. They are your friend.I just started writing and completely forgot about structure.
SC
Do you prefer dogs or cats?
Woah! I flipped the two words around!
Yeah. Objective good. Bah to not thinking on my part.
elephant.
originally posted by Hero:Rezo~Isn't one of the primary focuses of a 'just war' the minimization of civilian casualties? I forget...originally posted by rezo:The fact that people that take up the responsibility of going to war intentionally sacrafice innocent people that did not wish to take part in the fight to preserve themselves is wrong(the soldiers do it to preserve themselves, to be clear).
Just means would entail no intentional killing of innocent people . Unjust means are intentionally pursued by the military for their own sake.
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