I am happy to see that you finally have written an intelligent thoughtful comment. I say that,avs lived here continually since Bibliba even though I disagree with just about everything you wrote.
1.You blame Isreal for everything . you blame Palestinians, even extreme Islamists like Hamas and PFDLP for nothing. That is prejudiced racism, pure and simple. The ONLY peace possible with Hamas and PFLP is “the peace of thee dead”, ie the total dissappearance of Israel.
2.Read what Hamas is all about, what their goal is, what their methods are, and how willing they are to sacrifice the lives, the well-being, the health and futures of ordinary Palestinian. Read this article on Yahya Sinwar: Cbc.Ca/news/world/yahya-sinwar-hamas-leader-gaza-1.7042283
3. Jews have prayed for and yearned to return to Israel and Jerusalem for all 2000 years since they were conquered and dispersed by Rome. Israel is NOT just a location for a Jewish homeland, like Uganda, or South America or anywhere else. It is THE Jewish homeland. Unfortunately, there were other people living here who also feel attached to thr land. Hence the years of strife.
4. Jews have lived there continuoslsy from Biblical times. The numbers have increased and decreased over this time due to policies of who ruled the land at the time.
5. In the 1880s, immigrants began arriving from Eastern Europe and setting up settlements. As the numbers grew, fears of the local Arab inhabitants began to grow and conflicts arose. In the 1900s this exploded into violence.
6. After the British took over from the Ottomons in 1917, Jewish immigration became encouraged and grew larger, leading to fear and jealousy and more strife.
7. As the numbers angrew, so did the iner-communal strife ,so that the British had to pay serious attentiom. In 1936 the Arabs began violebnt rebellion against the Jews and the British.
8. In 1937, in the midst of the Arab rebellion of 1936-39, the British established the Peel Commission, which recommended Partition, with a small Jewish and a larger Arab country. The Arabs refused and continued the 1936-39 rebellion.
9. In 1939, the British ended the rebellion by agreeing to severely limit Jewish immigration and to forbid Jews from acquiring any more land. This was just as WW2 and the Holocaust exterminations were starting, and which caused untold millioins of Jewish deaths.
10. After WW2 ended, Jewiish immigration grew–most of this “illegal” as the British still enforced the quotas agreed upon with the Arabs in 1939.
11. Violence betrween Arabs and Jews became too much for Britain, who therefore decided to give up its “Mandate” and turn matters oveer to the UN. A Commission was set up, which decided the two peoples couldn’t get along. They recommended to Partion the land into a Jewish State, an Arab State and for Jerusalem to be separate and international for 10 years. The UNGA approved the Partion Plan in Nov 1947. Britain announced it would leave the Mandate lands by May 1948. Jews accepted but the Arabs rejected the plan.
12. In Nov 1947, when the UNGA vote passed, the Arabs began attacking and killing Jews, setting off the 1947-48 Civil War. This civil war continued until May 14 1948, when Israel declared itself a State. On that date, Israel was invaded by Arab armies from nearby countries, setting off the Arab-Israeli war, which was won by Israel in 1949 and which the PLO eventually named as the Nakba.
13. The Arabs refused to accept the 1949 lines. The Arabs also refused to allow a “Palestinian” Arab State. Instead Egypt “kept:” Gaza and Jordan “Kept” the West Bank and Jerusalem. There was no “Demand” or desire from the locals for a Palestinian State.
14. In 1967, there was another war between Israel and its Arab neighbors in which Israel conquered Gaza, Sinai, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. This apparently “awakened” a desire for a separate state of Palestine.
15.1973 Yom Kippur War. Arab armies led by Egypt and Syria, launcheds a surprise, unprovoked attack on Israel on the holiest day of the Jewish year. Many dead on all sides. Statrted Oct 6 1973 and ended on Oct 25 1973 .with a ceasefire agreement.
16. 1979 Egypt- Israel PeaceTreaty–. In 1979, Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in which Israel agreed to withdraw from the entirety of the Sinai Peninsula. Israel subsequently withdrew in several stages, ending on 26 April 1982. Israel gave up 18 settlements,. 2 air bases and all military and civilians were withdrawn.
17. 1987-93. First intifada. The uprising lasted from December 1987 until the Madrid Conference of 1991, though some date its conclusion to 1993, with the signing of the Oslo Accords. During this time, in 1988 Arafat acknowledged Israel’s right to exist.
18. 1993 Oslo Accords- Brought Yasser Arafat to the West Bank and established agreement/responsibilities of both Israel and the Palestinians towards increased Palestinian Autonomy
19. 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace treaty. Peace and agreed cooperation between them.
20. 2000 Camp David The leaders failed to come to an agreement on borders, Jerusalem, and Palestinian refugees’ “right of return.” Why they failed is a subject of disagreement: Clinton and other pro-Israel voices have blamed Arafat, arguing that he was unwilling to make peace, while others say the negotiations were designed to fail because they didn’t meet the “minimum requirements of any Palestinian leader,”
21. 2000-03. Second Intifada. Brought an end to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks..Supposedly triggered by Ariel Sharon visit to the Temple Mount, supported by police guards. Also believed that Arafat planned it and used Sharon visit as an excuse.. Over 1000 Israelis were killed and thousands wounded by suicide bombings and other terrrorist attacks, within Israel and the West Bank. In response, in 2003 the Israelis begun construction of the Separation Wall between Israel and the West Bank.
22. 2005: Israel withdrawal from Gaza involved the complete unilateral withdrawal of Israeli settlements and military forces. Approximately 8,500 Israeli settlers — some of whom had lived there for decades and resisted the plan — were removed from their homes, and some of them were compensated. Israel ceded control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas. It also vacated four Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
23. 2006 Palestinian elections. Hamas took violent control over Gaza., while the PLO controls West Bank.Because of Hamas’s history of armed confrontation with Israel and its objective of destroying the Israeli state overall, the international community refused to recognize the Hamas-led government.
24. 2007 Gaza Blockade- Israel and Egypt create blockade of Gaza. in order to Isolate Hamas and prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza
25. 2008-2021. Periodic outbreaks and wars.
26. Antisemetism has existed in the world for hundreds and hundreds of years. It exists because Jews are different, Jews are successful and Jews are sometimes hated because they refuse to adopt the majority religion/practices of the country where they live.The Arab Israeli conflict has added a new dimension among Muslims, where Hatred of Jews is taught in Schools, Mosques, and in the media. Muslims who are supposed to be learned and devout, preach poisonous hatred.
Without question, the Gaza violence has added to the problem, for the simple reason that Hamas is resposible for the Gaza situation and the Gaza deaths, due to its single minded obseession to destroy Israel, no matter what the cost to Palestinians future and their very lives. BUT, what people see is that , because of Hamas attacks, Israeli retaliation inevetitably causes great damage and destruction to Gaza and its people. Unfortunately, there is no other way to get at Hamas.
