Davey: I wrote this for you yesterday and shortly after, my system went down: it has taken hours to restore!
Hope this helps, whilst much of the ground has already been covered.
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BACKGROUND TO THE PROBLEMS IN PALESTINE
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(n.b. Some of the spelling and dates may well be wrong: written from memory - no time to check!
Paq)
Since the turn of the 20th Century, Great Britain had promised the Jews that it would champion their return to "The promised Land".
Lord Balfour, then Prime Minister, created what was known as the "Balfour Declaration".
A jew called Hertzog, a resident of Vienna, promulgatedf the concept of "The return to Zion" (viz, the Promised Land): hence the terms, "Zionist".
After WW I, the League of Nations, the brain child of US President Woodrow Wilson, assembled the League of Nations, a sort of precursor to the United Nations. Once WW I was finished, Turky, who had fought on the Axis side, lost their possessions in the Middle East and North Africa: these territories were formally called the Ottoman Empire and were vast!
All states occupied and contorlled by the allies were known as "Protectorate" States.
They included Persia (later separated into Iran and Iraq), Eqypt, "Arabia" (Saudia Arabia and the Gulf States) and what is now called the UAE (United Arab Emirates).
During WW II, many Jews fought under the British flag. With the horrors of the Holocaust revealed and hundreds of thousands of Displaced Persons, who included Jews and many other races, pressure grew on Britain to live up to its promise and give the Jews a state of their own in Palestine.
A number of Jewish terrorist organisations became active in the late 1940s, post WW II. Amonst them were Irgun and the Macabees, who took their name from an ancient group, fighting for freedom in Judeaisms' past. (See the Old Testament).
Interestingly, most Israeli Prime Ministers after Golda Meir, had been members of terrorist organisations and would have been hanged if caught by the British!
In the late 1940s, the United Nations was founded and took over the international peace making and peace keeping role, for which Wilson's League of Nations had been intended, but had fallen into discredit.
In 1948, the UN Security Council voted on the matter of Israel once again. To everyone's surprise, Russia voted FOR the establishment of a free Jewish State. The State of Israel came into being in 1948, with David Ben Gurion as its first Prime Minister.
Palestine was a mixture of Arabs, Christians and Jews: Israel was seeded a small amount of land, much of it desert and swamp.
Prior to Israel being granted statedom, many Jews had illegally migrated and various Jewish and Zionist organisations were set-up to raise funds and assist them.
Once Israel had recognised statedom, a mass migration started. Displaced Persons of Jewish birth (By birth, the right to be called a Jew, is passed down from a person's mother - it thus a matriarchal succession.) from Europe were welcomed and assisted.
Jews from many other Middle East Countries, were encouraged to return to "Zion". It is little known, that there were many Jews living in Eqypt, Syria, Persia etc. Many of these were "Seraphic", dark in skin colour and might be considered either light skinned ***** or Arab.
The indigenous Arabs in Palestine, became deeply concerned at these migrations: further, Arab lands and possessions were arbitrarily confiscated by Israel, without compensation, as it built-up its state. A similar fate happened to Christian Palestinians, also.
Because of the tension and hatred that existed between the occupying British army and the Jews, prior to 1948, when the British departed, they ensure that the Arabs and Christians occupied various strategic hill forts and were well armed. By the terms of the UN mandate, Israel was denied armaments.
To build-up the infrastructure and food supplies, new migrants were encouraged to join Kibutzes, which were collective farms.
The Kibutzes became the target of the Arab discidents and to counter constant armed attack, Israeli authorities formed the Pallmach, which were volunteer soldiers, both boys and girls and as young as 13! They were, literally fighting for their lives!
Eventually, this became the Hagannah, or Israeli army.
Jews all over the World, but particularly in the USA, were they had prospered and had come to dominate the worlds of media and finance, were encouraged to contribute large sums, which were used to buy arms.
In 1967 Eqypt, armed heavily and stirred up by the Soviets, suddenly attacked Israel. (The Six Day War). This act, by Eqyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser, was orchestrated by Russia, as part of their Cold War strategy to de-stablise the region and cripple oil supplies to the USA and UK etc.
As history shows, despite Syria joining in (another Russian Client state), Israel, fortunate to enjoy the leadership and brain of General Moshe Dyan, won very rapidly.
In the early 70s, another unexpected war broke out (Yom Kippur: one of the main Jewish holy days and feasts). Despite most of the army being on leave, a mass mobilisation eventually saved the day. Again President Assad of Syria joined in as did Jordan.
Upon winning this conflict, Israel took even more land, as a Cordon Sanitaire: i.e. a buffer against any more aggression.
The dispossessed Palestinians, gradually became more militant and in the 60s, a leader, Yasser Arrafatt founded the PLO (Palastinian Liberation Organisation). Originally, he was seen as a terrorist, with a price on his head.
Eventually, like so many before, he was feted by World Leaders and recognised by the UN.
Various peace initiatives have been instituted: President Jimmy Carter was instrumental in bringing a declaration of peace between President Anwar Saddat of Eqypt and Israel. (The Camp David Accord). Saddat was later assisinated by his grateful countrymen.
A major cause of friction between the Arabs and Jews, is ownership of Jurusalem. The site of King Soloman's Temple, is now the site of a Muslim mosque. I quote from my friend and Mid-East Scholar, Robert Thompson.
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The Dome of the Rock (one of the earliest examples of Islamic achitecture) was built, as I understand it, from 691AD onwards by Abd-al-Malik on the site of the Temple, long before destroyed by the Romans. It is joined to the Al-Aqsa Mosque by a covered passageway. It is said to have been the place from where Mohamed rose to heaven and where Abraham offered to sacrifice Isaac. I am not aware of any Christian claim to it. Below it (to the south I think) is the "Wailing Wall" which is all that is left of the old Temple. This is much appreciated by Jews, and has always been open to them. The architecture of the Dome of the Rock is also said to be based on the Christian style used in the Church of the Holy Sepulchure.
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CURRENT REALITIES
The USA is totally dependant on imported Mid-East crude: without it, their economy would collapse. (The Strategic Oil Reserve, provides a short-term buffer).
The USA enjoys a number of Middle-East client states, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc. ARAMCO, a US conglomerate, manage all crude exploration and lifting in Saudi. The US reciprocates by supplying modern weaponry and training to army and airforce.
However, the USA has a very powerful lobby, in the Jewish business vote and this has created a wholly paradoxical reality!
The USA has traditionally operated a balancing act: kept supplies of modern arms to Israel in balance with arms to Arab states.
The Palestinian, therefore, whether Arab Muslim, Christian or Jew, has been kicked from pillar to post by global political hegomony.
Russia, for example, assisted to foment the revolution in Iran, when the Sha was deposed. Russia mainly wanted access to Iranian crude and warm water Winter ports. (Russia shared a boundary with Iran).
Extremist Jews, have undoubtedly settled land (The West Bank and Gaza Strip) outside the UN remit.
Israel has a legitimate (i.e. UN sanctioned legal right) to occupy as a state, the land originally ceeded to them by the UN mandate.
One can sympathise with their border expansion, since they have been attacked for no provocation, twice and have suffered constant border incursions by (e.g.) the Syrian airforce.
However, the non-Jewish Palestinians, also have the human right to recognition, fair treatment and their land and possessions.
Paq
