"Israel is a country that was founded by Europeans who came to Palestine, formed terrorist gangs who set about a systematic ethnic cleansing of the native Palestinians from their homes on 78% of Historic Palestine in 1948. Those Palestinians and their descendants still languish in refugee camps. Israel attempted a similar scenario in 1967 when they conquered the remainder of Palestine, but Palestinians then couldn’t be dislodged from their homes as easily. This remains true, despite 40 years of Israel’s violent and oppressive military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Despite home demolitions, land confiscations, rapacious building of Jewish-only colonies, endless checkpoints, targeted assassinations, bombings of schools, hospitals, municipal buildings and malls, closures and denials; despite the massive human rights abuses, the imprisonment and torture of men women and children alike, the separation of families, the daily humiliations; despite the massive killings – Palestinians remain. We still resist. We still live, love, and have babies. As much as we can, we rebuild what Israel destroys. Such are rights!"
Palestine Chronicle
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An outstanding essay. Thanks.
ReplyDelete"A nation that discriminates against and oppresses those who do not belong to a particular religious, racial, or ethnic group is not a light onto nations. It is a blight. And to recognize such racism as a human or national right goes against every tenet of international law. It defies the basic sense that the worth of a human being should not be measured by their religion, any more than it should be measured by the color of their skin or the language they speak."
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, let's also add Saudi Arabia, Egypt and every other Islamic state to that blight list along with Israel. The Islamic states do not give full and equal rights to the religious minorities in their countries.
... and the US Department of State loves them all (oh, except Iran).
ReplyDeleteNot necessarily loves them but needs them. UGH.
ReplyDeleteOh? Where is the same extreme process that is taking in Israel being practiced elsewhere?
ReplyDeleteOh? Where is the same extreme process that is taking in Israel being practiced elsewhere?
ReplyDeleteI was impressed when the Bush state department wrote a very negative report on KSA in its annual human rights reports.
ReplyDeleteKSA and Egypt have horrid human rights records. I hope the Chosen One continues to advocate for human rights everywhere. I think He will.
KSA and Egypt have horrid human rights records.
ReplyDelete------------
Did you have a look at Israel's or you're not all that interested because Israel is a Hi-tech free market etc.?
No doubt, if Anand were living in the time of the Nazi regime he would have ignored or protected it - because it was tecnologically advanced
ReplyDeleteIsrael is wrong to mistreat the Palestinians. Israel's human rights record should be criticized by the US government. I hope that Obama will allow this; just as Bush became the first US president to allow this regarding KSA.
ReplyDeleteIsrael should either end the occupation or make all Palestinians Israeli citizens with full equal rights. If Israel would treat the Palestinians with respect and honor; both the Israeli and Palestinian economies would benefit.
V, technology isn't everything. But it is the primary driver of living standards over time. Technological innovation is a necessary but insufficient requirement to reduce poverty around the world. Especially disturbing to me is the suffering of hundreds of millions of Africans. All of us need to come together to help them. To do this, we need to accelerate global technological innovation.
Technology has become a tool to enrich the few at the expense of the many, it advances in spite of exploitation. Technological innovation was used in the now named Zimbabwe with the maxim machine gun by Rhodes to kill over 5000 people in an afternoon - afterwards they sat down and had tea.
ReplyDeleteTechnology without a free zone, especially that which is beneficial to mankind is used to enrich the few at the expense of many. You now have more poverty in the earth than ever before with an explosion in technology - it does not speak well to your theory, unless you build beneficial ground rules for all men it will increase the collective commiseration. Technology which has advanced mankind, as an example, in the USA, did so through public expense, was handed over for private profit, so that the people could pay for what they supported over again. Until you answer these issues you have a screw loose somewhere, and if you insist that it continues as it is presently developed - you do not care for human beings at all, and do not pretend to, it just makes you more repugnant.
Technology is advanced by the exploitation of resources that belong to other people, the land is rich but the people are made poor - and they are getting poorer.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJLaRhTKzw8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hdt87rhgSc
ReplyDeleteDoes Israel have the right to exist? The question is irrelevant. Israel is not a viable economic entity. It is moribund. One day the US government will have to accept the inevitable and switch off the life support.
ReplyDelete"Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal." -Albert Einstein
ReplyDelete