Quote:
Originally Posted by CivicBlues
I did however, get a taste of it and it sort of reinforced my slight leaning towards the Israelis. For all it's faults (of which there are many), they've created a Democracy - one that includes Jews of all ethnicity (Ashkenazi, Sephardic, hell even Ethiopians) and from across the religious spectrum. They've even included in their nation the "enemy" - Arabs which at least on paper are equal citizens. I don't think the average Palestinian is given even the slightest consideration by Hamas, who seem to delight in their use as human shields to further their cause.
It's easy to root for the underdog. But I can't root for an underdog that has religious extremism as a state ideology. Or one that is inherently misogynistic and homophobic. Call the Israeli state racist if you must, but I bet you Dollars to Shekels that if given a choice between living under them or under the PA/Hamas, you'd be donning a kippah in no time. Heck, the Jews were the underdog for the last 70 years or so, which is why the Great Powers - ahem excuse the term - "conspired" to give them the arid wasteland which is now Israel. They, as Israelis like to say, made that desert bloom. Cross the border from Israel proper to the West Bank and there's a stark change from 1st world to 3rd world. It's like crossing the US/Mexico border on foot, which I've also done and DO NOT recommend. You sure as hell wouldn't expect the US Army to tolerate Mexicans digging tunnels and firing rockets into San Diego.
Sorry Palestinians, you poke a bear in the eye with a stick expect to get mauled.
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edited my last post but i guess ill make it a separate post now
Keep in mind the governing Likud party of Israel rejects the notion of a Palestinian State that is up until 2009 when Netanyahu conceded the possibility of a Palestinian state with caveats (which he now says is Impossible) A view which is rejected by right wing members of his party...so it's not as if Hamas is alone in rejecting a two state policy and a hardline approach. Again I'm no fan of Hamas as I said in my first post in here I think they're going about it completely wrong but they're not the only ones to blame.
as for racism, bigotry, etc. in Israel the laws are there to protect against that i'll give that to Israel but that hasn't stopped it whatsoever
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Israel
with regard to the West Bank seeming like a 3rd world country in comparison to Israel... well.. what do you expect? its not as if the West Bank is free to develop and do as they wish and most of the West Bank is overrun with settlements and buffer zones which prevent development
time to go for me for now though so you can rest easy I won't be posting in here for several hours :P