Creation of an independent Palestinian state needed
By Lethbridge Herald on December 6, 2023.
Editor:
Over thousands of years, ethnicity, religion and nationalism has driven most conflicts. This has certainly been the case in Palestine since 1917.
During the Jewish – Roman wars (66-135 AD), Judea was conquered and Jerusalem destroyed. Most Jews left Israel and migrated to Babylon and countries across the Mediterranean.
Over the ensuing centuries, many Jews dispersed to Europe and ended up in the eastern regions, including present day Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic States. During much of this time, they experienced anti-semetism and discrimination culminating in the Holocaust.
From the early 20th century, an active nationalistic Zionist movement developed which advocated for a new Jewish homeland in Palestine.
The Balfour Declaration in 1917 strongly committed the British government to achieving this ideal. At this time, Palestine was an Ottoman region with a small minority Jewish population.
After the First World War, Palestine became a League of Nations mandate administered by Britain.
A United Nations General Assembly resolution in 1947 recommended the partition of Mandatory Palestine into Arab and Jewish States with international status for the City of Jerusalem. The idea of a two- state solution was thus initiated.
Modern independent Israel was created in accordance with the 1947 UN resolution after the Arab- Israeli War of 1948. This was not recognised by the regions Arabs. During this period, over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs had fled or been expelled from Israel, becoming refugees in neighbouring Arab countries.
They were never compensated for their lost homes and property.
Since 1948, there have been several major wars eg. 1967, 1973 and continuous conflict between Israel, Arab states and the Palestinians.
Unfortunately, an independent Palestinian state consisting of the West Bank and Gaza has never been created.
Persistent causes of conflict include terrorist attacks against Israel, the Israeli Defence Forces occupation of the West Bank, more than 700,000 illegal Jewish settlers in the West Bank and anti – Palestinian rhetoric by right wing nationalistic Israeli politicians.
The events of October 7 are tragic and Hamas must be held fully accountable. The primary aim of Israel should be the return of all hostages and the neutralisation of Hamas. However, the Israeli Defence Forces strategy in Gaza has a strong revenge component, and the massive destruction of civilian infrastructure and thousands of civilian deaths and casualties is excessive.
I suspect the silent majority of Israelis and Palestinians are exhausted by decades of fighting and death and long for peace. The only fair solution for this complex conflict is the creation of an independent Palestinian Arab state with Israel respecting the pre-1967 borders.
Michael P. Greeff
Lethbridge
18-17
I would have agreed with you 20 years ago, and you did make some valid points, but I would like to state that a two-state solution will fail as long as Iran continues to fight for the annihilation of all Jews worldwide. Iran is the one who is a major contributor to training, arming, and funding Hamas, Hezbollah and other proxies for the purpose of killing all Jews. It doesn’t stop there though, they also want to kill all of us ‘western infidels’. The Imam’s have been calling all their followers, including from the Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, to annihilate all the Jews as well to go into Europe and take over those countries through migration.
I also believe that Putin’s visits to Iran discussed attacks on Israel so the world would focus on Israel, and funding and arms would be cut for Ukraine. I cannot imagine what is being said in Putin’s ongoing visit with the Saudi’s today. He is using the Hamas-Israelis war to his advantage.
The Temple Mount had two Jewish temples built on it long before there was an Islamic Mosque on it.
There will never be peace until there is an end to calls of genocide against the Jews! Iran is not the only country guilty!
I also am confused how Qatar, who was found to be a major funder of the IS back in the Syria war and is a major donor to the Muslim Brotherhood, who funds and supports Hamas, is coming through as if they are peace makers during the hostage negotiations. They are funding terrorism just like the Iranians!
The United Nations once again failed its mandate! For the past 10 years Israel has brought forth evidence to the UN showing UNRWA had Hamas embedded it some areas, that the UNRWA funded and approved school textbooks and curriculum included the destruction of the Jews, that Hamas was building tunnels and subterranean infrastucture below schools, hospitals, and even UN facilities, but they did nothing!
Israel had to act for its own survival, literally. Over 90% of Gazan’s supported Hamas and their actions and danced in the streets and handed out sweets when an innocent Israeli was killed by terrorists. They do not want peace, they want genocide!
For the conspiracy theorists who state the October 7th massace never happened please go to this CNN report. I warn you that what you will read may have a negative impact on you mental health due to the graphic descriptions. It doesn’t touch or come close to some of the other videos I have seen from the view of the terrorists videos.
What we know about rape and sexual violence inflicted by Hamas during its terror attack on Israel (msn.com)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/what-we-know-about-rape-and-sexual-violence-inflicted-by-hamas-during-its-terror-attack-on-israel/ar-AA1l6qSL
The beginning of a “solution” can only be initiated by the call for an immediate ceasefire. The Canadian government, by not doing so, has the blood of both Israelis and Palestinians on its hands.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/02/israel-as-dark-as-things-seem-war-in-gaza-could-end-up-restarting-peace-process
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2023/12/un-women-statement-on-the-situation-in-israel-and-gaza
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/10/israel-gaza-war-manufactured-consent.html
https://www.democracynow.org/2006/11/30/palestine_peace_not_apartheid_jimmy_carter
The UN is one of the biggest failures and is a racist organization in itself, failing to acknowledge the pleas of Israel over the last 2 decades to deal with issues within its organization and UNRWA and Hamas. UNRWA was radicalized and many wanted to see Jews annihilated. The textbooks, the curriculum taught, to kids spoke genocide against the Jews. Israelis for years expressed their concerns to the UN regarding the tunnels and underground infrastructure being built by Hamas under hospitals, UN schools, UN facilities, mosques, etc., but the UN did nothing!
The United Nations has been taken over by radicals who want to see the end of the West and Jews. They have failed their mandates!
The people of Gaza fully support Hamas and I have watched thousands of rockets fired into Israel over the past 2 years with no guidance systems and target civilians. Most of the murders Hamas committed in Israel in the past 2 years have been civilian women, children and men. The people of Gaza party en masse when innocent Jewish civilians are killed by their murderous terrorists.
None have ever been charged with war crimes and the UN ignored all pleas from Israel. Hamas doesn’t care about the people of Gaza and hide behind the women, chidlren and most vulnerable.
You can spew all news reports you want but the facts will never change!
The United Nations failed to act to protect Israel and so Israel had to act for their own survival from a brutal proxy of Iran who used rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war against innocent civilian populations.
Iran and the proxies want the annihilation of all Jews! The people who live in Israel only wanted peace!
Since you like the Guardian here is an article from them you may like to read since you changed you original comment which was based on a report Max Bleumental, well known for spreading disinformation.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/06/un-condemnation-of-sexual-violence-by-hamas-too-little-too-late-says-israel
Or this:
https://secure.cbn.com/partners/video/shows/cbnnewswatch/6342402468112
how does one become so misinformed, and paranoid?
**NOTE THAT IMO HAS CHANGED HIS ORIGINAL POST SO THE COMMENT BELOW IS RESPONDING TO HIS ORIGINAL COMMENT.**
You really should be more careful where you get your ‘fake’ news from. Youtube is not a trusted source for one! Max Bleumenthal is not a trusted source and is inframous for spreading fake news, using disinformation to sway public opinion.
I would suggest you read this:
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-27/ty-article-opinion/exposing-max-blumenthals-deceptive-claim-israel-is-responsible-for-most-october-7-victims/0000018c-102f-d65f-a7dd-f0ff7b550000
Also: Max Bluthmenthal defends Iran, Russia, China and other authoritarian governments regularily. He denied the chemcial attacks by the Syria government on it’s civilians and China’s abuse against the Uyghurs. It is his way of selling news and making money.
“Blumenthal is the editor of The Grayzone website, which is known for its apologetic coverage of authoritarian regimes such as the Chinese, Russian, Syrian, and Venezuelan governments, including its denial of chemical attacks by the Syrian government and of human rights abuses against Uyghurs”
He also made false claims regarding the Russian/Ukraine war:
“During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Blumenthal falsely claimed the Mariupol theatre airstrike was the responsibility of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment rather than Russian forces.”
yes, noted, imo changes things to try and keep the so amazingly misinformed “say what” off his trail
‘The moral monster beneath the cloak of righteousness.’
so nice to overlook the endless human rights abuses by israel perpetrated upon the palestinians…makes it all so black and white and easy for the simple minds. the list of war crimes and crimes against humanity is long and growing – what has happened to and continues to happen to the palestinians parallels south africa’s apartheid regimen, and the genocides of sundry indigenous/first peoples the world over. that said, let us also be certain that the most of the israel/surrounding lands are peaceable people that wish to share the land. but, as is typical of the history of our planet, the good people get hijacked by the lousiest, sleaziest humans. as yeats has profoundly observed, “The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”
If you understood war and all the measures the Israeli’s have deployed the get Gazan’s out of harms way you may have a better understanding. Or knowing you, not!
I find it interesting the you and some of the other commentors who support Hamas are the same ones who supported the failed harm reduction which has killed tens of thousands across Canada.
No other modern miliary in the world have warned people before they go in where is safe and where the military operations will be conducted, using social media, dropping pamphlets from aircraft, using every possible method to get them out of harms way. Having them in the midst of fighing impedes their mission! They do not want to kill them! Rockets are being fired from the safe zones into Israil still and many of the Hamas are not wearing a uniform, but civilian dress.
For the past several years Israel has endured hundreds of attacks against them and the October 7 attack made them aware they will not have peace until Hamas is destroyed.
It is very simple for this war to end! Give back all the hostages and surrender! The issue is that many of the men of women in Gaza are connected one way or another to Hamas and stand for them! They are a proxy militia funded by Iran and other nations such as Qatar through the Muslim Brotherhood.
This is more complex than what you see Biff! The UN failed to act over years of Israeli pleas and now the Israelis must act for their own survival! This has nothing to do with the Indigenous, not even close. The Israelis are not raping, torturing, beheading and purposely targeting Gazan civilians.
What is this long list of war crimes you state? Do you actually know what a war crime is? Please do some research from valid sources!
The UN has failed to set up tents and safe structure in Gaza in the safe areas. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees UNRWA, has been compromised by Hamas sympathizers and don’t forget the Hamas is a terrorist organization with only one mission, annihilate all Jews. But it is not just the Jews, it is the West they also want to annihilate. We are the West!
I suspect Putin also pushed Iran to attack to take the eyes of the world and funding away from the Ukraine/Russia war, allowing him to win!
It is much more complex than you think!
Iran:“‘Kill all Jews and annihilate Israel!’ Iran’s Ayatollah lays out
legal and religious justification for attack.”
This is from the Imam in Jerusalem several years ago during the Syrian war:
“….the imam at Al-Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount in Jerusalem is threatening Europe. Imam Sheikh Muhammad Ayed recently admonished his congregation, “Europe has become old and decrepit and needs human reinforcement… Soon, we will trample them underfoot… we shall conquer their countries!”…”
There is much more to this and it is genocide against the Jews! They are only trying to survive being annihilated after the UN failed them!
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/np-view-no-truth-behind-claim-that-israel-is-committing-genocide/ar-AA1ldhxD?cvid=79ff8e6d2547430a988eaf98fdc76483&ocid=winp2fptaskbar&ei=5
“I find it interesting the you and some of the other commentors who support Hamas are the same ones who supported the failed harm reduction …”
I thought much the same thing. Seems to say a lot about a person.
it seems you are so biased and too full of hatred toward palestinians and arabs. it seems you prefer that the non-jews of the area be subjugated, treated as non-people, not have anywhere near full rights, and be subject to what is genocide. moreover, you fail to appreciate that most of the people in israel, including jews and arabs and muslims and christians, want peace, and want to share the land. you seem to overlook that the while the majority wants peace, they have been hijacked by hawks on both sides – terrorist-like organizations, such as hamas and netanyahu.
as for your incredible insight that those who support hamas also support harm reduction…how long did you study this amazing relationship? have you shared this out yet with csis? here is another amazing observation: many people that buy apples also buy oranges…incredible as it may seem, i have noticed that in stores…i bet many that buy apples, and then oranges may even support terrorist-like orgs and folk like hamas and netanyahu.
Not to quibble, but I’ve observed the Righteous buying mainly apples, while the Compassionate seen to enjoy both equally. Now, banana eaters are another thing altogether!
haha!
just to be clear, and have you stop making false statements: i do not support hamas. they are, to my reckoning, an extremist, hawkish group that terrorises, not much different than netanyahoo and his nasty supporters.
i understand this much about war – innocent people are the greatest victims; the power hungry and greedy and utmost wealthiest gain the most while sacrificing the very least; might is right is the prevailing ignorance; stupid people buy in…very stupid people.