Ok, so I am not a Palestinian or a muslim, but that doesn't stop me from being human or a global citizen and that is why I write this piece. Would I expect the same kind of support from the international community if fate and so-called international super powers had given my nation a raw deal? The answer is a "yes".
The disturbing fact is that most international commentators and journalists don't talk about history of the conflict and the fact that the Palestinians were the inhabitants of the land which is now called Israel and were removed from their lands forcefully and with little or no compensation and now have to live in inhuman conditions. They also don't make any reference to the role played by the US in "UN-levelling" the playing field, and the fact that this entire mess is the handiwork of the UK. The Britishers (in their right minds) thought that the best way to bring justice to one set of people was to enforce injustice on another set, something that was doomed to fail from the outset.
The fact is also that rockets are being fired by Hamas into the Israeli territory and that is wrong. Period. The only lasting solution to this or any other conflict can be a peaceful one, where all the concerned parties sit on the negotiation table. However, meaningful negotiations are not possible when the 2 parties that are participating are not "equals".
Palestinians have no military might and absolutely no support from the UN or any other country. The Palestinians have made multiple representations on the atrocities that have been inflicted upon them, but all have been vetoed by Israel's supporters. On the other hand we have a military heavyweight like Israel that is fully supported by the US, UK and other countries. The other countries have supported Israel through their silence and to safeguard their selfish interests.
Still not convinced? Then let's try an analogy that's closer to us, would we call any retaliatory action from Tibetans (using covert guerilla tactics) on China as "terrorism"?
What if China decided to take over Arunachal Pradesh and the only way for India to defend itself against China's might was to launch covert guerrilla strikes? Who would you blame in these conditions? If your answer is that you blame India/Tibet, then I guess there is nothing more to say...
In Conclusion: It doesn't matter if we support Israel or Palestine, what's important is that as global citizens we build the right perspective on such important issues and the historic facts, and not go by everything that the international media feeds us as "current affairs".
The embedded video presents some historic insight into the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. If that one is too long for you then maybe this shorter version will help get some perspective.
The disturbing fact is that most international commentators and journalists don't talk about history of the conflict and the fact that the Palestinians were the inhabitants of the land which is now called Israel and were removed from their lands forcefully and with little or no compensation and now have to live in inhuman conditions. They also don't make any reference to the role played by the US in "UN-levelling" the playing field, and the fact that this entire mess is the handiwork of the UK. The Britishers (in their right minds) thought that the best way to bring justice to one set of people was to enforce injustice on another set, something that was doomed to fail from the outset.
The fact is also that rockets are being fired by Hamas into the Israeli territory and that is wrong. Period. The only lasting solution to this or any other conflict can be a peaceful one, where all the concerned parties sit on the negotiation table. However, meaningful negotiations are not possible when the 2 parties that are participating are not "equals".
Palestinians have no military might and absolutely no support from the UN or any other country. The Palestinians have made multiple representations on the atrocities that have been inflicted upon them, but all have been vetoed by Israel's supporters. On the other hand we have a military heavyweight like Israel that is fully supported by the US, UK and other countries. The other countries have supported Israel through their silence and to safeguard their selfish interests.
Still not convinced? Then let's try an analogy that's closer to us, would we call any retaliatory action from Tibetans (using covert guerilla tactics) on China as "terrorism"?
What if China decided to take over Arunachal Pradesh and the only way for India to defend itself against China's might was to launch covert guerrilla strikes? Who would you blame in these conditions? If your answer is that you blame India/Tibet, then I guess there is nothing more to say...
In Conclusion: It doesn't matter if we support Israel or Palestine, what's important is that as global citizens we build the right perspective on such important issues and the historic facts, and not go by everything that the international media feeds us as "current affairs".
The embedded video presents some historic insight into the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. If that one is too long for you then maybe this shorter version will help get some perspective.
No comments:
Post a Comment