Monday, December 21, 2009

Gaming Gaza: It's The Truth--Not Gaza--That Lies In Ruins

Last year, Lauren Booth--peace activist and sister-in-law of former PM Tony Blair--described the situation in Gaza:
She spoke of the situation in Gaza and said, “Yesterday, I visited mothers of children under the age of five. Nutrition here has deteriorated threefold over the last two years because it is impossible to bring food through the crossings. Unemployment has risen, so people can't even afford to buy what food there is left."
That was about a week after she had gone shopping:




Apparently, one's interest in peace does not necessarily coincide with one's interest in the truth.

And that is an ongoing phenomenon when dealing with the propaganda of the Palestinian Arabs and their apologists. The following is typical of what we have been inundated with:
Gaza remains in ruins a year after Israeli onslaught

That's from a Saigon newspaper--but a Palestinian newspaper tells a very different story:
According to the Google translation, the title is
From my / lens "Palestine Today" pick up the Gazans scenes preparations for Eid al-Adha

Here are some of the pictures:

According to the Google translation, the caption to the first picture reads:
Despite the blockade Gazans go shopping clothes for their children
Just imagine what will be available once Hamas stop bombing Israeli schools!








Notice the view in the background on this last picture, as opposed to the one from the Saigon paper.
Speaking of view, check out the post The View Into Gaza from CiF Watch.

The post is very clear on understanding the full context:
There is, no doubt, there was destruction in Gaza – after all there was a mini-war there a few months ago. But it is nowhere near as widespread as the Guardian would have us believe from its articles and replaying the same pictures of the same few destroyed houses. Actually looking at Gaza tells a rather different story. A few pictures may help you see Gaza in a more balanced way.
With that in mind, the post examines what Gaza currently looks like:

Go to Google Maps and enter “Kibbutz Nir Am, Israel” and you’ll see a little reservoir west of the kibbutz. Follow the road that skirts the reservoir about 1 km east, and  if you look carefully, you’ll see a small road just west of the reservoir leading to a little white patch near a “V” shaped intersection – this is the little hill from which the TV crews reported on Cast Lead, and from which I shot the pictures below on August 8th this year, at about 8:30 am as the morning mist was lifting. It is about 1 km from the fence between Gaza and Israel. Kibbutz Nir Am, which has been subjected to heavy rocket fire from Gaza, lies about 2 – 3 km north east of this spot.


The first picture looks into Gaza from about ½ km on the Israeli side of the fence with Gaza, just west of the Nir Am reservoir. In the foreground, beyond the fence, is Bet Hanoun, one of the villages used frequently by Hamas and its cohorts from which to launch rockets into Israel. Behind that, you see high-rise buildings probably in Jabalya or just west of Sheikh Zaid. Next to the big white house in the foreground there appear to be a couple of destroyed houses, but clearly other buildings and the high rises are in good condition.




You can see the security fence, with a gate that allows Israeli troops to enter Gaza when terrorists are detected approaching the fence or for other military purposes.


The second view looks south west, and I provide it to emphasize that there is, in fact, open territory in the Gaza Strip, and that the terrorists could, if they chose to do so, fire their rockets and mortars from sites not located in built up areas.



Finally, next time you read about the “wall” around Gaza – remember these pictures and how simple a defense mechanism it really is.
Something to think about the next time--and you know there will be many--the media implies that all of Gaza lies in ruins.

Hand in hand with the claim that Gaza is destroyed is the myth that some 1,400 Palestinians were killed in Operation Cast Lead--the majority being civilians. One would have thought that accurately determining the number of casualties--and differentiating between civilian and terrorist casualties--would be one of the first priorities of the Goldstone Commission.

No such luck.

In How many civilians were killed in Gaza? Ben-Dror Yemini writes about the rampant distortions in how many were killed in Gaza and how many were civilians:

The various organizations announced that between 1,200 and 1,400 were killed in Gaza. The number may have been inflated, as claimed, for example, by journalist Lorenzo Cremonesi, reporting from the Gaza Strip for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera about inflation of the numbers and the manipulations by Hamas. We should also mention the investigation conducted by the IDF which appears to be a bit more reliable and puts the number of killed at 1164, as well as the fact that Hamas issued explicit instructions to conceal and deceive.

According to Pavel's research, 564 of the dead were members of Hamas. All of them were honored, as fallen fighters, on Hamas websites. In addition to them, according to IDF investigations, about 100 Islamic Jihad members were killed. Assuming that other terrorists were killed, for example those belonging to Fatah, then most of the dead were not innocent civilians. And that's just the beginning.

The bombing of the Hamas Police Academy earned wall-to-wall condemnation because, according to international law, police are considered civilians. Here we will go into the results of the research conducted by Dahoah-Halevy. According to a name-based investigation of each of the "policemen", it turns out that 88.4% of them belong to the security - i.e., terrorism - mechanisms of Hamas. One of them, Muhammad el-Dasuqi, a member of the Resistance Committee, is suspected of being one of the perpetrators of the terrorist attack on the American convoy in 2003.

One of the most prominent events in the Gaza operation was the bombing of the UN school in the Jabalya refugee camp on January 6. All the media around the world publicized horrific pictures of "over 41 killed in the Al Fakhura school." The condemnation was worldwide, from the UN Secretary General, through the President of the United States, to the Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Many long weeks passed before it was shown to be a libel. First, the three artillery shells did not hit the school at all. Second, Hamas people were firing from the area and the IDF aimed its fire at them. Third, the number of killed was far smaller than originally reported. Most of the media and human rights organizations that publicized the original news did not bother to publicize the information that was disclosed. Those who are infatuated with libel are not prepared to be confused by the facts.

There were still many killed who are not identified as fighters. That is also worth investigating. If the IDF strike lacked discernment, the demographic breakdown of the casualties (erroneously called "uninvolved civilians") should have been identical to the demographic breakdown of the general population. However, a different picture emerges. A quarter of the population are adolescent girls. Actually, 8% of those killed were adolescent girls. A quarter of the population are adult women. Only 14% of those killed were women. The higher percentage of male casualties – much higher than their proportion of the population – proves that among them were a higher percentage of men involved in the fighting. In other words, the percentage of civilian casualties was dramatically smaller than the claims made against Israel. According to a more in-depth investigation by a team of researchers from the Interdisciplinary Center, between 900 and 1,070 of the casualties (63% - 75%) were killed because they were involved. If we add to that the fact that Hamas used civilians as human shields, or adolescent boys who were forced to participate in the fighting, the percentage of the casualties who were involved in the fighting only increases.

For an overview of the extent of the distortions the media assists in, check out this video by Elder of Zion:



What other country has to name and identify the enemy combatants in order to prove that civilians were not targeted?

Elder of Ziyon also has more information here.
Also check out Casualties of truth how the PCHR lies about the casualties of operation "Cast Lead"

The next time the media or one of the Palestinian apologists insists that all of Gaza lies in ruins, you will have every reason to be suspicious.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

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24 comments:

Anonymous said...

what's your point anyway? That Gaza should have any shops? And yes, the situation in Gaza is really bad...go there and see it yourself.

Daled Amos said...

My point is simple--the rhetoric which claims that Gaza lies in ruins does not reflect the reality.

Lies about the condition of Gaza are used as a tool against Israel--and the truth and the facts be damned.

Anonymous said...

So you think life in Gaza is not bad?

Southern Wolf said...

"So you think life in Gaza is not bad?"

Correct. Life in Gaza is not bad and to the extent it is bad this is attributable to the Atabs themselves and to the propaganda, and not to Israel.

Daled Amos said...

Of course it's bad--they are led by a bunch of terrorists.

Anonymous said...

... that are labbeled "terrorist" only by Israel and some other countries. Russia and China don't call them so and Arab world see them as freedom fighters. So it's all relative.

As for Gaza, I've seen way too many different reports from there to buy your BS about anti-israel "propaganda". Gaza is the biggest prison on tha Earth and people living there are suffering and have no future. No wonder why do the extremists have so much support there.

Daled Amos said...

What's good for the goose is good for the gander--if it is all relative then Israel has every right to look after its security without regard to international law, which you now make relative.

Of course, the sources I offer are documented and go directly to the heart of the claims made by what you claim are "too many different reports"--as if they were all independent instead of copying each other.

As far Gaza as the biggest prison on earth, Hamas is their warden. Without the terrorist attacks, there would be no blockade--as we've seen in the past.

Anonymous said...

But there's been a circle of violence going on for ages. Do you think Hamas is attacking Israel out of pure boredom? I said it once and I'll say it again: without justice for the Palestinians, there can be no security or peace for Israelis. Having said that, I've always been against any kind of killings of civilian - be it from Hamas' rockets or IDF's bombing. I'm just trying to say that the problem is not that simple and it's not all up to Hamas. Israel is a stronger player in this game and has more influence.

Daled Amos said...

The circle of violence?
And if Hamas stopped, Israel would continue?
Aren't you ignoring the whole history of Islamic conquest?

I have no problem with justice for the Palestinians--but I will not sacrifice either the truth or Israel for a situation the Arab world in general and the Palestinian Arabs in particular refuse to be held responsible for.

Israel has more influence?
Since when?
Although it is a handy argument for putting it always upon Israel to make one concession after another.

Seth said...

Hey 'Anonymous'... Israel stopped this so called cycle for years until it finally responded to rockets.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Seth, that's just not true. Israel has never stopped and neither did Palestinians, to be fair.

-And if Hamas stopped, Israel would continue? -- Let me say that so far there's been no interest on any side to stop the violence. I can also ask you back: if Israel ended the occupation and the aggression and actually helped Palestinians to build a strong economy, would Hamas and other radical islamic movements continue with attacks?

Sure, Israel has more influence because she's stronger player than Palestinian side. She has showed her strength with all those collective punishments of Palestinians in the past, not to mention the last Gaza war (Op Cast Lead). Israel is also controling a big part of Gaza's economy.

Daled Amos said...

Israel has never stopped

This is obviously not true:

the Palestinian territories had one of the ten fastest growing economies during the 1970's, just behind Saudi Arabia (which benefitted from the oil shock of 1973), and ahead of Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. (World Bank, ratio of real per capita GNP in 1980 to real per capita GNP in 1970)

Go ahead and check out the charts.

When the Palestinian Arabs did not attack--they prospered.
When they do attack--it is time to hold them responsible.

But then again, it is Hamas that has a charter declaring its intent to destroy Israel--not the other way around.

Anonymous said...

But then again, it is Hamas that has a charter declaring its intent to destroy Israel... --- Maybe, but there would've probably been no Hamas had there been no occupation, just as there would've been no Hezbollah had there been no invasion.

Daled Amos said...

But then again, it is Hamas that has a charter declaring its intent to destroy Israel... --- Maybe, but there would've probably been no Hamas had there been no occupation, just as there would've been no Hezbollah had there been no invasion.

Are you aware that the PLO was formed in 1964--before the so-called 'occupation'?

If Hizbollah is based on such pure motives, why are they a threat to the Lebanese gov't?

Daled Amos said...

First of all, I think many things have changed since the year 1970. Today, Israel is still controlling Gaza through an 'invisible hand'. Israel completely controls the importation of goods into Gaza and exercises significant control over the exit of goods from Gaza abroad and to the West Bank. All those border closures we've been seeing are just a part of a deliberate effort to maintain pressure on Gaza by strangling its economy

Are you ever going to document what you say?
How invisible can the hand be if you can see it?
And who gave you the blueprints of Israel's master plan?

Now, how can we achieve a just peace and an independent Palestinian state when Palestinians are struggling to survive living under severe harsh economical conditions and lack the freedom of movement, work and dignity?

And just what makes Palestinian Arabs more deserving of their own state than the Kurds--other than the fact that the Palestinian Arabs kill civilians.

Or have you forgotten about the hijackings, the murder of Americans etc.

Your two links don't change the fact that desperate people don't think rationally. Desperate people turn radical. It has always been like that. And that's why radical Hamas won the elections and that's why it is more popular in Gaza than it is in West Bank.

So why is it that Palestinian Arabs become terrorists? Are they the only desperate people in the world???
And the primary reason Hamas won is that they were seen as less corrupt than Fatah.

Great basis for creating a second Palestinian state.

Or do you think it no big deal to create an unstable, corrupt country led by terrorists?

Why don't some radical Egyptains attack Israel, for example? I think the occupation is playing a big role there.

Maybe because they got tired of losing wars?
And how big a role do you think Islam plays?
Of course, your last statement is predicated on the assumption that it is an occupation and that Israel being there is illegal--both of which are debatable on the basis of international law.

World Court calls a wall a gross violation of international law and basic human rights. And that tells enough.

And this tells more:

Anyone looking for fairness when it comes to UN votes on that conflict would do well to remember that things ain't all on the level there.

One was reminded of that wisdom when news came last week of the long-expected International Court decision condemning Israel for having begun construction of a fence in 2002 in order to stop the campaign of murder of Israeli civilians launched by Palestinians two years earlier. Issued by judges appointed by the UN General Assembly, the result was foreordained the moment the court accepted the Palestinians' challenge to the fence while simultaneously refusing to consider the Palestinian campaign of targeting Israeli civilians that had brought about the decision to construct the fence in the first place.

Indeed, the court's decision was written as though the events that had led the Israeli government to decide it had no alternative to constructing a fence had never occurred. Since 2000, the Palestinian leadership has unleashed a premeditated campaign aimed at murdering and maiming Israeli civilians, thereby terrorizing an entire Israeli civilian population, in order to achieve political ends. In March 2002 alone some 130 Israelis were murdered -- the proportional equivalent of 6,000 Americans, or twice the number of innocent victims murdered on Sept. 11.

Daled Amos said...

The link for that last quote is from The Boston Globe

Anonymous said...

-Are you aware that the PLO was formed in 1964--before the so-called 'occupation'? --- Yes, but I was talking about Hamas, not PLO.

-If Hizbollah is based on such pure motives, why are they a threat to the Lebanese gov't? --- I don't know why would they be a threat. Although they occasionally fight and argue with gov't, Lebanon still needs Hizbollah - they're simply too strong and too popular to be ignored or destroyed. But even if Hizbollah was a threat to Lebanese gov't, that wouldn't change the fact that the group was founded in 1982 in RESPONSE to the Israeli INVASION, which was my point. In wikipedia you can read that: "Hezbollah first emerged as a militia in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, also known as Operation Peace for Galilee, in 1982, set on resisting the Israeli occupation of Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war.". So once again: there would've been no Hezbollah had there been no invasion.

-Are you ever going to document what you say? -- Oh, there's so many different sources claiming that Israel controls Gaza's economy that I didn't see that as necessary. Just type words 'Gaza', 'economy' and 'Israel' in google search. The very first title I get is the article from Jpost called: "Rights group: Israel ruining economy in Gaza Strip", following by titles like "Israel destroyed Gaza's civilian economic infrastructure" and "Deleting Gaza's Economy from the Map". So I guess I can't be that wrong...

-And just what makes Palestinian Arabs more deserving of their own state than the Kurds...? --- I don't know all the details regarding the Kurds, but I think there are some differences. The conditions the Palestinians (especially in Gaza) are living in are worse. There are also many Palestinians who were misplaced and forced to leave, which I'm not sure if happened in Kurdistan.

Of course, Palestinians are not the only desperate people in the world. But they're living under occupation and they are using military means to end the occupation. Even after UN rulings, "Palestine" is still under occupation. Claiming that Hamas won only because that they were seen as less corrupt than Fatah is naive and far from reality. Hamas won because of a variety of factors. Some voters were really unsatisfied with Fatah while some tried to protest against Israel. I agree there's currently no great basis for creating a Palestinian state. Both sides- Palestinians and Israel - are to be blamed for this. There's still much work to be done.

As for the World Court, Geneva conventions and International law: sure, you can doubt it, search for mistakes or even make fun of it... or you can respect it, as all the countries should. It's up to you and your values in life.

Daled Amos said...

-Are you aware that the PLO was formed in 1964--before the so-called 'occupation'? --- Yes, but I was talking about Hamas, not PLO.

The point is that 1967 is not the cause--nor is it the case of the other terrorist groups

-If Hizbollah is based on such pure motives, why are they a threat to the Lebanese gov't? --- I don't know why would they be a threat. Although they occasionally fight and argue with gov't, Lebanon still needs Hizbollah - they're simply too strong and too popular to be ignored or destroyed. But even if Hizbollah was a threat to Lebanese gov't, that wouldn't change the fact that the group was founded in 1982 in RESPONSE to the Israeli INVASION, which was my point. In wikipedia you can read that: "Hezbollah first emerged as a militia in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, also known as Operation Peace for Galilee, in 1982, set on resisting the Israeli occupation of Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war.". So once again: there would've been no Hezbollah had there been no invasion.

You write "Lebanon still needs Hizbollah - they're simply too strong and too popular to be ignored or destroyed."

Those are 2 very different points--which one are you sticking by. The latter belies the validity of the first--especially since you ignore the fact that Hizbollah is nothing but a puppet of Iran, and serves Syria's purposes of exerting influence in Lebanon. That's not something you'd expect from a group that has Lebanon's interests at heart.

Nor would you expect such a group to be dealing in drugs in Mexico and infiltrating the US.

(continued in next comment)

Daled Amos said...

(continued from last comment)

-Are you ever going to document what you say? -- Oh, there's so many different sources claiming that Israel controls Gaza's economy that I didn't see that as necessary. Just type words 'Gaza', 'economy' and 'Israel' in google search. The very first title I get is the article from Jpost called: "Rights group: Israel ruining economy in Gaza Strip", following by titles like "Israel destroyed Gaza's civilian economic infrastructure" and "Deleting Gaza's Economy from the Map". So I guess I can't be that wrong...

You miss the point--you can also find sources that Israel is drugging their gum, infected Arafat with aids, etc. It is a cop out to say there are sources--it is no different than blindly using HRW and Goldstone as sources and claiming the documented errors are irrelevant without looking at them.
According to you, there was a massacre at Jenin--after all EVERYBODY said so.

They were wrong.

Claiming there are sources without quoting them allows you to say anything.

Big deal.



-And just what makes Palestinian Arabs more deserving of their own state than the Kurds...? --- I don't know all the details regarding the Kurds, but I think there are some differences.

And just what makes you think that you know anything more about the Palestinian Arabs than you do about the Kurds?

The conditions the Palestinians (especially in Gaza) are living in are worse. There are also many Palestinians who were misplaced and forced to leave, which I'm not sure if happened in Kurdistan.

Again, you give no context and talk about one side only.

Of course, Palestinians are not the only desperate people in the world. But they're living under occupation and they are using military means to end the occupation.

No, they are not living under occupation--there has never been a Palestinian land, nor a Palestinian people, for that matter.

Even after UN rulings, "Palestine" is still under occupation. Claiming that Hamas won only because that they were seen as less corrupt than Fatah is naive and far from reality. Hamas won because of a variety of factors. Some voters were really unsatisfied with Fatah while some tried to protest against Israel.

And you have read the polls to prove this???

I agree there's currently no great basis for creating a Palestinian state. Both sides- Palestinians and Israel - are to be blamed for this. There's still much work to be done.

And that's it? You admit there is no basis for a second Palestinian state, so what is your point now?

As for the World Court, Geneva conventions and International law: sure, you can doubt it, search for mistakes or even make fun of it... or you can respect it, as all the countries should. It's up to you and your values in life.

Well, the first value is truth--this is not an issue of searching for mistakes. The biases are right out in plain view--you need look no further than the UNHRC. "Make fun of it"--that is a straw man.

The fact is, I take those agencies far more seriously than you do, which is why I document what I say while you blindly agree with whatever they say and do.

Anonymous said...

OK, let me first respond to the Hizbollah part. I insist that Lebanon needs Hizbollah. Lebanon's president Lahoud said that in 2006. He even went further by saying: “You know what it means to finish with Hezbollah? It means Lebanon would go back to the past before the resistance, that Israel can go into Lebanon whenever it wants to, and no one will bother her.” (source: Fox News).

Furthermore, I don't see Hizbollah as "nothing but a puppet of Iran". It's like saying that Israel can not act or make any decision alone (without listening to the U.S.). Sure, Hizbollah gets aid and support (including military backing) from Iran and Syria, but it is not a puppet of these governments. Especially in last years when their populatiry grew, the organization has developed its own elected council and command structure to make political and military decisions.

I must admit I didn't know about their dealing in drugs in Mexico; but then again, I was equally surprised to learn about CIA and its links to the Opium trade in Afghanistan. I guess money is money and it doesn't matter where it comes from. That's the (sad) reality.

Anonymous said...

-You miss the point--you can also find sources that Israel is drugging their gum, infected Arafat with aids, etc. --- Sure, but that wasn't the case. My point was that decent sources like Jpost, Independent and Reuters wrote reports on Israel's role in Gazan economy. I don't have time to search and post all the links and quotes, but I can assure you those reports are not hard to be found if you're really interested.

-And just what makes you think that you know anything more about the Palestinian Arabs than you do about the Kurds? --- Perhaps the fact that I read (and watch documentaries and reportages) a lot more about Palestinians than about Kurds. I'm not saying I'm an expert or that I know all the details, but I see what's going on there and - since I'm neither a Jew nor a Muslim/Arab - I think I can perhaps look at the situation little more objectively than some other people from Palestinian or Israeli side.

We'll probably never agree on issues like "living under occupation" and "Illegal under international law". All I can say is that I know Israel has always twisted the facts and reality of how it was created. There may has never been Palestinian people, but there were Palestinian Arabs. The land wasn't empty. I also don't buy terms like "Chosen People" or "Chosen land".

-And you have read the polls to prove this??? --- no, but I was reading different reports and interviews regarding those elections and I realized Hamas won the elections because of a variety of factors, as I said earlier.

-You admit there is no basis for a second Palestinian state, so what is your point now? --- I think there's no good conditions for a Palestinian state today. As I said, a lot of work needs to done and many issues need yet to be solved. There's no peace, no borders, no strong aconomy and no strong leader. Etc. I hope the situation will improve, though.

-The fact is, I take those agencies far more seriously than you do, which is why I document what I say while you blindly agree with whatever they say and do. --- I don't think those agencies are perfect; far from it. But if there are rules and laws, one should obey/respect them, even if you don't always agree with them. It's pretty much like school (or army) rules. You might have not agreed with all of them or didn't see them totaly fair, but you did probably obey them, because that's the only way the system can work. By the way, I've often heard Israel mentioning the U.N. resolution that demands the disarmament of Hezbollah, so it seems to me that Israel takes the UN seriosly only when she feels so.

Daled Amos said...

Sure, Hizbollah gets aid and support (including military backing) from Iran and Syria, but it is not a puppet of these governments.

So you're saying that Iran exerts no influence over Hizbullah?
Really???

I don't have time to search and post all the links and quotes, but I can assure you those reports are not hard to be found if you're really interested.

You miss the point. The question remains as to the accuracy of the reports, just as the fact that something is an NGO does not mean it gets an automatic green light on what it says. the UNHRC is a perfect example of that. The failure of the media to report the truth on Jenin is another. And of course, there is always HRW.

Perhaps the fact that I read (and watch documentaries and reportages) a lot more about Palestinians than about Kurds. I'm not saying I'm an expert or that I know all the details, but I see what's going on there and - since I'm neither a Jew nor a Muslim/Arab - I think I can perhaps look at the situation little more objectively than some other people from Palestinian or Israeli side.

Huh? The sources you get your information from is everything. Without providing the sources, your statement is meaningless. And again, Jenin proves that watching a bunch of documentaries etc doesn't mean a thing in and of itself without indicating what those sources are.

All I can say is that I know Israel has always twisted the facts and reality of how it was created. There may has never been Palestinian people, but there were Palestinian Arabs.

That's the whole point. Check out the sources from the 1940's and you'll read about the Palestinian Jews as well. All it is, is a geographic location, not a country. Palestine has never been a country.

All I can say is that I know Israel has always twisted the facts and reality of how it was created.

Now would be a good time to name your sources for once--just so it's clear how you know that Israel has always twisted the facts.

Take your time.

But if there are rules and laws, one should obey/respect them, even if you don't always agree with them.

Fine. But the fact is that significant errors have been found in the Report, the mission was a fact-finding not judicial mission (supposedly) and the rules and laws are disputed. That's a fact.

Anonymous said...

- So you're saying that Iran exerts no influence over Hizbullah? --- No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying they're not Iran's puppet and that they have their own opinions and interests as well.


- The sources you get your information from is everything. --- not if there are emotions involved. Remember all those soldier's mothers who firstly supported Bush & Blair and they later (when they lost their sons in Iraq) suddently turned against B&B and the war itself? That's one example.

- Check out the sources from the 1940's and you'll read about the Palestinian Jews as well. All it is, is a geographic location, not a country. --- So what? Many Palestinian Arabs were forced to leave their homes so that Israel could build their own state. You think that's fair? As for twisting the facts and reality of how israel was created, I'm not talking about any actual sources. It's more about a feeling you can get after listening to some israeli politicians or reporters.

Daled Amos said...

- The sources you get your information from is everything. --- not if there are emotions involved. Remember all those soldier's mothers who firstly supported Bush & Blair and they later (when they lost their sons in Iraq) suddently turned against B&B and the war itself? That's one example.


I'm talking facts and you're talking emotions? You are making my point for me.
BTW, I don't suppose you have proof for "all those soldier's mothers"?

Many Palestinian Arabs were forced to leave their homes so that Israel could build their own state. You think that's fair? As for twisting the facts and reality of how israel was created, I'm not talking about any actual sources. It's more about a feeling you can get after listening to some israeli politicians or reporters.

Many? How many? What.Are.Your.Sources?

I have some:
Why did Arabs leave the new State of Israel?

Why did the Arabs flee in 1948? Why didn't the Jews? Who has the right of return?

Myth and Fact: Did Arab Leaders Encourage Palestinians to Flee in 1948?--including lots of quotes by Arab leaders on the real reason they left.

Israel did not cause the Arabs to leave

Why did the arabs flee,or the real reason of the refugee problem?

Arabs Urged to Flee from Palestine in 1948:
Arab and Independent Sources Document That Arab Leaders Urged Palestinians to Leave


You can have your "emotions"--I'll stick to the facts. But don't worry: there are plenty of people willing to ignore the facts too.