I think it’s important to look at why things developed the way they did. I also think it’s important to understand causation without invoking blame, but that’s never going to happen on a large scale.
Very well put and you won't get any signicant argument from me on that point. The past cannot be changed or altered. Only the future can be changed. And unfortunately, I believe that many Palestinian politicians have been preying on people's resentment for real, or perceived wrongs. It's a convenient manner in which to deflect criticism of the current government, while generating the ability to blame someone else for their miserable state of existence.
The problem is that the "Palestinians" (as we refer to this "quasi-nationality") have been pawns since the day the Ottoman Empire fell.. They are group of people who, had the Zionists never been permitted to settle in Palestine, would now be Jordanians, Egytians, and Syrians. They would not be Palestinians, nor would Arafat or the PLO ever been permitted to develop...
They would be exploited by the ruling elite, just as current Arabs and "Palestinians" are. They would be earning the same effective GDP per capita as most Jordanians, if even that.
The fact is that Jordan, prior to Israel's conquest of the West Bank, treated the residents of the West Bank like some kind of neo-colonialist holding. They would export revenue from the West Bank (where trade with Israel and other states generated more income than the East Bank) and refused to invest any real money into improving infrastructure in the territory. This was clearly seen when the Israelis captured the region and found they had to spend tremendous amounts of money to upgrade basic utilities and services, plugging it into their grid and waste treatment systesms.
The bottom line is that the average "Palestinian" probably possessed far fewer rights and economic opportunity under Jordanian rule than has been the case under the Israelis.
And even now, despite the Billions in dollars that Arafat has siphoned off for his own use (and could use to alleviate much of the economic problems in the PA), more than 40% of Palestinians are dependent upon employment in Israel.
Thus, history can provide a sense of context, when both sides OBJECTIVELY. And while we're discussing the plight of the average "Palestinian", whom fate (and the Hashemites miscalculations and perfidy) has abandoned, we should discuss the plight of Occidental Jews who have been kicked out of the various Arab nations in the region, including Jordan (where national law forbids Jews from being citizens).
nationalreview.com
Contrasted with the fact that 20% of Israel consists of non-Jewish CITIZENS (with voting rights), obviously some onus should be upon the Arabs to show a bit more of the tolerance and acquiesence they demand from the Jews.
Hawk |
