How and why is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the root cause of all the evils in the Middle East?

I can see why Arabs all over the Middle East may sympathise with Palestinians, and it is obvious how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has very real and direct consequences for everyone living in Israel propper, the West Bank, and Gaza. But why is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seen by many as the root cause of all the bad things happening in the middle east?

What does the conflict in Israel have to do with the civil war in Iraq? How are the IDF, Hamas, or Fatah affecting the Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq? How is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict having a direct effect on the lives of people in countries like Saudi Arabia and Yemen, who are far removed from the conflict? How is this conflict threatening the existence of Iran or Libya, as their nations leaders have claimed?

The rabble is easily roused. Thus, authoritarian governments like the House of S'aud or the Syrian Nationalist Dictatorship can't afford to have the public hopping mad over the populist issue of 'brother arabs being humiliated, and sacred jerusalem being occupied', so they have to, minimally, put up a pretense of funding the palestinian militants.

Because of that, there has developed a network of underground arms and cash smuggling. This sort of 'organism' is going to be self-perpetuating. So there's a spill over and radicalization of some people to bring up radical militancy in other middle eastern countries, like lebanon and syria.

Recall also that, when mohammed was alive, when he prayed, he bowed, not torwards mecca, but to Jerusalem. And so did most muslims for a while after his death, if I recall. And that the islamic religion is built upon the old jewish prophets, so they probably feel that the land is now promised to them.

I wonder how Americans would feel if say Texas was sovereign Native Indian Land annexed by the British after WW2 ? say call it the Balfour II Agreement whereby it was promised to them even before WW1 ?

I would expect massacres would also be the order of the day, say that this Texas Country was then backed by the Russians who supplied them with overwhleming military aid and nuclear technology to defend themselves.

You would have a Tinderbox similar to Israel-Palestine and blind freddy could see the outcome.

Read in the prophesies and begin to realize what is happening is/was written along time ago ... and is something that will not ever be stopped it will get much worse and then appear to have been stopped but then after a couple years it will just get much much worse ... You know what I find funny is that the prophecy of Jesus coming was in the bible to ... right down to where and when he would be born and those people back in the day had the bible MEMORIZED .... Hence it wasn't as much as it is now .. but still they had it memorized ... and they still didn't know ...he was there .. then they Crucified him ... crazy ..

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
I can see why Arabs all over the Middle East may sympathise with Palestinians, and it is obvious how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has very real and direct consequences for everyone living in Israel propper, the West Bank, and Gaza. But why is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seen by many as the root cause of all the bad things happening in the middle east?

What does the conflict in Israel have to do with the civil war in Iraq? How are the IDF, Hamas, or Fatah affecting the Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq? How is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict having a direct effect on the lives of people in countries like Saudi Arabia and Yemen, who are far removed from the conflict? How is this conflict threatening the existence of Iran or Libya, as their nations leaders have claimed?

Originally posted by mazzroth
I wonder how Americans would feel if say Texas was sovereign Native Indian Land annexed by the British after WW2 ? say call it the Balfour II Agreement whereby it was promised to them even before WW1 ?

I would expect massacres would also be the order of the day, say that this Texas Country was then backed by the Russians who supplied them with overwhleming military aid and nuclear technology to defend themselves.

You would have a Tinderbox similar to Israel-Palestine and blind freddy could see the outcome.

You guys can have Texas, really. Take it off our hands!

But the analogy does not hold. Palestinians have an obvious stake in the conflict, but countries far away like Iran and Libya are claiming the conflict is a life and death situation for them. A more valid analogy would be Canadians getting hopping mad because somebody knicked a tiny strip of land in Mexico, and the Canadians running around thinking their existance was threatened

Originally posted by Nygdan
The rabble is easily roused. Thus, authoritarian governments like the House of S'aud or the Syrian Nationalist Dictatorship can't afford to have the public hopping mad over the populist issue of 'brother arabs being humiliated, and sacred jerusalem being occupied', so they have to, minimally, put up a pretense of funding the palestinian militants.

Because of that, there has developed a network of underground arms and cash smuggling. This sort of 'organism' is going to be self-perpetuating. So there's a spill over and radicalization of some people to bring up radical militancy in other middle eastern countries, like lebanon and syria.

Recall also that, when mohammed was alive, when he prayed, he bowed, not torwards mecca, but to Jerusalem. And so did most muslims for a while after his death, if I recall. And that the islamic religion is built upon the old jewish prophets, so they probably feel that the land is now promised to them.

1. Is the issue not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the authoritarian governments in the region. If the Israeli-Palestinian conflict did not exist, some other issue would be a potential catalyst for instability like fluctuations in oil pricesor other ethnic conflicts like the Suni- Shiite conflict in Iraq or Kurd-Turk conflict in Iraq. Believe it or not, Western Europe is just as conflicted and divided as the Middle East, yet in the past 50 years the democratic governments of Europe have been able to solve disputes peacefully without threatening to nuke eachother or wipe eachother out.

2. Religions like Islam, Judaism, and Christianity have scriptures which can be read to advocate all sorts of things. All these religions scriptures can be said to be very modern and progressive, advocating love, cooperation and respect for all men, yet they can also be said to be backwards, advocating death and destruction to the non-believer. Why is it that in this day and age, why is the Islam that many practice in the Middle East a backwards and intolerant religion? Is the religion itself backwards or intolerant, or is the society around the religion molding it into a backwards and intolerant religion? Perhaps the society is turning the religion backwards and intolerant as it wants to keep its masses that way. Arabs are preoccupied with Jews who have horns on their head and kill little Palestinian children to use their blood to cast spells, while their own governments are failing them.

How and why is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the root cause of all the evils in the Middle East?

Truth is learned if it can be associated with what is known to the individual plus the instinct of "self pre-serve" equals an opinion that is dependent upon the need to extend outwards the will of the individual.

in other words:

Learning through association to things already known (normal learning)
PLUS
"I am selfish before is serve anything or anyone (to include truth)"
EQUALS
opinions that dictate peoples actions and behaviors

In my opinion this is how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become the root cause of all the evils in the Middle East.

Probably not a response that meets your expectations, and most certainly not the whole answer, but certainly there is some truth to it.

thanks,
john

Could you please elaborate further. Please correct me if I am wrong in interpretting what you have posted.

From what I am getting from your post the people of the middle east have had knowledge, beliefs, folk tales, history, etc. embedded into their culture. This knowledge, coupled with their need to process information about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a way that serves their own needs best, makes the people of the middle East think that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the root of all evil.

If this is true, is it perhaps the prior knowledge or the interests that guide the processing of information that are the root cause? For example, let us assume America had a superstition that people who wear purple shirts are going to bring about the end of the world, purple shirts become the latest fashion in France, and America felt it needed to nuke France to get rid of the menace purple shirts are creating. Furthermore, nuking France would advance American interests as a small, yet influential group of people in America want to take possession of its vineyards because they want to pay less for French wine. In this situation, are the French people and their purple shirts a problem? Or is it the silly superstition surrounding purple shirts and the greed of people who want to pay a lower price for French wine?

Its not a simple task to explain the situation. There is loads of documents and reading to sift through. I can tell you that this has been going on for decades even before Israel became a state. The General Assembly resolution I am going to post is just an example that you can see for yourself which has continued to be ignored for well over 20 years. Bear in mind this is not a Security Council Resolution since any and all resolutions brought before the Sec. Council have been vetoed by the US.

G. GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 38/79

Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices
Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories

D


The General Assembly,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and by the principles and provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, m/

Bearing in mind the provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, n/ as well as of other relevant conventions and regulations,

Recalling all its resolutions on the subject, in particular resolutions 32/91 B and C of 13 December 1977, 33/113 C of 18 December 1978, 34/90 A of 12 December 1979, 25/122 C of 11 December 1980, 36/147 C of 16 December 1981 and 37/88 C of 10 December 1982, and also those adopted by the Security Council, the Commission on Human Rights, in particular its resolution 1983/1 of 15 February 1983, o/ and other United Nations organs concerned and by the specialized agencies,

Having considered the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories, p/ which contains, inter alia, public statements made by officials of the Government of Israel,

1. Commends the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories for its efforts in performing the tasks assigned to it by the General Assembly and for its thoroughness and impartiality;

2. Deplores the continued refusal by Israel to allow the Special Committee access to the occupied territories;

3. Demands that Israel allow the Special Committee access to the occupied territories;

4. Reaffirms the fact that occupation itself constitutes a grave violation of the human rights of the civilian population of the occupied Arab territories;

5. Condemns the continued and persistent violation by Israel of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, and other applicable international instruments, and condemns in particular those violations which that Convention designates as "grave breaches" thereof;

6. Declares once more that Israel's grave breaches of that Convention are war crimes and an affront to humanity;

7. Strongly condemns the following Israeli policies and practices:

(a) Annexation of parts of the occupied territories, including Jerusalem;

(b) Imposition of Israeli laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Syrian Golan Heights, which has resulted in the effective annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights;

(c) Establishment of new Israeli settlements and expansion of the existing settlements on private and public Arab lands, and transfer of an alien population thereto;

(d) Evacuation, deportation, expulsion, displacement and transfer of Arab inhabitants of the occupied territories and denial of their right to return;

(e) Confiscation and expropriation of private and public Arab property in the occupied territories and all other transactions for the acquisition of land involving the Israeli authorities, institutions or nationals on the one hand and the inhabitants or institutions of the occupied territories on the other;

(f) Excavations and transformations of the landscape and the historical, cultural and religious sites, especially at Jerusalem;

(g) Pillaging of archaeological and cultural property;

(h) Destruction and demolition of Arab houses;

(i) Collective punishment, mass arrests, administrative detention and ill-treatment of the Arab population;

(j) Ill-treatment and torture of persons under detention;

(k) Interference with religious freedoms and practices as well as family rights and customs;

(l) Interference with the system of education and with the social and economic development of the population in the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories;

(m) Interference with the freedom of movement of individuals within the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories;

(n) Illegal exploitation of the natural wealth, resources and population of the occupied territories;

8. Strongly condemns the arming of Israeli settlers in the occupied territories to commit acts of violence against Arab civilians and the perpetration of acts of violence by these armed settlers against individuals, causing injury and death and wide-scale damage to Arab property;

9. Reaffirms that all measures taken by Israel to change the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the occupied territories, or any part thereof, including Jerusalem, are null and void, and that Israel's policy of settling parts of its population and new immigrants in the occupied territories constitutes a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention and of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations;

10. Demands that Israel desist forthwith from the policies and practices referred to in paragraphs 7, 8 and 9 above;

11. Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to take immediate steps for the return of all displaced Arab and Palestinian inhabitants to their homes or former places of residence in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967;

12. Urges the international organizations and the specialized agencies, in particular the International Labour Organisation, to examine the conditions of Arab workers in the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories, including Jerusalem;

13. Reiterates its call upon all States, in particular those States parties to the Geneva Convention, in accordance with article 1 of that Convention, and upon international organizations and the specialized agencies not to recognize any changes carried out by Israel in the occupied territories and to avoid actions, including those in the field of aid, which might be used by Israel in its pursuit of the policies of annexation and colonization or any of the other policies and practices referred to in the present resolution;

14. Requests the Special Committee, pending the early termination of Israeli occupation, to continue to investigate Israeli policies and practices in the Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, to consult, as appropriate, with the International Committee of the Red Cross in order to ensure the safeguarding of the welfare and human rights of the population of the occupied territories and to report to the Secretary-General as soon as possible and whenever the need arises thereafter;

15. Requests the Special Committee to continue to investigate the treatment of civilians in detention in the Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967;

16. Condemns Israel's refusal to permit persons from the occupied territories to appear as witnesses before the Special Committee and to participate in conferences and meetings held outside the occupied territories;

17. Requests the Secretary-General:

(a) To provide all necessary facilities to the Special Committee, including those required for its visits to the occupied territories, with a view to investigating the Israeli policies and practices referred to in the present resolution;

(b) To continue to make available additional staff as may be necessary to assist the Special Committee in the performance of its tasks;

(c) To ensure the widest circulation of the reports of the Special Committee, and of information regarding its activities and findings, by all means available through the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat and, where necessary, to reprint those reports of the Special Committee which are no longer available;

(d) To report to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth session on the tasks entrusted to him in the present paragraph;

18. Requests the Security Council to ensure Israel's respect for and compliance with all the provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, in Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, and to initiate measures to halt Israeli policies and practices in those territories;

19. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-ninth session the item entitled "Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories".

More to this document here

You can read the myriad of other documents here.
domino.un.org...!OpenPage

The simplest way I see it, is Israel is like the neighbor with the bully kid. The kid runs rampant through the neighborhood terrorizing , while the neighbors complain to parents (The USA) who see this child (Israel) as an angel, rather then discipline or punishing him for breaking windows and setting fire to neighbors cats and pulling dogs tails. This child grows up to be a sociopathic killer. The neighbors meanwhile are the ones who suffer.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
I can see why Arabs all over the Middle East may sympathise with Palestinians, and it is obvious how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has very real and direct consequences for everyone living in Israel propper, the West Bank, and Gaza. But why is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seen by many as the root cause of all the bad things happening in the middle east?

the British (declining) Empire, in essence created a cage (aka Palestine area)
in which was confined both a Lion & a Leopard......

then the USA (ascending) Empire
under the mistaken idea of helping the caged yet stately predators,
was actually just poking the beasts with a stick!

all the countries & peoples you named consider themselves subservient to the western powers,
colonialism, American hegemony -(Imperialism),

the West carved up Palestine, for it's own purposes,
as it's now doing with Iraq, for all they all know 'they' could be next,
so why not become a 'Briar Patch', or a 'Tar Baby' situation?
which the american wolf will tend to avoid, but throw $$ at the problem instead!?

I am a aware a lot of bad things are happening to Palestinians as a result of the conflict, as you pointed out. The analogy of the bully (Israel) terrorizing the neighbors only holds for the neighbors being Palestinians. One cannot say this applies to countries like Lybia and Iran who are removed from the conflict and are not directly threatened by it, unless they chose to be.

The war is about water, farmland and oil. The people of the middle east tend to be very ignorant. How many times did it take to get through their primitive skulls that Israeli fire power is US fire power and far superior to wooden sticks and flint tips?

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
I can see why Arabs all over the Middle East may sympathise with Palestinians,

I don't think they do. If they did, then the oil rich Arabs would have 'saved' the Palestinians a long time ago. Instead, they all use the 'palestinian cause' on their own whims ... as an excuse ... kinda like playing the race card in America when a situation isn't racist. Muslim countries trot out the 'palestinian issue' when they want an excuse for doing ________ (fill in the blank) ... but then leave the 'palestinians' high and dry the rest of the time.

With all that oil money, there is no excuse for allegedly sympathetic oil rich muslim countries to leave the 'palestinians' living in an inbetween state as they claim that they are.

But why is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seen by many as the root cause of all the bad things happening in the middle east?

The Palestinian situation is not the root cause of all bad things happening in the middle east. I have no idea why people think that, except perhaps it's because, as I said, the Muslim countries point at it whenever they feel like. Radical Islam is the root cause of most bad things happening in the middle east. Intolerance of muslims toward other muslims who believe differently ... intolerance of radical muslims toward anyone who believes differently ...

I would bet you a box of donuts that if Israel was to disappear today, then those folks over there would just move on to the next bunch of people to hate. They have to hate something. If they dont' have a focus for their hate then they have to look inward at themselves and their own situations, and it probably isn't too pretty.

Oh .. and I don't care if 'palestinians' ever get a 'homeland'. I used to care. I now don't. They can go to one of the dozens of muslim countries already in existance.

www.youtube.com...

Originally posted by FlyersFan
With all that oil money, there is no excuse for allegedly sympathetic oil rich muslim countries to leave the 'palestinians' living in an inbetween state as they claim that they are.

Of course there is. The minute they are taken off of refugee status,and given citizenship Israel has a reason for them to not return to Palestine. Especally now with their new laws in regards to "enemy states". Anyone they consider dealing with enemy states can have their Israeli citizenship taken away. The Palestinian refugees in Lebanon,Jordan, Syria, Egypt have as much right to go home to their country as any American, Australian, or European Jew to go home to Israel does and even moreso.
How many of the above mentioned groups have had their great-great-great-grandfathers born there? I would imagine very very few.

Giving them citizenship would just give Israel more ammo to keep them out. They know exactly what they are doing. They all wait patiently to return to their homes ,which will happen someday sooner then later I hope.

hey wait didnt the U.S give israell a whole bunch of toys like fighter planes gun bomb deals

dont they call curfews in palestine areas so people cant go to hospital and get shot for not abiding

dont they stop food supply from foreign groups trying to help the palestine people

didnt one of there tanks accidently drop a shell on 2 brothers a cousin and friend of like 8 year olds oops

dont they rip out all there agricultural stuff equptment trees ect

dont they pull down there houses and build what looks like facist condo's in that only isralies live in there area

build only around water and cut it of plus electricty
to palestines

not to mention that every were u need your passport to go over the road

stop watching cnn start watching bbc for more lets say more acurate perception of west bank events

didnt they have a march of women to stop the war

whats the difference between jewish and muslim religion

crappy sand


i dont really care for the details of anti semetic pig sht and there rhethica dont care for sand out side my country

but i was wondering how they manged to skip nato

but who knows mabe they bought it or rented it for a while