*Please help a teenager desperate for information (Middle East)

Palesteniands

Hello guys, I'm a 17 year old that is desperate to know the major things about these conflicts in the Middle East. I sometimes watch the news and even though I can't understand what their saying about the Middle East I'm so goddamn desperate to know what these conflicts are about!!!

I'm actually losing sleep over this because I believe that I MUST know, and I refuse to be one of those teenagers simply ignoring everything happening around me, and simply go buy stuff, or fool around with friends.

The main reason I can't grasp the situation is because there seems to be MANY places and people that constantly come up on the news, and also these religions, so many names that I feel like I caught a movie in the last 15 minutes making it impossible for me to understand.

What I'm looking for is basicly a blueprint of some sort, summerizing for me the places that conflicts are over and why, the groups that are fighting there and why, and the religions that are fighting there and why.

I'm so thankfull to have a place such as this where people can clear this up for me and I thank you so much in advance!!!

Basically Israel (sometimes referred to as Tel Aviv on the news (the 'nations' capitol)) is attacking the people of Palestine under the argument that Hamas (the democratically elected government in power over the Palestine people) started it first. Hamas is retaliating after Israel closed off all borders to a large section of the Palestine people who are now suffering.

Thats just whats happening now.

I see. I just searched on google and I found that Palestine isn't a country. Then what is it? If there are " people of Palestine " then how do you define where it is, and who are part of them.

And why is everyone fighting over Israel!?

Try this for starters Mr. Redneck. www.abovetopsecret.com...

Roper

If you want some background, I suggest you visit this site HERE that spans not just the recent history, but the entire historical record spanning the thousands of years of conflict between Israelis and the Arab world, including the Palestinians.

This site HERE also gives a timeline but in a more condensed form and begins from the year 1882 through 2008.

To understand what is going on today in Israel and the Gaza strip, you need to examine the history.

Here is a site with a 40 year nutshell history LINK



Cheers!!!!

reply to post by Redneck from Hell


We (the UNITED STATES) write a blank check to ISRAEL every year, as much as 10 billion, to purchase military hardware. They are our strategic partners of our in the Middle East. Their job is to cut and stomp throats.

The Palestinians are cut-off from the world (but don't ask Sean Hannity that, according to him, ISRAEL has made every concession); they are poor and desperate. Humans in desperation do desperate things, which is why there are suicide bombings (not to justify such action, but what exactly is expected when humans are treated so poorly...a bake sale to eradicate the Great Satan?).

So we have this "conflict" now. Which is basically ISRAEL shooting fish a barrel (Palestinians/GAZA) while the whole world does nothing. Well, maybe, something, time is of the essence.

reply to post by Redneck from Hell


Yikes, you don't know what you are really asking.

The history of the Middle East is the history of civilization. Every empire has crossed it, every major religion was born within or near it, hundreds of cultures and languages have risen and fallen, all have claimed possession at one time or another.

Today's issues are born of millennia of conflicts and are so complicated and old that even some of those who fight have forgotten the original reasons.

Everyone on ATS or the world in general is going to give their view loaded with a certain degree of inherent bias.

It is far better to look it up for yourself and make up your own mind.

It will be a long but rewarding process.

One thing is for sure, you will not come out of it with statements like "it's this or that person's fault." Anyone who claims otherwise is simply talking out of ignorance. The Middle East situation is a lot of things, simple is not one of them.

reply to post by pluckynoonez


I'm sure there are many conflicts over the thousands of years so you can research for months. Interesting stuff though.

My opinion is....(to make a really long story short) ,thousands of years ago, God told Abraham that he would have a son and that from him would come many nations. Abraham was very old and doubted God, so he had a child with Hagar, his wife's maid. His name was Ishmael. Years later, God did give Abraham and his wife, Sarah, a son, Issac. Issac's name was changed later to Israel. So basically, if God promised Abraham to be a father of many nations...who's is the land promised to? Ishmael's children (Arabs, Iraq, Iran, etc) or the Israeli people? God promised the land to Israel. And it will remain Israel. Of coarse, alot of people, if not most now a days, don't believe in God. They don't believe the Jews are God's chosen people and they just want to "wipe Israel off the map", etc. The whole world is turning anti God. which is their free choice I guess. I choose to believe that everything happens for a reason, even if we do not understand. Everything playing out today in the world is all in a plan. Every nation will come against Israel as it says in the Bible. The Bible also predicts the ending. Something else you could research yourself. I'm sure I will already have people respond with hateful comments. I am not saying I agree with how things are going. I know people are suffering. But you can't believe everything in the news. They don't always give you the full story, just a version of it to slant your opinion their way. I am glad that you are not just hanging out with friends. We are watching history unfold in front of us. It is very clear if you know what to look for. Keep watching!