The Middle East Conflict for Dummies

[EGarrett]

Found this on Google Video. Helps explain a lot of what's going on there. Also makes Israel look pretty bad, but I guess the whole suicide-bombing/enslaving women/blowing up the World Trade Center would already make the Muslims look bad anyway...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1300690147358876696&q=sununu

[Ziggurat]

Your link doesn't work. I think you pasted in an abreviated URL, not the full one.

[shecky]

Think this (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1300690147358876696&q=sununu) is the correct link. Don't have a half hour to watch it, though.

[EGarrett]

Fixed. Thanks.

[webfusion]

I am watching it, and will take notes...
"is there a chance that everyone can just get along..."

I'll be back later...

[webfusion]

The following is the First Part, as I see it:

American Task Force of Palestine presentation:

with Dr Ziad Asali and
John Sununu

"ATFP is dedicated to establishing a State of Palestine alongside Israel"
(Visual Background: The White House, a waving American Flag and the Washington Monument)

2-parts:
Part one -- the conflict
Part two -- path to resolution

Some black bald guy with a shiny spot reflecting bad lighting in a studio (not named) starts talking ---

"Is there any chance that everyone can just get along and work something out?"

A cheery ditzy blonde female announcer (((( with a bad hair flip ))))) suddenly appears and interjects that in the Middle East "some of the names have changed over the years, but here's a general lay of the land..."

"Who is Israeli?
---majority jews
---20% Muslims or christians" ((((( no mention of any other religions )))))

"Who is Palestinian?
Someone who lives in Palestine, used to live in Palestine, or has palestinian heritage
Basically, they are arabs."

"They are fighting about land" --

"Let's take a quick trip through history:"

((((( The video quickly skims from 70AD to 1500 and right to WW1 and the end of Ottoman Empire.)))))

1922 - League of Nations approved BritishMandate
(((( no mention of San Remo Conference or partitions of other areas of the MidEast, and not a word about the Trans-Jordan separation of 3/4 of the mandated area))))

The blonde sparkly voice tells us:
"Guess What? At this point, the country of Palestine was 90% arab."
((((( Immigration of jews from Europe is mentioned prominently ----- but nothing is said about massive immigrations of arabs from surrounding countries during this same time )))))

"After wwII, the partition was presented to the UN" ----

Here, we are treated to a partition map, which includes the Negev in the total land area, although that southern section of palestine was virtually empty of population at the time.

One of the reasons the plan was rejected is the claim that the land was predominantly arab, and the Arab League declared the partition 'illegal' ---------

Here, also, a figure of "65% Palestinians" is brought forward, and the "jewish land ownership amounted to just 7% of Palestine" and the term "jewish settlers" is introduced to the viewer.

"Israeli land expanded at the conclusion of the 1948 War to encompass 78% of palestine"
And the remaining "22%" of palestine was left (West Bank = Jordanian and Gaza = Egyptian).
((((( No mention of Syrian land or the Kingdom of Jordan which were also integral traditional parts of Palestine.)))


"We can learn a lot by recognizing that there are two different stories arising from this conflict --
a narrative that each side carries with it"

For Palestinians, it is anxiety caused by displacement of jewish immigration into palestine in the 20th century and
The Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem since 1967,'and their desire for freedom and independence in the "holy land"

"What does this mean for the Israelis?
Well, there has been a long history of jewish persecution.
And in the middle of the 20th Century there is the Holocaust, in which millions of jews were murdered.

So, for jews, Israel is a 'safe haven' -- and they have a spiritual connection to the 'holy land'

"A general consensus is there should be a two-state solution."
(END PART ONE)

I tried to capture the main points here, and have interjected my notes (((( in parenthesis )))) where I saw a lapse or a failure of the presentation to cover salient issues or details.

Sorry if it is a bit jumbled, I did this "on the fly" and just attempted to get the essence here on JREF for the record.

I'm not able to cover Part Two tonight,,, that will have to wait for another time.

[EGarrett]

I notice that Wikipedia also says Sununu voted in support of a UN Resolution that was against Zionism. Which might indicate that he leans toward the Palestinean side of the conflict...and jibes with this video focusing more on the Israeli's wrongdoing.

[Mephisto]

Some black bald guy with a shiny spot reflecting bad lighting in a studio (not named) starts talking ---

"Is there any chance that everyone can just get along and work something out?"

Hey! It's Rodney King! :)