Even though what much of what Common Courtesy is mostly true, its the added slant that is not.
The only question is where do we start the history of the State of Israel clock. On one hand we can say 3/1948 when the UN ratified it, but of course there was a long pre-history
before that, in which rivals groups grappled for post British Palestinian Mandate Hegemony.
But still, I think its fair to say, that all those post WW2 Jewish refugees Europe basically caused, were sitting in squalid refugees camps because the guilty Europeans who allowed their displacement then did not want them back. So label the European, US, And Russian history despicable.
Then an old idea that had been sitting around for at least 50 years was dusted off, as lets just solve the Jewish refugee problem by dumping them all into Israel. Instantly it gets the Europeans off the hook, the Brits wanted to get out of the thankless business of running the Palestinian mandate, and as long as the Surrounding Arabs states dealt with British hegemony they had long ago been forced to accept, they were content. But as soon as the surrounding Arab states learned they would be dealing with a State of Israel, at least partly run by Jews, they screamed NIMBY. Meanwhile, everyone realized the existing land of Israel was about 2/3 Palestinian owned so the question of what to do about the Palestinian people needed to be addressed. But enter stage center, pre 1948, moderate Jewish leaders like David Ben Gurion and others promising the larger world Israel would fairly govern and grant equal rights to Jews and Palestinians. Which was, IMHO, the goal we search for now, and had that happened, we would have peace in the mid-east with Israel being an accepted part of the mid-east.
But still, in terms of terrorism, even before Israels 1948 ratification, certain radical Jews were the #1 British mandate terrorist groups, although a few Palestinian groups were active too.
But after months and years of talking in far off NYC, the UN finally ratified the State of Israel in 1948. And then what we got was basically nothing but violence among the three major groups of Arab Nation States with standing Armies, Israeli Jews fighting for their very survival, and the Palestinian people caught between the two. In terms of arms and weapons, The Arab States with standing armies had the most arms by a wide margin, The Israeli Jews and mainly its worst terrorists were well armed in terms of light arms, but were woefully out gunned in terms of heavy weapons like artillery batteries, tanks, and planes. As for the Palestinians they were almost all unarmed and untrained.
In terms of the violence in the pre and post 1948 formation of Israel, we can maybe say small but well organized Jewish terrorist were murdering Palestinians in 1947, but the most of the blame lies, IMHO, with the Surrounding Arab state all attacked Israel immediately after the UN ratified the State of Israel. With the stated intent do drive the Jews into the sea. There is no legitimizing that act by the Arab States, and we are still are paying for that stupidity. ( But as side note, we can see Israeli fan clubbers advocating that Israel do the same thing to a UN approved possible Palestinian State should it be declared in the near future. )
But the long and the short of the 1948 Arab v Israeli war, is that almost everyone expected the Arab Goliath to win, and instead the Israeli David prevailed instead. But its not as much as saying Israel won, its more a case that the Arabs were totally disorganized and way too over confident. As the Arabs managed to grasp defeat from the jaws of almost certain victory. As for the Jews, in terms of organization, its something Israel has as its long suit.
Now lets look at the Palestinians and their role in the 1948 war. And they can only be likened to somewhat children on the eve of war. Both Arab States and Israel were saying, run away while we fight the war, as the Arabs did promise it would soon be time for the Palestinians to come home. But as the group the ran away because they were unarmed and thus unable to fight, the Palestinians have to be classed as innocent by standers.
But after the dust settled and the Arabs limped home, Israeli leaders breathed a giant sigh of relief. Because they knew they had barely won, and were far to weak to attack the retreating Arab armies or ask for Arab land.
So instead they decided, why not blame it all on the Palestinians, because we get to steal their land, expel them from Israel, which works great for Israel. And it even works with Arab States too, they get to keep their own land, then Arab leaders can make a few bellicose anti-Israel Statements, and then see how lucky you are to live under my corrupt government, because you would be as bad off as the Palestinians without my leadership.
But in 1967& 1973 it gets even better than that for Arab States and Israel. Because we may debate the causes of the 1967 war, but there is no debate on the fact the Palestinian people didn't cause it. And ditto in 1973.
Yet now the Palestinians exist as this wonderful whipping boy. If an Iran, Turkey, Syria, Libya, Lebanon, or insert any country does something to worry Israel, its time to whip on the hapless Palestinians, and Israeli honor thus satisfied, they can talk more rationally to the offending nation.
But that is the base reason we are in a mess in the mid-east, we transfer the blame from those that strong and guilty, and instead transform the blame over to the weak simply because its easier to steal from the weak.
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