International Law: Applicability and Real Politik in the Middle East

Wajahat:

We did the same ethnic cleansing. Big deal. Hindus are settled in India and Muslims are settled in Pakistan.

Why Pakistanis do not support Israel when the creation of the two entities is so similar is beyond me.

Also, there was ethnic cleansing of Jews from Egypt and other Arab nations.

Rahulmal

Before the Violent arrival of the Zionist Jew from Europe, Palestine was a peaceful land, inhabited by Christian, Jews & Muslims who lived together in relative harmony. The first Suicide Bombing was carried out by the Zionist militias against the British in 40s. The displacement of Millions of Muslims was a ethnic cleanising excercise, which was almost alike the mongolian invasions several centuries ago. The arab-israeli war was a terrible defeat and the occupation of the post 1967 land was a dark time for the Palestinians.

Today Israel is Superpower, backed by the US, immuned by any sanction by the UN, Cutting up land and creating fences which is causing exodus of millions of palestinians. The palestinian leaders are corrupt and have mismanaged their resources badly, offcourse Israel and its system invasions into gaza and occupied territories and destruction of all cvilised insitutions on a regular basis is ignored by the Intellectuals of the world.

From what i saw in your post, it is not that the South Asians have buried their heads, it is that we are isolated groups, who are one either side of the fence. What you feel is an Israeli Reality, I call the Palestinian Problem. Israel is already trying its best to dispose all Arabs who will in 30 years or so become a demographic majority in the area. This is continued ethnic Cleansing and just like the South African Bantistans, these walls are creating small enclosures to keep the animals, as the Zionist call the Palestinians. In this world today, such racism goes without any check, I respect the europeons who can still see this an unjust and unfair human issue, rather than a political situation. But I am somehow always surprised by the Inhumanity of our Indian Neighbours on the Paletine issue, knowing full well the great Gandhi himself was an active pro palestinian leader who called Israel`s Actions Barbarous anda shame on humanity.

Islamic Fundamentalist have still found no grounds in Palestine, the battle there is still about the survival of a very brave group of people who even after 55 years of persecution, ethnic cleansing are still fighting back for their land. The Palestinians are the bravest people on earth.

#20

Its not ancient History as much as the creation of Pakistan that is used by the Hindutva types. They believe in the Two Nation Theory same as the majority of Muslims in Northern India did, till ofcourse it was time to pack up and leave. At that point there was a spurt in the belief of India`s secularism.

nikki,

``...law abiding indians, muslims too...``

A fig leaf? How unlike you...

pmishra2,

Yes, let`s hope these ``no good arabs`` do not behave like the ``no good hindus`` who use the excuse of foriegn rule and historical occupation to excuse or at the very least rationalize the Hindutva types...

wajahat,

I think it is the oriental mentality that stops us from recognizing the truth even when it stares us in the face. The Chinese, Japs and other Eastern people have come out of this strange inclination to obfuscate and bury their heads in the sand, the middle-easterners and South-Asians are yet to do that. Probably, that explains the difference in their and our development indices.

There are many myths propagated by vested interests regarding Arab-Israeli dispute:

1) Palestinians are a distinct ethnic group and there was a Palestinian state during some epoch in History.

There is no difference between Jordanian Arabs and Palestinian Arabs. The term Palestinian itself was coined in 20th century to give an identity to people west of Jordan River. There has never been a monarchy or republic called Palestine/any other name that ruled exclusively the areas west of Jordan river.

2) Israel was supported by US/UK in the `48 war.

In fact, Great Britain had imposed an arms embargo in middle-east to stop the new nation from getting their weapons. Britain had a pro-Arab tilt till. They thought that a Jewish nation in middle-east was not viable and put their bets on oil-rich Arab nations.

3) PLO/Fatah is a nationalist organization with the sole aim of liberating West bank and Gaza.

PLO was founded in 1964 in Egypt, part of Egyptian foreign policy of playing a regional super-power. Fatah was formed by Arafat in Algeria in early 60`s. Please note that at that time West bank and East Jerusalem were under Jordan. So, the aim was to `push the Jews into sea`. Liberation, humanism and equality are hogwash; an existential struggle is a reality.

4) Moral posturing is going to force Israelis back to pre-`67 borders.

Only the most gullible and most stupid people believe that. Israel is a narrow strip of land and they need more meat in the transverse section to wriggle out of their state of strategic disadvantage. Religion/no religion, they`ll never leave any land they`ve occupied (esp. along the width). Gaza is not a big deal, don’t be surprised if Sharon crowns some Hamas leader as the prince of Gaza and even extends some help to them. At maximum, they can support formation of a docile, well-behaved and powerless government in some parts of occupied territories. To expect anything more is to live in a fool`s paradise.

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Boy, am I sick of these palestinians and israelis. WHat a bunch of losers ! I had a better opinion of Israelis but their blundering for the last year or two makes one wonder.

Do you know that palestinians receive the largest per-capita foreign aid for any group? I believe the figure is around $5000/per palestinian. Most of it goes to Arafat`s hafta but hey, no one said charismatic revolutionary rogues come cheap!

Meanwhile, genocide stalks darfur, tens of thousands die from AIDS in South Africa, and 25 million children are out of school in South Asia. But these are non-issues. The important thing is that a no-good bunch of arabs should get to whine about their ancestral homes.

God, this Hindu mentality is just mind boggling. I don`t understand why some of them have to criticize anything and everything that a Paksitani utters. I can bet my ass if you tell one of them that `` Hey! I met your father yesterday. What a thorough gentleman. It is quite a pleasant experience to be around him`` and these hindus will reply ``Oh yeah - my father is a m/fing jihadi and he is training to blew himself up in a coming operation to meet 70 houris. See its Islams fault that he is my father. Imperialist Islam made him my father with a sword``.

And if you tell a hindu ``I met your father yesterday, I think he is an idiot``. The Hindu will reply ``Oh yeah, it is all because of the great Indian democracy and constitution that this gentleman is my father and today and it is the secular institutions that keep him my father. My father is a product of worlds largest democracy and my father supports Israeli democracy and your father beats up your mother``

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The Entire world except the US is condemning Israel for its actions in Occupied Palestine, even India opposed Israel until the BJP Rulers who governed in the same religious biggoted lines of racial supremacy and other nonsense came to power. The Indians here keep forgetting the single fact that never in its entire history, Israel has been alone. It has been fully backed, miltarily, politically and monetarily by US, without parallel in the history of the Modern World. This is not cronyism, but absolute biggotry by a rogue Superpower run by Christain Fundamentalist backed by Zionist Institutes in the Media and Finance. This is what Israel has on its side.

The War in Iraq, the Iran issue being pumped up by that sub human American President. Are all a plan to reenforce Israel in the Middle East. But then Indians cant see that, I guess they see something in the biggotry of Israel, that matches their RSS Inhibitions of Hindu Superiority.

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Ms. Zain

The international law which was the result of 10,000 years of human evolution has ceased to exist since March 19, 2003 - thanks to the axis of evil of the rogue nations like US, Britain, and Israel. The so-called international institutions are just facades behind which West dances its danse macabre now. The recent judgement of International Court of Justice on the Israeli wall is the last ditch effort by whiteman to save the credibility of the institutions that he himself had created. And what has rogue nations done to these efforts is up there to see. What is left is just sophistry, which no one is willing to buy any more.