…on the luxury shopping mall in Gaza.
David Cameron used a visit to Turkey to make his strongest intervention yet in the intractable Middle East conflict today when he likened the experience of Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip to that of a “prison camp”.
Um… let’s juxtapose that with a bit of reality, eh David?
This past Saturday night, the Gaza Strip marked the grand opening of its new shopping mall, known as Strip Mall. So as the world continues to chastise Israel over its “blockade,” Gaza residents (including the over 10,500 allowed intro Israel for medical treatment in 2009) can enjoy life at the fancy new shopping center.
It never ceases to amaze me just how ignorant (or conveniently forgetful) Cameron and other western “leaders” are when it comes to ARAB persecution of the Palestinians.
In September 1970, King Hussein of Jordan sent his 60th Armored Brigade to attack the headquarters of a Palestinian organization in Amman, including Palestinian camps in Irbid, Salt, Sweileh, Baq’aa, Wehdat and Zarqa. Yasser Arafat claimed that the Jordanian army killed between 10,000 and 25,000 Palestinians, with the survivors being pushed out of the country for good. This action followed the PFLP’s (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) repeated attempts to assassinate the king, and the hijacking of four airliners belonging to Swiss Air, Pan AM, TWA and BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation).
In 1982, the Syrian army shelled the Palestinian city of Hama, killing up to 40,000 Palestinians, mostly men, women and children. President Assad leveled an entire city with an air bombardment followed by artillery and tank fire. Why? The Palestinians were anti Baath party, and apparently in 1982 in Syria that was a death sentence. Those who tried to flee the carnage were simply shot by the Syrian army. Survivors later told how they were made to stand over pits full of charred bodies and shot, Nazi style.
In 1991, Kuwait forcibly expelled over 400,000 Palestinians through an open act of brutal ethnic cleansing after Arafat and the PLO sided with Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf War.
As of July 2010, Egypt has partially lifted its own blockade of Gaza at Rafar, which has been in effect since 2007, to allow humanitarian and medical aid into the Gaza Strip, yet still WITH RESTRICTIONS on what kinds of supplies can enter. The Egyptians were candid enough to admit that (A) they hate the Palestinians as much as the Israelis do (B) they don’t want any Palestinian refugees in their country, and (C) they would rather have supplies go through Israel into Gaza.
So much for “brotherhood” among Arabs!
Yet no protests were ever made against Egypt. I wonder why? Where was the outraged international media, the UN “emergency” meetings and the hordes of “peace’ activists when the above atrocities were committed?
And people think Israel is bad?
So, let’s look at the facts about Israel. This is a country that was founded in 1947, long after most Arab nations were established, and with their own clearly defined boundaries. It is the only true democracy in the region and with a far better record on human rights than ANY of its Arab neighbours. For example, you can have your gay “pride” parade in Israel, but try to do that in any Arab country, even the Gaza strip, and you will be hanged or stoned to death, guaranteed. This one reason why groups like “Queers for Palestine” are a complete joke. Israel is smaller than Lake Michigan, or if you like, only 1/19th the size of California, and has a population of only 7.3 million people, but with a thriving economy and a First World standard of living. Approximately 75.4% of the population are Jews, with 20.3% identified as Arabs, and the remainder are classed as “other,” meaning a mixture of largely western residents.
In 2006, the official number of Arab residents in Israel was 1,413,500 people. About 98% of East Jerusalem Palestinians has either Israeli residency or Israeli citizenship. Imagine Palestine giving a Jew “citizenship” with the right to live peacefully and run a thriving business?
Most Arab citizens of Israel are Muslim, particularly of the Sunni branch of Islam, and there is a significant Arab Christian minority from various denominations, among other religious communities. There is a growing Arab middle class, particularly in Galilee, where many are judges, lawyers and wealthy independent business people. What is most interesting to note is that the Arab citizens of Israel include the Druze, who were numbered at an estimated 117,500 at the end of 2006. All of the Druze living in what was then British Mandated Palestine became Israeli citizens after the declaration of the State of Israel. This condradicts much of the propaganda that asserts that the Arab population of the region was “pushed out” after the establishing of the new state of Israel.
Though some individuals identify themselves as “Palestinian Druze”, most Druze do not consider themselves to be Palestinian, and consider their Israeli identity stronger than their Arab identity; indeed, Druze serve prominently in the Israel Defense Forces, and are represented in mainstream Israeli politics and business as well, unlike Muslim Arabs who, not surprisingly, are not required to serve in the Israeli military and choose not to anyway.
Contrast this to Israels sworn enemies, which comprises of 22 Arab states covering an area 640 times greater than Israel, with a combined population 300 million Arabs. And those 300 million Arabs are part of a total of 1.4 BILLION Muslims world-wide who never cease to accuse Israel of being an “expansionist” state! How can Israel, which occupies one-sixth of one percent of the all land occupied by Arabs, be responsible for the political dissatisfaction of 22 Arab states with more land than they know what to do with? So all this talk of Israel giving up land for “peace” is absolute rubbish. Those 22 Arab states will never rest until Israel has been wiped off the face of this earth, and every last Jew is dead.
Remember, world-wide there are only 13 million Jews – 5 million less than there were in 1939!
Israel has constantly been under assault from Arab states in outright war, or via terrorism. At one point, the terrorist group Hamas was firing up to 500 rockets A DAY at “soft” targets from bases in Gaza and Lebanon. As of January 2009, over 8,600 rockets had been launched, leading to 28 deaths and several hundred injuries, as well as widespread psychological trauma and disruption of daily life. Most of the victims have been women and children, many suffering from horrific injuries, including loss of limbs.
The Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center estimated that in 2007 the proportions of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip were:
34% – Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Al Quds)
22% – Hamas (Qassam)
?8% – Fatah (Kafah)
?6% – Popular Resistance Committees (al Nasser)
30% – unknown
In 2006, Israel grew tired of the indifference of the Lebanese government concerning the number of rocket attacks by HEZBULAH from within the its own borders, and ordered the army to intervene. Once again the world shrieked in indignation over Israeli “aggression.” yet Lebanon, which possesses a 54,000 strong army, refused to intervene and stop the rocket attacks within its own borders.
More recently, the Israeli raid on six “aid” ships from Turkey again provoked hysteria from the “international community.” The ships in question were intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters (which they have every right to do). The raid was simply to ensure that the ships were not ferrying weapons, explosives and ammunition to Gaza, considering that the Israeli army had destroyed most of the weapons smuggling tunnels that lead from Egypt into Gaza. As Israeli defence video clearly showed, the commandos who dropped from a helicopter onto the deck of the Mavi Marmara were immediately attacked by “peace” activists brandishing metal bars, wooden clubs and other improvized weapons. This is in stark contrast to the claims of the activists on CNN that they used only their bare hands to resist the commandos when they landed on the Mavi Marmara. Several of the commandos were badly injured and could be seen being thrown from the upper deck of the ship by the activists. In the end, the commandos found that their paintball guns were insufficient to keep their attackers at bay, forcing them to draw their sidearms and opening fire on their attackers to protect themselves and their injured comrades.
Finally, I truly believe that God’s divine protection still covers Israel. What other explanation could possible suffice for this tiny nation’s survival?
Dueteronomy 28;1-68 And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. …
[...] ~ ITEM: PM Cameron obviously hasn?t been briefed [...]