My Take on Israel and Palestine
Saturday, February 21, 2009, 06:08 PM - Middle East
Really now I don't mean to be the least bit controversial and I may be looking at it through American eyes so to speak but, what the hell is going on with Israel and Palestine? I will give you my view and of course, that and about ten bucks will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Let's see, after World War I the League of Nations approved a British Mandate that set forth the creation of a "national home for the Jewish people" So, in 1947 the United Nations approved what was known as the partition Mandate of Palestine into 2 separate states. One was to be Jewish and one was to be Arab. The Arab League of course rejected the plan outright (oil wasn't on the table yet obviously). Even with the Arab League's bitter objections, but with United Nations approval Israel Declared it's sovereign independence on May 14, 1948.
To be honest I think everyone was afraid to have the Jewish community mingle with the Christian community in their own country. Also nobody cared much for the Arabs and all their various tribes (we all know it would be a bit different today with all the oil they produce). Also with Hitler exterminating over 6 million Jewish people, the world in general felt the Jews deserved a piece of dirt in the land they thought was holy (I tend to agree with that sentiment). So basically you put the ones you don't really want with the ones you don't really like.
Palestine is considered holy land by three faiths to my understanding. Jews, Christians and Muslims all consider the area holy. The area was known as Canaan to the ancient Hebrews. And the name Palestine comes from the Philistines that occupied the southernmost coastal area around the 12th century B.C.
Now the Hebrews had a kingdom that was there around 1000 B.C. and it was split into Judah and Israel. They then were invaded by almost everyone, including but certainly not limited to Alexander the Great as well as the Romans. After all the invasions there weren't many Jews left by around A.D. 135, they had mostly scattered and were living in small villages or communities around the Diaspora area of the region. Then the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and Palestine became the center of Christian pilgrimages.
Palestine then was ruled by the Arabs who took it from the Byzantine Empire somewhere around the year 640. With a few interruptions the Arabs kept control until the early 1900's. The British defeated the Turks to take control of Palestine after that.
In the 1930's Jews poured into Palestine which was under British control. The British had granted the Jewish community the right to establish a homeland in Palestine in 1917 under the Balfour Declaration. - See My Take on Israel and Palestine for the complete article.
add comment The Myth That the Iraq War Created More Terrorists
Monday, February 9, 2009, 07:55 PM - Middle East
In their zeal to argue that the Iraq War was a "mistake," people insist that it created more terrorists. To back their claim, they usually say something like, "The 2006 National Intelligence Estimate said so!"
However, nowhere in the declassified portions of that report do they claim that the Iraq War created more terrorists.
This National Intelligence Estimate starts by acknowledging that the U.S. lead efforts against the terrorists had seriously destroyed al-Qaeda leadership capabilities. This happened while we were fighting in Iraq.
The report continues on by talking about how the global jihadist movement was expanding and adapting to the world's efforts against them.
The key word here is "global." Countries all over the world are fighting terrorists in their own boundaries. They'd be doing this regardless of whether we went into Iraq or not. This also means that despite our presence in Iraq, the fight against terrorists around the world continues.
The National Intelligence Estimate does point out our Iraq involvement as a resentment causer. But, this resentment has more to do with what they see as Western intervention, and its influence, in the Muslim world. Had we not gone into Iraq, Afghanistan would've served as their point of irritation with the West. Just ask the Russians that fought in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The document goes on to point four main causes for the spread of the terrorist movement. - See The Myth That the Iraq War Created More Terrorists for the complete article.
The Myth That Iraq Had No WMD
Monday, February 9, 2009, 07:44 PM - Middle East
Weapons of Mass Destruction have three major components; nuclear, biological, and chemical. One of the things that these three components share is the ability to create mass destruction from one release.
Just ask the Kurds, Saddam tried to exterminate them with chemical agents. Fast forward to post invasion Iraq.
A combined Associated Press and Fox News report released on May 17, 2004, mentioned a sarin nerve gas discovery. Troops handling the shells that contained this gas ended up getting treated for chemical exposure. The Iraq Survey Group confirmed this sarin gas. Mustard gas was also discovered.
As chemical agents, sarin and mustard gas are WMD. Whether it was pre 1991, or current, is beside the point.
People that insist that President Bush lied about WMD existence argue that Iraq had no WMD. No WMD means zero WMD, regardless of manufacture date.
Even if they try to argue that these WMD predate 1991, they prove their own, "no WMD," argument wrong. By trying to argue that this WMD was old, they destroy their own argument that President Bush "lied" about Iraq WMD existence.
Two Iraqis, Gazi George and Georges Sadda, indicated that Saddam moved WMD out of Iraq into Syria. Gazi George further argued that Saddam - See The Myth That Iraq Had No WMD for the complete article.
Is Iran Leading the Earth Citizens Into World War III?
Tuesday, December 23, 2008, 01:43 PM - Middle East
Iran now has over 26,000 known centrifuge units enriching Uranium to weapons grade in underground facilities and labs. Why is this a problem, many nations have nuclear weapons capabilities? Well, because Iran sponsors international terrorist groups like Hezbollah, to the tune of about 100 million dollars per year, although that figure is slightly down right now due to the economic collapse of Iran.
Still, a nuclear weaponized nation that buys late generation military hardware from China and Russia, while sponsoring international terrorists to fight their battles by proxy merely to serve their political will is a huge problem. Everyone knows what Iran is doing and they are constantly bragging about it, and telling the IAEA they cannot inspect their advanced nuclear weapons facilities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has issued a statement telling the world that; "The Iran's failure to comply with the IAEA and UN inspections is unfortunate and disappointing." Come again, what the heck, is that statement suppose to mean; "Unfortunate and Disappointing?"
No, it's cataclysmic and leading the World into WWIII where 100s of millions of humans could perish - See Is Iran Leading the Earth Citizens Into World War III? for the complete article.
Yemeni President Vows More Arrests in US Embassy Attack
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 07:33 PM - Middle East
Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh minced no words in condemning the perpetrators of Wednesday's attack against the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa and all other attacks on foreigners, calling them a "blow to Yemen's national interests."
Using an angry and accusatory tone to his voice, President Saleh suggested that Islamic extremists must be arrested "wherever they may be."
"Attacks against foreigners damage our nation, our national interests, and national stability," he said. "God willing, we will track down the perpetrators in their hiding places and even grab them from their houses."
Addressing a gathering in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the president also asserted that Islamic extremists branding slogans like "death to America" and "death to Israel" to stir up public wrath were "harming the security and stability of their country."
The State Department warned U.S. citizens this week to avoid unessential travel to Yemen. - See Yemeni President Vows More Arrests in US Embassy Attack for the full report.
Odierno Succeeds Petraeus in Iraq
Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 02:14 PM - Middle East
In an ornate palace built by Saddam Hussein, the United States military command in Iraq changed hands Tuesday from Gen. David H. Petraeus, who created the strategy known as the surge, to Gen. Ray Odierno, who oversaw its day-to-day operations across a country that has witnessed a significant drop in violence.
Attending the hour-long hand-over ceremony were Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates; Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Martin Dempsey, acting Central Command commander; and senior Iraqi government and military officials. Mr. Gates later traveled on to Kabul, Afghanistan.
In his first, brief comments as commander of the multinational forces in Iraq, General Odierno said, “We must realize that these gains are fragile and reversible, and our work here is far from done.”
Formerly the No. 2 commander, he faces the challenge of improving on the hard-earned security gains in Iraq with fewer troops, as the United States begins preparations to withdraw 8,000 troops by early next year. The overall American military presence in Iraq — 15 combat brigades and support and logistics personnel — would then number about 138,000.
General Petraeus takes over as commander of the American military’s Central Command - See Odierno Succeeds Petraeus in Iraq for the complete report.
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