Who do you support in the Israeli-Palestine clashes?

[Anonymous]

Who do you support in the current clashes?

I support Isreal

I support the Palestinians

I dont support either

[nightdrot]

Voted neither as, from an American perspective, it should properly be viewed as a strategic calculation, not a moral decision. That said, your characterization of it as two children fighting over a toy is an unjustified trivialization of the question.

There are serious moral issues at stake, and it has been an accepted principle of international affairs - at least since the end of World War I if not before - that national self-determination is the right of a people. It's partly the reason why the victorious Allies broke up the Austro-Hungarian Empire and it is why imperialism is in such bad repute today.

That said, international affairs are about power, not principle - except insofar as sovereign powers have the ability to assert their moral principles. In the Palestinian-Israeli case, there are conflicting nationalisms, though in the Palestinian case, the sense of national identity is somewhat weak - with Palestine divided between Palestinian nationalist, Islamist and (to some degree) pan-Arab identities.

These splits within the Palestinian community have significantly weakened the Palestinian cause, with about the only thing holding the Palestinian factions together is their ardent right to return to what they consider historic Palestine. In that connection, it should not be forgotten that the United Nations Organization divided the territory in a two state solution and it was the Palestinian Arabs, not the Israeli Jews, who rejected that compromise solution.

As to the situation now, the Palestinian cause is largely over - the media images notwithstanding. The decision by the Palestinians to support Saddam Hussein's Iraq against Kuwait in the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War effectively ended Arab support for the Palestinian cause in fact if not in name.

Throw in the rivalry between Persian-Shiite-republican Iran and the Arab-Sunni-monarchies (as well as Egypt.) You now have a de facto alliance between Israel and the Arabs, effectively shutting out the Palestinians (who are increasingly looking to Iran.)

From the American viewpoint, that Arab-Israeli alliance is useful for hemming in not just Iran, which is small beer, but Russia - which in geostrategic terms matters more. In that connection, then, support for Israel makes sense.

The Palestine issue for the U. S. is secondary and if - as they recently stated - the Palestinians do not see the U. S. as a mediator, then that is their affair and the status quo will suffice. Palestinian options are few.

[nightdrot]

P. S. Type-o:

The reference above to "trivializing the question" was not supposed to be here. I was answering another similar question on this topic at the same time and wanted to "copy and paste" part of one answer into the other and inadvertently included the mention of "trivialization" from that answer into this one,

That is what I get for doing two questions at once. My sincerest apologies.

[Paul09]

Let me guess, religion started this war? Nothing good ever cones out of man created gods. Separating us humans for stupidity. Causes violence, hate and racism. Full of grown ass adults acting like litte immature tantrum kids, with weapons. I'm not sure who to support or not.

[Account]

I dont support Israeli massacring innocent children, bombing houses, destroying families and driving people out of their country.

[NikolaiIvanov]

Palestine broke the UN mandate by attacking Israel so that stands null and void thus making any land Israel wins in war theirs. Hamas's don't wear uniforms they are children, women and men that fire from civilian areas to give Israel a bad rep, they never started a war or conflict just retaliated 10 times harder.

[loveslongnails]

Anytime you start a country by throwing out the indigenous people already in that land, you're asking for trouble. I don't support violence from either side, but there will NEVER be peace in that region - EVER !!!

[msc545]

The Palestinians - the Israelis have turned into terrorists and monsters.

[pokerbot]

I don't support Israel throwing Palestinians out of their own homes that is for damn sure.

[OddBeMe]

I don’t support either senseless violence. If Palestinians took the Gandhi or MLK route, they’d have a country by now.

[JackBlackHeartAttack]

I don't see how the Israelis matter but if I had to choose between the two I'd chose them because palestine turned anakin to the dark side

[Anonymous]

I think that we shoul dbe pouring monwey and weapons into israel because they are doing gods work against the palestine devils

[Pterodon]

Nobody supports Palestine not even other Arab countries lol

[Princess_Serene]

Palestine of course.

[Anonymous]

Why doesn’t anyone support Palestine?

[Account]

I do.

[Princess_Serene]

I do too.

[msc545]

@Princess_Serene so do I

[Princess_Serene]

@msc545 more power to Palestine! 😊

[UniquePerson]

Palestine