Israeli Morality

In 1917 Arthur Balfour issued a statement of policy from the British Government stating that the British favor the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine and nothing shall be done to prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine. And therein is the rub. The local population of Arabs who had been living on this land since the Ottoman Empire and possibly before did not approve of the establishment of a Jewish homeland on their land. The rights of the Palestinians were not in the least considered. As far as the Jews were concerned God, as stated in the Old Testament Bible, gave them that land and were told to force out anyone who was there. That alone was a violation of the Balfour declaration. So the Jews took the land and by 1967 they were settling on the West Bank and Gaza. Now we have another problem. The Israelis are not really settlers, they are in fact colonizers. “They are living on someone else’s land.”

The all-knowing God apparently was not familiar with the real estate laws of Palestine. It happens that the Palestinians legally own that land and have the deeds to prove it. It was plain and simple thievery. By 2003 400,000 Jews were occupying the land in direct violation of Article 49 of the Geneva Conventions, which specifically prohibits an occupying power from deporting or transferring “parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.”

Unfortunately Israeli politicians suffer from an overwhelming flaw and that is the inability to recognize the humanity of the Palestinians. As a result, they force Palestinians off the land, destroy their home and continue the colonization of the land. The Palestinians are then forced to move into unhygienic slums. Yet the U.S. supports Israel on moral grounds. First it is assumed that Israel is weak and surrounded by enemies. Next Israel’s moral behavior is superior to that of the Palestinians. The Jews were victims in Europe but in the Middle East they are victimizers. They have victimized and are continuing to victimize the Palestinians.

In the wars that Israel fought starting in 1947 against the Palestinians and later the Arabs Israel was never weak. It won both wars and all subsequent conflicts because it had superior firepower and manpower, was better organized and had better leadership. And this was despite that it was outnumbered. The Israeli army was an overwhelming force. No Arab army would ever attempt to attack Israel today and survive. Don’t forget Israel also has nuclear weapons paid for by the U.S.

As for the Israel’s moral behavior toward the Palestinians, it was hardly benevolent. During the 40 years of military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza the Israelis used brutal beatings and torture to repress protests. The troops were issued truncheons and encouraged to break the bones of Palestinians. Approximately 30,000 children needed medical treatment for beatings suffered at the hands of Israeli troops. The children were under 10 years of age and some cases under 5. The children sustained head injuries and fractures. 6000 to 8000 children suffered gunshot wounds. And most of the children were not participating in any protest demonstrations. Some were actually shot in their homes. As time goes on the Israeli troops are ever more brutal, killing and wounding larger numbers of Palestinians. Israel’s conduct is shocking, disgraceful and patently immoral.


References:

Fisk, Tom. The Great War for Civilization. 2005
Mearsheimer and Walt. The Israel Lobby. 2007
Wikipedia.