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ISRAEL (see www.occupation101.org)

Original post made by Jag Singh, Duveneck/St. Francis, on Sep 20, 2006

It is sad that the US media repeats the Israeli official propaganda line that it is the Palestinians who are responsible for the lack of progress in bringing about a peaceful settlement of the Middle East crisis. Sadly, this is a myth that has been perpetuated with a ‘Goebel’s like repetition (people will believe untrue statements provided they are repeated often enough). Our politicians have used this to great advantage. Remember the mantra, “Saddam Hussein is an imminent threat because he possessed WMD’s”? Similarly, the Israeli government has repeated the mantra, “the Palestinian Authority, Hamas are terrorists and therefore we have no negotiating partner.” Meanwhile land belonging to the Palestinians has been stolen and its indigenous inhabitants removed at gunpoint. Israel has stolen millions of dollars of funds belonging to the Palestinians driving up unemployment and exacerbating the suffering. A record number of children are suffering from acute malnourishment, others have committed suicide. A new documentary that is sending shock waves through the country, Occupation 101, has ignited indignation from Americans of all stripes who are incensed that our tax dollars are being used by Israel to terrorize and subjugate a defenseless people, namely the Palestinians. Occupation 101 was shown yesterday in San Jose at a sold out audience. I urge readers to go to www.occupation101.com to see the trailer.

Comments (3)

Posted by Boaz
a resident of Greater Miranda
on Sep 21, 2006 at 6:53 am

I love Jag's comments--they are a perfect example of the use of half-truths, distortions and innuendo to try to paint Israel as the villian and the Palestinians as poor oppressed martyrs. The real facts have nothing to do with reality in Jag's world.
Take this latest post, for example--notice how Jag tries to link Israel to the Nazis by using the term "Goebel’s like repetition".
Jag mentions millions of dollars stolen by Israel, but makes no mention of hundreds of millions of dollars stolen by Arafat and other higher ups in the Palestinian Authority over the last 10+ years.
Remember when ISrael pulled out of Gaza? they left greenhouses, ready to be worked which would have provided employment for the residents of the Gaza Strip. Jag does not mention that these greenhouses were destroyed by the Palestinians
Jag also forgets to mention since the pullout from Gaza, Israel has been subjected to almost daily shellings by rockets from the Gaza Strip. The bottom line is that Hamas has continuously repeated their contention that they will not recognize Israel's right to exist and call for the destruction of Israel.
WHy should Israel bother to even sit down at the table with people with this attitude??
Let me digress into another issue which Jag has not yet been able to blame Israel for--note the surge of violence in the West Bank against Christian/Catholic places of worship due to the remarks by the Pope.
This shameful display of violence against another religion is another example of the Palestinian's unwillingness to act in a civilized manner.
The bottom line is that the reason the Palestinians are in the position they are in is because the other Arab nations and their own leaders want them that way--keeping them in a continued state of poverty and misery, while blaming the Jews and ISrael.


Posted by Draw the Line
a resident of Juana Briones School
on Sep 21, 2006 at 2:15 pm

I couldn't have said it better Boaz.

I really like your conclusion, that the other Arab leaders are choosing to keep Palestinians in their position. I couldn't agree more. The "leaders" like keeping the lens off of themselves.

Odd how little itty-bitty Israel managed to accept 250,000 Jews that were kicked out of their homes (with nothing) from the surrounding nations when Israel was formed, but none of the surrounding nations were able to find room in their nations or hearts for the 250,000 Muslims who CHOSE to leave Israel at the same time. I can only conclude they surrounding nations' leaders made a conscious choice to "use" the Palestinians as political fodder, believing that the world would capitulate quicker when faced with the refugees.

When are these guys going to learn? Blackmailing us didn't work with the Palestinians, and it didn't work when Saddam tried the propoganda routine by purposefully starving and mal-treating the Shias in the south. He, too, tried to blame the west ( in this case the oil-for-food program) for the suffering of these poor people, but some of us knew then and we all know now that it was nobody's fault but his.

When are the Arab leaders going to step in and be useful for the Palestinians?


Posted by SkepticAl
a resident of Ventura
on Sep 22, 2006 at 9:44 am

I doubt Jag even reads responses, so it's not much use, but I love the irony... he doesn't like to see others repeating propaganda. That made me laugh. Where'd you copy and paste from this time, Jag?


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