War Pigs: understanding the situation in the Middle East in 5 and 1/2 pages

by Reid Fitzsimons

The Gaza Strip is a piece of land in the Southwest corner of Israel mostly occupied by Muslim Arabs. It was under the control of Egypt until the “Six-Day War” in 1967, when Israel defeated the surrounding hostile Arab countries. In subsequent agreements and accords, Israel agreed to give up control of both Gaza and the area usually called The West Bank, and in 2005 Israel completely withdrew from Gaza, giving autonomy to people referred to as Palestinians. In the subsequent two years, a group called Hamas, dedicated to the annihilation of Israel, wrested control of Gaza from another group- Fatah- that had agreed to the idea of peaceful co-existence with Israel, in a conflict sometimes referred to as the Palestinian Civil War. Hamas has long been classified as a terrorist organization, yet has the legitimacy of being the established government of Gaza, beating out Fatah in elections in 2006 44 to 41%; no elections have been held since. On Oct. 7th of this year, well-armed Palestinians (reasonably called terrorists) attacked Israel at the direction of Hamas, and a slaughter of over 1,000 Israeli civilians ensued.

A Brief History of an Enormously Complex Situation

The first issue is: who exactly are the Palestinians? My historical understanding is that they were basically hapless Arabs who found themselves living in an area contested for centuries, a land controlled by empire after empire, especially the Muslim Ottomans into the modern era. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after WW1, decisions about the area called Palestine (from the Biblical Philistines) were made by an array of international bodies and powerful countries- especially Britain- often with conflicting interests. Post WW2, in light of the Holocaust, the newly created UN came up with a division of the the area called Palestine, about half to be Jewish and half Arab. When the British, who maintained a modicum of peace, bailed out on May 14th, 1948, the independent nation of Israel was declared within the boundaries set forth by the UN, and on May 15th it was attacked on all sides by Arab/Muslim controlled countries (a war the Arabs thought would be “A parade without any risks" and last about 2 weeks, considering their combined militaries had vastly superior armament).

2 thoughts on “War Pigs: understanding the situation in the Middle East in 5 and 1/2 pages

  1. Alfred

    From the river
    to the sea
    Kill every one
    but me,
    I will protest
    kick and scream,
    proclaiming an
    idealist dream.
    Do as I say
    not as I do.
    For I am
    better than you.

    That is it, in a nutshell.

    Reply
  2. Carole Ann Milljour

    Your article, Reid, was certainly well researched and well written. ...and I liked your nutshell comment, Alfred!

    It is so sad, life being so short for each and every one of us, whether we die in the womb (abortion) or are killed in a war, or most hopefully, fortunate to just live our lives without danger of death through violent acts against us. Even living to be 100 plus would be an ultimate goal if in decent mental and physical condition.

    Why, why, why, why, why do so many seek so much in violence and destruction in their hearts? I don't know, I always thought there was some good in everyone, now I am definitely not so sure anymore! The world is full of evil and trying to stand up against it is a difficult battle, but is oftentimes won, not by short term means, but by any means. Life will always be a struggle, but when faced with violence and hate, a crime against humanity, what do we do? It certainly seems that we can't live in peace; perish that thought when so many want to control in order to become powerful and rich in the process. But, to what end? They will succumb to death someday. To many of them, hopefully, sooner than later. Who needs to be controlled when we have so much to live for and experience on our own terms. I certainly don't want to do someone's dirty work being that I have no choice.

    If it is worth fighting for, it is worth standing up for. Our life struggles may be complicated, but it is a goal for each individual to win if we feel it is worth the time and effort. I certainly do!

    I know there are so many who seek power due to their disgusting greed and do it by corrupting weak- and narrow-minded individuals who don't care to question what the real motivation is. Some just want to be part of something and to them, I suppose, it wouldn't matter even if they did know or understand the reasoning behind it. Look at "black lives matter" for instance. People got paid to revolt against whites so why did the majority of them care if it was/is justifiable or not, right?

    I understand that in February of 2024, a group of world leaders (of One World Order) are supposed to meet in Switzerland. Not sure the location, but that's what I understand to be the case. Not sure which news media I heard that from, but it certainly is a scary thought. With China infiltrating our country through various means (the air balloon for one, Biden's family, Obama's policies ... still in effect, etc., etc. ...and wasn't he (Obama) the one who spoke about transforming America?! Give me a break, that guy is definitely scary to say the least! Talk about evil in this country, let alone the middle east. In so many ways, it is so sad for the Jewish communities all over the globe. ...and so sad for this great nation of ours. Hard to imagine people praising hamas! If they were over there, they wouldn't be praising them, they probably wouldn't live long enough to regret it!

    hamas is far eviler than anything I've ever heard of in my entire lifetime. What they did to so many was far from human; no animal could have done anything so horrific. The power of satan is upon us and people are too stupid to realize how serious it is. They are being brainwashed to believe hamas (that title doesn't deserve a capital letter) is in the right? Unbelievable and so pathetic.

    When Hitler tried to take over the world, it seemed like a perfect opportunity in this present day to follow his lead. Tearing down our educational system, allowing illegals to enter this country with fentanyl, sex trafficking, terrorist infiltration, etc., etc. made it easy for the One World Order to attempt to gain control over the greatest country in the world. Little by little, they are tearing away a system that, for the most part, has been a great influence throughout.

    I still stand in firm belief and understanding that the house of cards is going to collapse sometime soon. We can't maintain this destruction. God is ultimately in charge. His opportune moment will present itself when we least expect it. My philosophy in life is nothing stays bad forever and goodness will prevail!

    Keeping busy and maintaining a thankful and cheerful attitude is key I believe. Meeting challenges as they arise and standing up against those who want to tear us down may not be an easy road to take, and it takes courage to get out there and promote well-being, but, of course, it is necessary. God help us to better equip us to help ourselves! Where there's a will, there is always a way!

    Reply

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