The convoluted answer is that Israel is the big bad guy while Palestine is oppressed. If that is true then why don’t I ever see complaints against Jordan, Syria, Egypt and other countries that are oppressing Palestine? Why are there no protests against Egypt’s blockade against Gaza? Or even Palestine’s blockade against Gaza? If a blockade is a great humanitarian catastrophe, why is it not a catastrophe when other countries do it?
The International Community has complained many times that Israel has troops in Palestine but they have never complained that the Arab League will not let Palestine control itself. Iran and Syria have had troops in Lebanon and Palestine for decades. Why is that not on the BBC?
And even if the talking points were accurate it would not explain why Israel gets more coverage than China, Russia, Britain, Spain or other countries that oppress smaller neighbouring territories. In what parallel universe is Israel a bigger human rights violator than China?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
My gosh, I had no idea...! I have always thought of Israel as a very progressive country, and one of the places I have always wanted to visit. I remember seeing the movie "Exodus" and discussing it with my father. He said that the Jewish people just wanted a place where they could live in peace, but everyone else refused to leave them alone.
I have always found that, in the case of bullies, the folks who are being bullied are the ones who take the brunt of the backlash. It's the same in school, in the workplace, and obviously in Israel. Israel gets bullied, and if they retaliate, they're the "bad guys".
I have also thought of Israel as being a much, (much!!!) more intelligent and classier country than the countries around them as well.
I'm not sure about the intelligent part but Israel is used to bullies. That's why we spend more money on the military per GDP than almost anybody.
Hmmm...
I take your broader point, but I have to question your methodology.
If Israel is so much smaller than the US, then surely this accounts for the difference in the number of killings. The law of averages tells us there are more road accidents in the US but this doesn't mean that they're safer drivers in Israel. Perhaps they are. We would have to know the per capita figures to make it fair. Does Israel have less killings than New Jersey?
How much foreign military aid does Israel receive?
That's what the Chinese say whenever anybody points out all the driving deaths. Chinese per capita death rates are comparable to India and lower than South Afrika. But only a very small percentage of Chinese drive cars. There are somewhere around 4000 deaths each year in RSA and over 300 000 in China. China is large but not 75 times larger than RSA. As China's economy grows and more people buy cars the per capita rate will explode. And the American death rate per capita by car accident is almost 3 times higher than Israel according to the WHO. From what I've seen I'd assume it's the exact opposite but that's what the figures say.
The WHO also says that people in New Jersey are about 4 times as likely to be murdered than Israelis. Israel's per capita rate is comparable to most of Australia. Except Northern Territory for some reason. That's twice as high as New Jersey.
If the US has had 83 serial killers and Israel 0 then what difference does per capita make? Obviously 0 per whatever number is better than 83.
I'm almost glad you brought up military aid. Opponents of Israel love to mention it. The US gives about US$2 billion to Israel every year. The number will get smaller over the next few years. Free money? No. Israel is required to spend that money on American weapons and technology which always cost more than the aid. It's like getting a coupon but you're not allowed to shop anywhere else. This has also prevented Israel from selling its own weapons to countries the US doesn't want anybody selling weapons to and gives America the opportunity to control peace talks with Israel's neighbours. The end result is a profitable status quo for the US and no peace for the rest of us.
The US also gives about US$2 billion to Egypt, $1 billion to Palestine and anywhere from $5 billion to who knows what to Iraq and Afghanistan each. Egypt is not required to buy only American weapons and is free to sell to its Arab neighbours. Palestine routinely buys weapons from Syria and Iran despite American protests but the aid keeps coming. The current problems in Iraq and Afghanistan were largely caused by America so that part seems fair.
I never see the people who complain about aid to Israel also complain about aid to Egypt. Not counting the xenophobes who think they shouldn't send any money to anybody.
It was a genuine question.
I have no problems with placing stipulations on aid money and I don't understand why the US gives cash (actual cash) to Pakistan with the only requirement being that they write twice a year to say they've spent it well. If Israel objects to the stipulations, surely they are free to say no?
I think we have to accept that most countries exist in the grey area between unimpeachable liberal democracy and pariah state. If we want to be considered more like the former, then it takes more than simply not being as bad as the latter.
When Australia receives valid criticism for our treatment of refugees and indigenous people, does it justify our position if we can point to Indonesia and say that they're worse?
Does Indonesia want Australia off the face of the Earth?
Foreign aid has been a major debate within Israel for decades.
Pakistan is easy. They have nuclear weapons. India has nuclear weapons.
Post a Comment