Changes in my Journal...enough is enough
I have tried for a long time to ignore the hatred and one sided debate that fills the pages of Deviant Art. From the people that post pictures of Nazi propaganda, to the number of people that give one sided arguments about Israel "aggression", to the countless people that make up history regarding the middle east that couldn't be further from the truth. Well, I'm not sitting back anymore, cause it's a bit ridiculous how much crap goes around on this website. So right off the bat, I am sorry for bringing politics onto my deviant art page. Is taking an unpopular political stand on DA going to hurt the support for my photography? Possibly, but there are more important things to me. I hope the people that enjoy my photography will continue to do so regardless of my stance on the middle east. And if not, then so be it.
If you want to respond to this journal, by all means, go ahead, but read my entire post first. And please keep your writing respectful, accurate, and purposeful.
The facts:
-Jews have been in the region now known as Israel for thousands of years.
-Even in the 1800s, long before the state of Israel, Jewish people were the most prevalent populations in certain cities, including Jerusalem.
-Before and following WWII, where over 6 million jews were killed, many European Jews began to flee to Palestine, which was a region, not a country, and was inhabited by many people, not just arabs. The idea of a Palestinian person being an arab that is persecuted by Israel is a recent invention.
-After WWII when the U.N. and Britain (who controlled Palestine) decided to give the Jews a homeland, they called for two separate states one Arab, one Jewish, and to have Jerusalem shared. Most Jews accepted, most Arabs said no.
-May 14, 1948, Britain left, Israel was created.
-Within days the forces of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen INVADED AND ATTACKED Israel. Israel won the war and took over new land that would have been set aside for Arab populations, had they agreed to it before Israel was attacked.
-As a result of the war over 700,000 Arab refugees were created in areas taken over by Israel. Over 800,000 Jewish refugees were created who were living in Arab countries and were expelled, many fled to Israel.
-Nearly 400,000 (70%) of these Arab refugees LEFT BY CHOICE! They thought the arab armies would beat Israel and they could return to their homes. The arab armies told them to leave to get out of the way! They were not forcefully pushed out by Israel!
-The Arabs who did not leave are todays Arab-Israeli CITIZENS. The ones who fled...are who became the refugees!
-1967 Egypt, Jordan and Syria surrounded Israel ready to fight. Israel pre-emptively attacked Egypt and within 6 days took control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank.
-1973 Syria and Egypt attack Israel on the holiest day of the Jewish religion. Within 48 hours Israel again took control of the fighting and defeated the invaders.
-1991 Negotiations are made that by 1999 Israel will withdraw from West Bank and Gaza strip IF PLO can guarantee security for Israel.
-During the next decade, Israel is repeatedly attacked by the very people whom they are supposed to give the land over to.
-2000 Israel withdraws from Lebanon in hope of peace.
-2004 Israel removes its own people from the west bank and by September 12th, last Israeli Soldier leaves West Bank...again...in the hope of peace.
About the occupied lands
-After taking over lands during the wars, Israel took responsibility of the people in those areas.
-The economies of Israel and the occupied territories were partially integrated. Trade in goods and services developed, Palestinian workers were employed in Israel. At its peak, in 1996, Palestinian employment in Israel reached 115,000 to 120,000, about 40 percent of the Palestinian labor force. The Palestinian economy developed rapidly – real per capita national income grew at an annual rate of close to 20 percent in 1969-1972 and 5 percent in 1973-1980!
-Arab uprisings and attacks on Israel led to severe Israeli restrictions on the two economies out of self defense, and led to military reoccupation of some areas given over earlier to Palestinian control. These measures set the Palestinian economy back many years, wiping out much of the gains in income which had been achieved since 1967 – per capita GNP in 2004 was $932, compared to about $1500 in 1999. Palestinian workers in Israel were replaced by foreign workers.
-That is where we are today!
My Opinion on the facts
Israel has never invaded a country or attacked a people, without being provoked first. If Israel was never attacked in the 60s and 70s, there would be no occupied land or at least much less of it. And if Israel was not under threat by radicals that seek to destroy it, the land would have been given back by now. The intifadas sowed the seeds of destruction for their own people. Do you think the tiny state of Israel enjoys being at war with all of its neighbors? Think about that logically. When the countries that surround Israel can guarantee peace and actually control the nutcases that live in their country, Israel will have no need to attack and put pressure on the region.
All this being said, I see the view of both sides, I understand the plight of many of the occupied people, just as I understand the plight of living in Israel and living with the constant fear of being surrounded by millions of people who want to destroy you. I am for Peace as much as I am for Israel.
It is a simple fact, many people just don’t like Jews. We have been displaced, murdered, persecuted, and lied about since the beginning of human civilization. The only difference now, there is a Jewish country to direct that hatred and anti-Semitism towards.
A good website to see a different perspective than most of you are used to seeing...OPINION BASED ON THE FACTS!! check out here:
[link]
<Now...back to Photography!>
My Daily Deviations
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....till next time!
On the Road Again
Devious Comments
Not just because of the facts and the history, but because you are a voice of reality in a lot of misleading hate around here, and around the world.
You felt it was time to say what was on your heart, and I appreciate that. I hope this voice of reason will make some minds understand better, but even if not, you know you did what was right.
Thank you
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My latest piece
A different Look At Israel
My father has lived a few months under Israeli occupation in Sinai. They looked after people very well. So well in fact that food and water had to be smuggled into homes because the Israeli army wouldn't let anyone in or out. My father was permitted permission to leave and come back during certain times of the day because he was a guest in the region.
A very good Palestinian friend of his owned three homes in which his family lived. He goes out one morning and comes back that evening to find his family outside in the street, his homes guarded by Israeli soldiers and Jewish families living in his houses.
Occupation is ugly. And Israel aren't exactly good at looking after those whose lives they ruin. You'll find few people really disputing the facts... but what you forget to mention are the countless stories like I've just told... and the countless times that Israel has exacted disproportionate revenge against innocent civilians for the actions of a few bad apples... destroying villages, bulldozing homes, kicking people out into the street... the personal tragedies...
Personally I don’t support Israel. Though I do respect your views. I know they have a lot to stand up against but they do nothing to help their cause. Afterall, their recent attacks on Lebanon and Gaza don’t really go far to proving a desire for peace and stability in the region...
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Why do we still occupy Gaza? Because when we leave, hamas and other hateful groups (terrorists if you will) comes in and threatens the State of Israel.
"And Israel aren't exactly good at looking after those whose lives they ruin."
The only reason their lives were ruined is because they chose not to have their own state when they had the chance. After Israel was ATTACKED we took over the land.
my watch list because of this very issue...and I
love his work!
I reached the point where the seeping hatred
went beyond any reasonable debate.
You have voiced my views better than I ever
could.
Does this important issue have a place on dA?
Yes, through ones art...but not through
words of hatred.
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Some people walk in the rain… others just get wet…
-Roger Miller
I'm with you, guys.
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Sunt roman dar ma tratez.
Random question time. Fine, if you want to avert attention from the issues I raised. Let me put this to you. In Northern Ireland the IRA were (and still are no thanks to the PIRA, CIRA, RIRA and other splinter groups) a threat to mainland England. British governments were not able to control these relatively few violent people and so of course people died in bomb attacks and other forms of sectarian violence. Should the British government have gone along and bombed the major roads, bridges, ports, airports and any towns these terrorists were believed to live because it wasn't possible to control these people? No, we've spent decades trying to sort out this mess through peace talks and gestures of good will. People still died... and the threat hasn't gone entirely... because it never will unless Northern Ireland is returned to Irish control... but we're living in much safer times now than we were because of working with the hateful groups rather than working against them and the people who might otherwise have been relatively passive to their cause.
But you won't care becase you obviously have no respect for views that might go against what you believe. Which makes me wonder why you cared to post this journal in the first instance.
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