Quote:Yeah, I'm referring mostly to the Crusades. I think that their influence on the modern conflict is extremely, incredibly limited, but it does serve as historical context for the "west vs. Middle East" conflict that extends beyond religious lines over the span of centuries.

 

It seems like every time the Israel topic comes up, I find myself fighting a losing battle. Lately, it seems that harboring an unpopular opinion about Israel's effect on modern affairs makes me anti-semitic, so I'll just say that, imo, the modern Middle Eastern conflict dates back to the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire--which was primarily England's screw-up--with later events making the US into the poster child for unnecessary, one-sided intervention in the region.

 

*Edit: Maybe I should clarify Israel even further. My issue with Israel is that we chose a group of people and favored them over millions and millions of other people who were there first. I would hold that opinion regardless of the predominant faith of the people of Israel. I can't emphasize that enough: it's not about who we chose. It's that we chose someone.

 

Who chose anyone?  If so many Europeans hadnt been complicit in the extermination of millions of Jews, then those Jews who had escaped wouldnt have fled to Israel/Palestine/Ottoman/whatever you want to call it back then.  Even before Israel was a twinkle in anyone's eye, the Arabs were upset about the tens of thousands of Jews fleeing Europe and settling in the region.  Why did they care?  It's because they dont like Jews. So much so that Al-Husseini(spelling?) who was an arab leader in Palestine had made a deal with Hitler to come to Israel and exterminate all the Jews who had settled there.  Jerusalem was majority Jewish at the time.  There were Jewish settlements sprinkled around the area with more popping up as refugees were fleeing Europe.  Once the British decided to leave, there was a 2 state solution on the table.  If Arab Palestine had accepted then they would probably have their own state today.  But then obviously all the other middle eastern countries decided to join in to kill the Jews but lost... and here we are.  

 

If anything the Arab states should look to Israel as a country to emulate.  Succesful, rich, religious freedomn, personal freedom, democratic, etc....  But obviously that may not be very appealing as their values are different than ours.

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