Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Gaza issue: Why should certain groups care and feel it more than others?

Let's take a little trip back in time... Remember the Spaniards, and how they destroyed the various Amerindian civilizations they found, and when they started to fight back, the Amerindians were called savages?
Remember our ancestors from various ethnic groups in Africa who were carried here and forced to be slaves, and when they fought back were termed as savages?
Yep, you got it. Any people that were dispossessed of their land and rights and who fought back were termed savages by the oppressing force to prove their point of continued oppression and violence.

So how does this relate to the people of Gaza?
Palestinians, of which the majority are Muslim, have been suffering at the hands of the Israelis for years. The present day state of Israel was formed in 1948 when the League of Nations decided to do something good in a messed up sense and create a country for the Jews by splitting Palestine into two, one for Jews, one for Arabs(now, any person who can red a history or religious book will tell you this was just asking for trouble). Now, obviously the Arabic peoples would feel hurt and insulted. Obviously they were going to fight back. Now, some persons would say the Jews have always been there and that they had as much a right to be there. Now, by creating a distinctly Jewish and/or Arabic state is bound to create problems. It's the same with any two feuding religions, create a division and war is bound to happen!

Ok, sorry for the detour. Israel has been witholding money, food, and other aid from Palestinian residents of the Gaza strip which has helped to make the Palestinians weak, angry and yes, oppressed. Granted, they have a right to defend their citizens(Israelis) from the rockets that were launched by Hamas; but not at the risk of many innocent men, women and children. However when you think abput it, Palestians, or mpre appropriately Hamas were only doing what was expected(logically and emotionally) when you combined the varying factors.

Who is wrong? Sure, both sides have made their mistakes, but when you read the various articles, both facts and opinions, one has to think, 'Hmm, did Israel really have to do all of that? Why not give the Palestinians a break? Why not try for a middle ground?'

As Jamaicans, West Indians, East Indians, wherever you are from, if your history involves some form of oppression, dispossession whether in the name of religion, money, race etc; ask yourselves, 'What would I do in that situation?'
That aside, one of my birthday wishes is that this will all be sorted out and that no more innocent civilians(in particular, Palestinian) dies on that day.

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