A letter about Israel came through my email from someone I do not know. Along with my email addy garnered from this blog, it also was sent to a large number of pro-Israel news sources and other blogs. Because of the obvious anti-Israel, anti-Jewish tone of the letter, I refused to answer. However, I noticed someone else did, and with his permission, I am posting it. I truly appreciate how Danny defends Jews and Israel by countering with questions. This puts the whole situation into perspective and requires the antagonist not only to think about what they've written, but also to back up their accusations with hard facts instead of throwing out media-biased rhetoric.
Someone wrote: "Over time, I have been sent articles from pro-Israel propagandists that would have me believe that the citizens of Gaza live in the lap of luxury. However, this recent UN report contradicts such propaganda. "
Danny's answer: "No Israeli would ever claim that the citizens of Gaza live in the lap of luxury! The fact that Gaza has shopping malls, luxury hotels, night clubs and that many of the financially and politically "connected" citizens own luxury cars and have bloated European bank balances does not change the fact that many Gazans do live in poverty. Everyone knows this and the UN report doesn't tell us anything new. The question remains WHY? Why are the Gazans under blockade? Why does Israel on the one hand provide electricity, water, medical supplies and other basic materials but still monitor and check all shipments made by third parties or imports made by Gazans? The answer is obvious!
Danny's answer: "No Israeli would ever claim that the citizens of Gaza live in the lap of luxury! The fact that Gaza has shopping malls, luxury hotels, night clubs and that many of the financially and politically "connected" citizens own luxury cars and have bloated European bank balances does not change the fact that many Gazans do live in poverty. Everyone knows this and the UN report doesn't tell us anything new. The question remains WHY? Why are the Gazans under blockade? Why does Israel on the one hand provide electricity, water, medical supplies and other basic materials but still monitor and check all shipments made by third parties or imports made by Gazans? The answer is obvious!
The UN report (click here for the original report and not a summary published on a Palestinian website) states that 38% of Gazans live in poverty (In Sub Saharan Africa poverty is over 50%, and the standard of living in blockaded Gaza is still above the standard of living in (for example) Egypt!"
Someone wrote: "Now, some zealots might argue that Israeli Jews are perfectly entitled, as "God's chosen race", to confine 1.5 million souls in an open air, walled ghetto, in conditions not fit for animals to live in, while stealing illegally occupied Palestinian land to build Jewish settlements. Gaza is surely the new Soweto and Sharpville."
Danny's answer: "Why would you think these souls are confined?" Why should Israel want to confine the Gazan's to an "open air ghetto"? Give me one logical reason why this serves Israel's interests?"
Here are some more questions which I would like answered?
1. Why did Israel withdraw from the Gaza Strip, forcibly remove all settlers and give the strip up for complete and autonomous Palestinian rule?
2. Who was democratically elected by Gazans to govern the Gaza strip after all Jewish and Israeli presence was removed, and why is this democratically elected government not only not recognized, but listed as a terrorist organization by ALL the Western Democracies in the world?
Someone wrote: "Now, some zealots might argue that Israeli Jews are perfectly entitled, as "God's chosen race", to confine 1.5 million souls in an open air, walled ghetto, in conditions not fit for animals to live in, while stealing illegally occupied Palestinian land to build Jewish settlements. Gaza is surely the new Soweto and Sharpville."
Danny's answer: "Why would you think these souls are confined?" Why should Israel want to confine the Gazan's to an "open air ghetto"? Give me one logical reason why this serves Israel's interests?"
Here are some more questions which I would like answered?
1. Why did Israel withdraw from the Gaza Strip, forcibly remove all settlers and give the strip up for complete and autonomous Palestinian rule?
2. Who was democratically elected by Gazans to govern the Gaza strip after all Jewish and Israeli presence was removed, and why is this democratically elected government not only not recognized, but listed as a terrorist organization by ALL the Western Democracies in the world?
3. Since the Gaza strip is used by a universally acknowledged terrorist organization as a terror base to launch rockets at civilians in Israel why should anyone complain about Israel's efforts to contain and limit their influence, their power, their access to weapons and their ability to harm innocent civilians? Would any other Western democracy do any less to protect their civilians?
4. Did you ever ask a religious Jew in what way Jews are considered "God's chosen people"? Chosen for what? Why indulge in shallow demagoguery by using this phrase in a context that suits your particular political message? (Click here for a general idea regarding the Jewish interpretation of being "chosen" although there are numerous other, much deeper commentaries on this.)
4. Did you ever ask a religious Jew in what way Jews are considered "God's chosen people"? Chosen for what? Why indulge in shallow demagoguery by using this phrase in a context that suits your particular political message? (Click here for a general idea regarding the Jewish interpretation of being "chosen" although there are numerous other, much deeper commentaries on this.)
The above person writes about "illegally occupied Palestinian land". Here are some more questions:
1. Why is it that the original official charter of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation drafted in 1964 specifically refers to the West Bank and Gaza strip as land that is NOT part of the Palestinian homeland and why was the charter changed only after 1967?
Anyone needing references is invited to check this out independently – following is a translation of the relevant article:
Article 24: This Organization does not exercise any territorial sovereignty over the West Bank in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, on the Gaza Strip or in the Himmah Area. Its activities will be on the national popular level in the liberational, organizational, political and financial fields.
2. Why is land that Jews lived on throughout history now considered Palestinian land? Admittedly, Palestinians have lived there since the beginning of the 20th century and a solution needs to be found, so why not use the correct definition of "disputed land"?
3. If indeed this is "Palestinian land" then please supply evidence of Palestinian settlements or kingdoms that existed on this land 1000 years ago. 500 years ago? 300 years ago? 200 years ago? Name one Palestinian King. How about a Palestinian currency? Records of a conflict any time in history between the Palestinian people and any other people? Any documented evidence of a Palestinian people that lived in this area for hundreds of years?
I would appreciate some answers or further questions.
Danny
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua
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