America is an illegal and racist country much like Israel

[Gandalf]

I had a feeling that this thread would spark some reaction and that I would get some flak for it. I've no problems with that. I finished a game and then suddenly my mind started to wander and I decided to put those thoughts in a thread.

I must make a point though. I am not trying to say that Europeans haven't caused a lot of wrong in the world through the terrible processes of colonisation, but I was playing a game where Indians had been forced to leave their land and all for these horrid invaders who really had no right to the land. I then made a comparison with what Israel is doing to Palestine today. They are gradually stealing land from an indigenous population and the world just sits and watches. We went to war for WMD and yet we ignore the very same process that helped to create America today. I think part of that is a historical and current belief that the native Indians were primitive and that Arab lives simply aren't worth as much as Jewish lives.

I don't think that is a particularly controversial thing to say, and is all backed up by government action and policy.

Well I don't really have much to say, but a chance to wind Miles up cannot be ignored.

First off, you say the Jews took the land from its owners. They didn't. The people who lived there did not own the land. It was originally a territory of the Ottaman Empire and was then taken over by the British, who set up a mandate to legally give the land to the Jews. They have MORE of a legitimate claim to their land then virtually any other nation as it was ratified in a court of law

Second there were no indigenous people. There never was an indigenous Palestine. They comprise many races, Greek, Egyptain, Syrian, Bosnian ,Druzes etc. In fact in 1920 over 50 different languages were being spoken in Palestine.

Thirdly, the Jews didn't expel the Palestinians the Arabs did! They wanted them out of the way so they wouldn't interfere with their Jew slaughterings.

Unfortunately that war didn't go so well for the Arabs and they lost horribly. The Jews understandably were rather distrusting of their neighbours from that point on.

That's the thing with colonialists. Who were the British to say that the land wasn't actually owned by those Palestinians? To anybody who thinks America is the one that I am always picking on, believe me, Britain with it's colonialist past, is a close number 2!
The people that lived there prior to Israel being created by the UN were the people that had lived there for generation after generation and I regard those as the indigenous population.

Anyway, I know the history of the region Bilbo. It is a sordid and messy one. But regardless, what we have right now is illegal settlement building on territories that are not Israel's. Step by step what remains of Palestine is being taken. Or should I say brick by brick? There is no attempt at peace and this is likely going to continue.

It is criminal and all existing settlements should be eradicated.