[Turtle]

...and I sure ain't gonna be able to starighten any of it out...and, by the way, I originally put this in "The Emperor's New Clothes" threadspace and June moved it, but maybe I should have put it in "The Red Zone" for no moderating...

For me, I grew up in very pro-Jewish, pro-Israel space...

well, for me, this brings in a mixity of race, ethnicity, religion, power, privilege, politics, and hegemony in my background...

...and family...

I grew up in very pro-Jewish, pro-Israel space...and as time has gone on the reality of events in the real World... and my point of view...have changed over time.

When I read accounts of ambulances with Palestinian People in them being held in lines at the border or Palestinian People being forced to go to a specific hospital for Palestinian People....and that People die...it also reminds me of how this country has been in the past and is moving toward again.

When I read or hear about the government of Israel wanting Palestinian truck drivers to were identification badges...and then I hear that the Israeli truck drivers started wearing ID badges too - to make a point....and help People remember...

When I hear jingoistic rhetoric in any form I think there is a problem. Automatic defense of anything or anybody, in my opinion, can be problematic.

As an individual, I have the easier job of making my own opinion and living with a mixity...as a government making political statements and trying to form alliances (which I think are very problematic) it is not so easy...people get pissed off, we try to act like grown-ups, but we can't, we get dug in, defend our "friends" and "family"...if it's us being the rebels it's OK - if it's somebody not us, it's not OK...

just my opinion..

Originally Posted by thedivahrrrself

I don't get America's blind support for Israel.

I get why we need an ally in the Middle East. I get why some Americans identify with the plight of the Jewish people. I get why Israel exists as a state.

But I don't get why, when they shoot one of our own unarmed citizens at almost point blank range, on video, why our diplomats don't go postal on them, why our people don't get up in arms about that.

I don't get why we can look at the human rights injustices (which are, admittedly on both sides, but Israel is the more powerful player here) and just turn a blind eye, and keep sending more cash and weapons. I don't get why Palestinians aren't allowed to have things like band-aids and basic building materials.

I don't understand this game we play with Israel. It's like an accepted American position that we all support anything and everything the State of Israel does. Why do we get to question every other country's motives, but not theirs?

When the Arab Spring happened, everyone cheered for Muslims in Egypt, in Yemen - YAY! They have a right to democratically elect their own leaders! - but no one made the connection to Palestinians. I don't understand why they don't also have that same right.

I just don't get it.