My Thoughts on The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Long)
Added 2023-12-10 17:30:48 +0000 UTCIt's complicated.
Comments
This is really a thoughtful piece and thank you for posting it. It's easy to see that you are not willing to take sides, that you wish the best for everyone in this impossible situation. Did you know that some sects of Hasidic Jews are anti-zionist? They do not think Israel should exist as a Jewish state because the jews should not have gone back to Israel until the coming of the Messiah.
LM
2024-09-04 01:18:33 +0000 UTCThe situation is evolving quickly now as the Israelis are starving the Palestinians and the Americans agreed to set up a mobile food dock that will feed 1/3 of Palestinians. This is the first time I've seen the United States thumb their nose at Israel and as suggested by a geopolitical commentator i view as a broader move suggesting that Israel is not our problem child anymore. I like you, Tommy, have relatively neutral views of both factions in this conflict, but other regional powers can step up besides America and fill in the security void. While there might be religious prejudices that exist between many of the Arabian nations, we must also not forget that these states care more about their security than the aforementioned issue. Saudi Arabia was supposed to broker a major security deal with Israel before this incident, which may explain why it happened to begin with. Iran poses a greater security challenge to most Arabian nations due to conflicts between Shia and Sunni factions, which is the elephant in the room that most people are afraid to discuss. Jews will always be hated by Muslims and vice versa but Israel itself will be broadly ignored due to internal Arabian politics (bigger fish to fry). Minus the occasional flare up... I don't see that changing. As for the Palestinians however, god help them at the moment. And I'm not even pro-Palestinian. But it's my understanding that Palestinians are essentially the Gypsies of the middle east. They get respect from no one, Egyptians, Jordanians and Lebanese. And to think this was all created by Europeans about 100 years ago... I could go on, but history wanted this area to be weak. And there's a reason for it. It was supposed to benefit the imperialistic powers of Europe. And we might not be done with that chapter of history either yet.
Cabo James
2024-03-14 09:26:30 +0000 UTCGreat hearing your thoughts. Though I just wanted to say I think you missed one constituency that finds itself sympathising with Palestine, beyond muslims/far-left types, and that's people that have undergone some form of colonisation, including the Irish, South Africans, (African-Americans to an extent). I sometimes find that people overlook this deep-rooted component of identification, which goes towards explaining why there is a high level of interest globally (rightly or wrongly), and particualrly when the most pro-israeli states are usually the classically 'colonising countries' of the west/europe, which the global south as unduly imposing their view of history/projecting their own guilt. which also plays into it (again rightly or wrongly. I would also have to pushback a little bit, on the 'UN deal was accepted' and they put forward two viable solutions for peace that were rejected, there was dire terrible political leaders in the PLO for sure, but that reading of the peace-processes is a lot more complicated in itself. While I totally agree hamas should put down arms, but the idea that Israel had not been increasing it's own right wing with tacit support is missing something, as well as their success in disincentivizing any peaceful approaches (march home, 'diplomatic terrorism', and the catastrophe that was the oslo accords themself), and were the current status quo puts the security and safety interest of one group as heads and shoulders about another in terms of legitimacy and support.
Qaz
2024-02-18 10:20:26 +0000 UTCHi Tommy! So glad you left before the stuff really hit the fan. It's sad but I agree with you. No peace soon and wonderful people keep dying. BTW: No Beard ! Looks Great😘 A Mineola Fan
Sarah Tyson
2024-01-16 18:53:06 +0000 UTCLike you say Tommy, it's complicated. What I know is that violence isn't the answer, but not sure how you go about convincing people of that. Look at how many wars we've been in since World War II and how have those left us in a better situation. Maybe peaceful existence is just not the inherent nature of humans
Aziz Karim
2023-12-18 23:08:01 +0000 UTCSounds good
Tommy Beard
2023-12-11 22:33:20 +0000 UTCDon't know if I can ever convince myself to visit Kansas but the next location will be a bit less intense!
Tommy Beard
2023-12-11 22:32:35 +0000 UTCI got the same rude treatment at the border every single time I went to the country by the way (having my name doesn't help). I had a very close friend who worked in the security elsewhere in the airport and her vouching for me didn't even stop it. FWIW, my friend told me the people doing the interrogating really hate they have to do it as well.
Farid El Nasire
2023-12-11 22:32:06 +0000 UTCAs someone who grew up Muslim (now Agnostic), who has good friends on both sides of the conflict I care about, I really respect your nuanced opinion. Not very common nowadays, which sadly in and of itself exacerbates the issue. Let me know if you're bored while back home, I'm just a LIRR ride away and would love to buy you a beer and exchange travel stories! :)
Farid El Nasire
2023-12-11 22:25:59 +0000 UTCTommy -- I feel like you and I align on a lot of our ideologies. I'm a Christian Libertarian/An-Cap and just want people to stop dying. I get frustrated with a lot of the "right-wing" Christians and their blind support of Israel in most situations. I know that it says in the Bible "blessed are those who support Israel." But you and I both know that means the people and not the man-made government that we know as the current nation of Israel. The thing that frustrates me the most is how the "right-wing" Christians will even support Israel over the Christians currently living in Palestine and the surrounding areas. It's definitely a tough situation and it's difficult to even take a stand. I never voice my opinions on the matter aloud, because I know I would catch a lot of flack for it. As someone who really doesn't recognize man-made authority, I can't say that I support ANY nation -- not even the U.S. But I feel for the people on both sides. Like you said, there are kind and generous people in Israel as well as Palestine. The people are victims of their own governments just as we are victims of ours. When Christ returns, there will be peace in the Middle East. Until then, I can't see it happening.
Shaun Ladymon
2023-12-11 15:20:27 +0000 UTCReligion and politics are the worst things ever created by man. I find it amazing that we consider ourselves "civilized"! Glad you made it out of there safely Tommy. You might be a little insane dude LOL
Slippery Johnson
2023-12-11 14:31:15 +0000 UTCI love your videos and from this one, I would say that we grew up in the same part of Long Island, though some years apart. We could argue facts all day and I don't mean to get into that but let me just mention a few things that I think further balance the equation in a way that the social and traditional media do not. There are over a million Arab citizens who mostly come from families that never left after the partition and are Israeli citizens. After the partition, thousands of Jewish citizens were expelled from Arab countries where they had resided for a thousand years or more, in some cases. They were all brought to Israel. They have no "right of return." Israel was repeatedly attacked by its neighbors after the 1948 war, in 56, in 1967 and 69, and 1973 before the Lebanon war that you mentioned. The Wye River Accords that President Clinton brokered, gave the Palestinians everything they wanted. Arafat agreed then reneged because he was afraid Hamas would kill him for making peace. When, on October 7, Hamas killed, raped, and mutilated more Jews than at any time since the Holocaust, they knew what they were provoking and what it would do to the people of Gaza. How would any nation react? By the way, if it matters, I am not Jewish or Conservative. Keep travelling.
tructon
2023-12-11 02:04:38 +0000 UTCSuper difficult to form an opinion of this situation with the vastness of opinionated reporting, social media being skewed to favor the providers of information, things taken out of context, and our ability to gather real truth. Of course, people tend to gravitate to news that coincides with their beliefs and dismiss what they don't want to believe in as lies.
Thomas 'Tonepoet' Lindsey
2023-12-11 01:29:30 +0000 UTCThank you for your series of videos along with this special video. I respect your views because you’ve traveled the world and hence you have a much more worldly mindset. A very valuable asset - sometimes missing with others that comment on this situation. But, like you said in your videos, you didn’t want to get political. I commend that, as hard as this situation is. You showed neutrality. Thank you. BTW: I’m a Jew. My mother survived the holocaust (she was liberated from the camps in ‘45 by American troops). Yet, I don’t agree with the current (or former) Israeli government. Don’t blockade Gaza. Don’t play stupid settlement games in the West Bank. Find peace and live-n-let-live. However, my heritage clearly shows that hateful groups defy peaceful logic. Hamas is 100% the issue here, not Palestinians. A fact sometimes forgotten by some. Yet the Israeli governments actions, with dire consequences for civilians in the West Bank, can’t be condoned either. I hate war. Looking forward to you next travels. Maybe somewhere less controversial? Have you tried somewhere easy like Kansas or Nebraska? :) Martin
Martin J. Levy
2023-12-10 18:00:55 +0000 UTCAlso I bet the disco’s in Gaza were wild lmao
Isaac Habib Peress
2023-12-10 17:55:56 +0000 UTCYou’re the man. Thank you for having the balls to share your opinion, especially as somewhat of a third party who’s spent time in both places. I generally believe people react the situation they are put in. And nobody chooses where they come from. While evil does exist at the end of the day most of us are doing what we think is right. Thanks dawg! Stay safe!!
Isaac Habib Peress
2023-12-10 17:55:01 +0000 UTC
