Why do they hate us?

[Osiris]

[FONT=verdana,Arial]Why do they hate us?[/FONT] ​

[FONT=arial, helvetica]By: Patrick J. Buchanan[/FONT]
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The American Conservative* - ​

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[FONT=Verdana,arial]"Why do they hate us?" So stunned Americans asked, after 9/11, when we learned that across the Arab world, many were saying, "The Americans had it coming."[/FONT]​

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For a textbook example of why we are hated, consider Gaza and the West Bank. There, a brutal Israeli/U.S.-led cutoff in aid has been imposed on the Palestinians for voting the wrong way in a free election.

Immediately after Hamas's victory, Israel halted the $55 million a month the Palestinian Authority received as its share of tax and customs revenue. Israel demanded Europe and the U.S. also end all aid to the PA until Hamas renounces terror, recognizes Israel, and disarms. ​

President Bush, though he was conducting a worldwide crusade for democracy and had urged that the Palestinian elections be held and Hamas participate, obediently complied. For months now, U.S. and European aid to the PA, half its budget, has been halted.​

The early returns are in. "Surgeons at Gaza's biggest hospital,"
says the Financial Times, "have suspended non-essential surgery for lack of sutures, laboratory kits and anesthetics." Environmental protection agency workers have no money for petrol to monitor sewage and industrial waste entering the water supply. Some 150,000 civil servants, 60,000 of them armed security personnel, have gone unpaid for months.​

Supermarkets have to extend credit to customers who have no money for food. The Washington Post relates an incident that gives a flavor of what is happening.​

"In Gaza's gold market Monday, Nahed al-Zayim stared at the wedding ring her husband, a Palestinian police officer, gave her six years ago. She had placed it on a glass counter offering it for sale, joining several other wives of public employees who had not been paid in two months.​

"Her head covered by a black veil, Zayim said she needed the proceeds from her ring to buy diapers and milk supplements for her three children, including Hazem, 4, who tugged at her tunic in the afternoon bustle. `This is the last one, we have no more,' Zayim, 28, said of her ring."​

Woodrow Wilson called sanctions "the silent, deadly remedy." Its victims are always the sick, the elderly, the women, and the children. ​

In March, the World Bank predicted the aid cutoff would lead to a 30 percent fall in average personal incomes among the Palestinians. The bank now considers that prediction "too rosy" and expects "the worst year in the West Bank and Gaza's recent dismal economic history."​

Already, violent clashes have broken out between Hamas and Fatah. There is a danger of collapse of the Palestinian Authority, chaos, and a need for the Israeli army to intervene anew to restore order. Finally, May 9, under European pressure, the U.S. relented and a trickle of aid began to flow.​

Query: who, besides al-Qaeda and recruiters of suicide bombers, can conceivably benefit from persecuting the Palestinian people like this? Does President Bush or Condi Rice think the Palestinians will respect an America that did this to their children, after we urged this election, called for Hamas to participate, and preached our devotion to democracy? ​

"The aid cut-off appears to be increasing anti-U.S. sentiment here," writes the Post's Scott Wilson, quoting 33-year-old pharmacist Mustafa Hasoona: "The problem is the West, not us. If they don't respect democracy, they shouldn't call for it. We are with this government we elected. I voted for it."​

According to the Financial Times, Hamas is winning converts for refusing to buckle. Said Khalil Abu Leila, a Hamas leader, "They have misunderstood the Arab mentality. As long as the pressure increases on Hamas, the more popular it will become."​

The White House says we don't negotiate with terrorists. But when we had to, we did. FDR and Truman summited with Stalin at Yalta and Potsdam. Nixon met with Mao in Beijing. Kissinger negotiated with the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese at Paris. Bush I allied with Assad in the Gulf War. Clinton had Arafat to the White House too many times to count. ​

Rabin and Peres shared a Nobel Prize with Arafat. Netanyahu gave him Hebron. Barak offered him 95 percent of the West Bank.​

Bush's agents negotiated with the architect of the Lockerbie massacre to persuade Colonel Khaddafi to give up his WMD. In 2004, Bush's men called it a victory for Bush diplomacy. Khaddafi's regime had been at the top of the State Department's list of state sponsors of terror.​

The purpose of U.S.-Israeli policy today is to punish the Palestinians for how they voted and to force Hamas to yield or to collapse its government. How does such a policy win hearts and minds for America?​

Terrorism has been described as waging war on innocents to break their political leaders. Is that not a fair description of what we are doing to the Palestinians? No wonder they hate us.​

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[FONT=Verdana,arial]Pat Buchanan has been an advisor to three presidents and has thrice sought the office. A founding panelist of four political television shows, he currently hosts MSNBC's daily news program, "Buchanan & Press" and appears on "The McLaughlin Group." He writes a nationally syndicated newspaper column and is the author of six books including the recent bestseller, The Death of the West, which sold over 200,000 copies. In 2002 Pat Buchanan founded The American Conservative with Scott McConnell and Taki Theodoracopulos.[/FONT]
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[Rampage]

This illustrates the key problem that Bush had not thought of when he began to promote Democracy in the Middle East. When given a choice, too often the choice of the Arab street will be preselected by their religious leaders or will distinguish themselves through hatred of the West and Israel. What Bush has failed to do that Clinton did was he has not reached out to anyone to be an ally in all of this. Arafat was distasteful to some, but he was a champion of his people and was willing to talk. Now with him having died (been killed? there are rumors...) there is no one else and the Bush administration hasn't reached out to anyone.

On the other hand, the US cannot simply hand out $$$ to a government that will not simply recognize Israel and step away from the policy of Jewish annihilation. As a tax payer, it is unconscionable that my tax $$ is to be spent funding a place that is hell-bent of exterminating its neighbor, which has been an ally of ours for so long...

 

[Karma]

im not surprised by this at all. in fact i've been TELLING people that America has not been in good standing with its global neighbors for several years now.

all you have to do is read the news, WATCH the news or even visit other message boards where there are international members present and let a thread about pollitics or the war in iraq get started. You will see just how much the "anti american sentinment" flows.

i cant say i BLAME some people for it. Our president and his administration have REALLY burned their bridges with some of our long standing allies and erroded the diplomatic relations we saw FLOURISH during the clinton administration.

I remember the tremendous feeling of DREAD i felt the night of 9/11 following the inital attacks...i TRULY felt that america was under a microscope that countries around the world were probably scrambling to get in line to join in some massive attack on our country. It was definately a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety on my part

even the bible (whether you believe in it or not) tells a story that is basically a metaphor for a country that stands above all others but is eventually taken DOWN by the other countries and torn apart, plundered and destroyed. many pastors that i have heard use the passage of scripture regarding this have alluded that the "great country" was america.

i'm not a christian but i do find that to be interesting.

and then you also have to look at HISTORY...no "empire" lasted for ever...look as far back as the Aztecs and Incas...who were "advanced" for the time in which they lived and were a great nation. They were wiped out and the Roman Empire is probably the GREATEST example of an empire that rose to power and FELL just as hard...torn apart by the visigoths, huns and other "barbarians" as they are referred to in some places....history prooves that no one nation or empire can stay at the top forever and i really think that if America doesnt get back on course (that means getting bush and his cabinet OUT of the white house for a start) that we are going to be in DEEP SHIT.

 

[Osiris]

This illustrates the key problem that Bush had not thought of when he began to promote Democracy in the Middle East. When given a choice, too often the choice of the Arab street will be preselected by their religious leaders or will distinguish themselves through hatred of the West and Israel. What Bush has failed to do that Clinton did was he has not reached out to anyone to be an ally in all of this. Arafat was distasteful to some, but he was a champion of his people and was willing to talk. Now with him having died (been killed? there are rumors...) there is no one else and the Bush administration hasn't reached out to anyone.

On the other hand, the US cannot simply hand out $$$ to a government that will not simply recognize Israel and step away from the policy of Jewish annihilation. As a tax payer, it is unconscionable that my tax $$ is to be spent funding a place that is hell-bent of exterminating its neighbor, which has been an ally of ours for so long...

Playing devils advocate: And what would you call the land grab and displacement of Palenstinians since 1948? Im certain you know Israel is a lot larger than the UN initially allowed. Why are our tax $$ going to fund Israel anyway?

 

[Rampage]

I call the land grab in 1948 the same thing I call slavery: wrong. But, just like slavery we cannot live in the past. We must look at the present and prepare for a future. Any Palestinian looking at 1948 will want Israel to be destroyed, its citizens scattered to the four winds. That is unconscionable...
But for the record, let us never forget that the Jews were there in 1000 BC, 3000 years before the 1948 land grab and 1500 years before Islam itself existed. So who has the truer claim???
In addition, is anyone has a truer claim to $$$ suopport, it is the Israelis who have been our allies. The Palestinians treat us with contempt, yet act as if our money is really theirs.

 

[Osiris]

I call the land grab in 1948 the same thing I call slavery: wrong. But, just like slavery we cannot live in the past. We must look at the present and prepare for a future. Any Palestinian looking at 1948 will want Israel to be destroyed, its citizens scattered to the four winds. That is unconscionable...
But for the record, let us never forget that the Jews were there in 1000 BC, 3000 years before the 1948 land grab and 1500 years before Islam itself existed. So who has the truer claim???
In addition, is anyone has a truer claim to $$$ suopport, it is the Israelis who have been our allies. The Palestinians treat us with contempt, yet act as if our money is really theirs.

Thats a very loaded response.

As far as slavery is concerned for those who were affected by it, I don't think its something to just "forgive and forget" especially when the results of which are still present. But thats another thread...

As far as claim to the land, certainly you know that the original Israelites have always lived in Palenstine before and after Islam, so did the Christians. Those who came to found the "Jewish state" were descendants of European converts of Judaism. The original Hebrews etc, have always lived there before these current Jews came. Ever notice how Eurocentric they look compared to lets say a Middle Eastern or Ethopian Israelite who's roots go back to the days of Solomon(pbuh)?

Point is, how do you have claim to a land where you anscestors werent even from. That's were the mad hatter in Iran got his statement from when he said a couple of weeks ago "If the holocaust happened, why do the Palenstinians have to pay for it, maybe they should go back to Europe where they came" Of course I sound like a radical, but I leave it to you to disprove my allegations.

Either way whether they had claim to the land or not(they didnt, they originally wanted land in Africa....)the point is they got their way from the UN and have since occupied and taken extra territory have violated more UN policies then Saddaam ever did, and yet we turn a blind eye and somehow end up being the only country that vetoes every UN condemnation and resolution towards them.

I don't know where people think Israel deserves our hard earned tax dollars from, because last I checked, we have many allies, but that doesnt equate to giving them money. What has Israel done for the United States?

Furthermore, how do you expect the Palenstinians to feel? They are loosing their land, life, and rights daily by a fanatical ideology who is supplied and supported by a super-power.

I mean come on, the IDF has tanks and fire on people with rocks.

Its all about justice, if they would stop stealing land and give it back, that would ease 90% of the problem.

People really need to study this more. Its no where like the stories we hear in America that shows us the innocent Jews attacked by the big bad Arabs. Really has anyone ever thought about what in the world could the Palenstinians do to Nuclear armed to the teeth Isreal? They can't even keep the lights on or have food in Gaza yet alone do anything to Israel.

 

[Rampage]

More to the point, the fact that you claim in terms of the Jews is a VIEWPOINT at best, not fact. The scattering of the Jews by the Romans is a historical fact, and it is also fact that many of the descendants of this scattering were trying to get back ever since. The Eurocentric "look" you are trying to ascribe has more to do with them intermarrying where they were found, whether that was Europe or Russia. many modern Isarelis look similar to their Palestinian counterparts, to be honest.
The idea that just because we are allied with the Isarelis IS in fact the justification for aid. Nearly all of our allies are or have been beneficiaries of our largesse. The Israelis are particularly close, and they have been rewarded for their loyalty to us. That is policy, and you are not the first to disgree, nor do I totally disagree with you in your protest. I would like for all countries to stopp holding their hands out, including the Israelis AND the Palestinians.
Which brings me back to my first point, the Palestinians treat us with disdain yet I am supposed to lose sleep because they hate us for not rewarding their treatment oif us with cash? To me, this is a good thing for them, they can be free and pay their own price for that freedom. I do, however, think that they are owed the monies from Israel. Yet I can understand why Israel may not want to hand $$$ 0over to a hostile party, even if the $$$ is theirs.

 

[Arion]

Good lord,this is not a simple black and white issue.I'm sure that a lot of citizens in America think that the world hate them but I don't think it's like that at all(at least for the most case).I'll just express my opinion briefly.

The world hates the goverments of countries that invade other lands or cause atrocities.But for Americans to think that the world hates the people of the land ans wishes harm on them is not true and overdoing it.Yes I think that it is strange that a country can vote again(supposedly) for a man that has gone into a land that has nothing to with him and practically kill off the people there.Yes I think it's odd that so many people in the USA seem to be so blind as to what's going on.But do I hate them?No a chance.I save whatever hate that is in me for the eivl bastards in this world that intenionally decided themselves to cause harmed to epople,I'm on about the abusers and people who commit crimes worse than murder.

The same thing happened recently with the release of Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ.A lot of Jews were claiming that this film was amti-semitic and that it would cause people to increase whatever hatred they ahd towards Jews.But again that is nonsense and in a way it makes people think that these people who believe they are being 'harmed' are just suffering from big egos.

The film was about Christ dying on the cross and his suffering for peoples sins.And yes the people that sent him to the cross and chanted for him to be crucified over the brual murderer Barbaros were Jews.But so what?The people that did it happened to bem Jews,who is saying that the Jewish people of today are to blame for Christ dying?No-one except for the usualy uneducated bigots.No one is saying that each individual Jew in this world should be spat at or punished for something that happend so long ago by people of the same religion.

A lot of people claim Irish people hate the English.No!The Irish nation hate the English people and goverment 'that caused' 8 centuries of suffering and invasion.No one but a fool would go up to an English person and batter them just becuase of their nationaility.

But what can I say about the whole American-Iraq thing and the problems in the Holy land,that has not been said a thousand times by a thousand people?!