World Affairs

I don't often write about things of any real importance here. Things that will make some sort of vital difference to the world, or anything that comments on things vital to the world. It's not that I don't think about them, but I can't say that world affairs are of a particularly high priority to me. I don't keep up with technical terms or international alliances, the exchange rate, oil production, medicine, technology, or conflicts. Well, most of the time I don't keep up with conflicts. I would be the first to tell you that history and politics tend to bore the crap out of me. I can't be bothered with all the details of treaties and truces over time.

I tend to look at things from a practical point of view. What would I do in this situation? What do I think is right or wrong? Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion of right and wrong, though I appreciate more when people can back up their position with a rationale.

So today on the news, both on television and on some website I frequent, reporting of the latest Israeli bombing of Hamas. Cue big sigh.

Before I moved here, one of the most frequent things I heard from those who would care was that I should be careful that I was moving to such an anti-semitic place. And while I have noticed that I have met a lot more people here who have never really met a Jew, or known many Jews, I can't say overtly that I have felt waves of anti-semitism towards me or in my presence. Except for the small area of reporting on Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. And by default, if this ever comes up in conversation, as influenced by the media, I would say that many British people hold an opinion I do not agree with, but then they also tend to be highly uninformed and simply repeat the message of the media.

The first thing that drives me nuts about any discussion of the current conflict is the disregard for the fact that people have been warring in this part of the country over this tiny speck of land for the past 2000 years or more. Just because we have better media coverage and far better weapons, it really isn't anything new. For those who hold out hope that this can somehow be 'fixed' or 'solved' in their lifetimes, I say, take a look at history. It seems unlikely at best.

It's just the media reporting is so directive and sensationalist. For example, this most recent implosion- on all the news channels, eliciting outrage all over. Well, where was the reporting and outrage for the past week while Hamas sent over 200 (some say 300) mortar rounds into Israel? Where was the international outcry at the end of the cease fire at Hamas's first response? Where was the coverage then? When you look at the Israeli response during the past week, they basically said, "Stop. Look, you need to stop. Guys, if you don't stop you are going to force us to strike back and you know we're stronger than you. Hello, are you going to stop anytime soon? We're giving you a warning, cut it out, you know what's going to happen." Of course they didn't stop, Israel retaliates and suddenly it's international news.

Does anyone else see a problem just with this? Leave out who is right and who is wrong. Just look at the coverage. Why is it only news when Israel uses their fire power? Because they have more? Should that matter? Everyone knows they have more, including Hamas. In fact, they expect and desire Israel to attack them because it's the only way they get international attention (and money). And what do they do with their money? Smuggle weapons through underground passages and train vigilantes. Why not invest in education and on infrastructure?

The best thing the Palestinian government could do for itself would be to take the billions of dollars that other governments give it and turn it's back on Israel to create a stable and thriving country of its own on the (waterfront) land that it already occupies and has now long been handed over to it. Don't hide militants in new schools and hospitals- just stop that. And once you became independent and prosperous, then it shouldn't matter should it?

But here I will become political and annoyed. Because it isn't about becoming a prosperous people for the Palestinian government. It's about 'getting back at Israel' and that's just stupid. It's wasteful of resources, both material and human and it promotes hatred and conflict ensuring that this is something that will not be over in my lifetime. I doubt that most Israelis or Palestinians approve of the warfare and bloodshed, but they have both invested in governments that don't represent them in this. As long as militant vigilante terrorists run Palestinian land, they will continue to put their resources into warfare, neglecting their people and provoking what is obviously a superior opponent who is then pushed by their own people to retaliate when nothing else seems to work.

It's complicated. It's so very complicated. But I have to say, I do watch the media here, I listen to people and it does get me riled up. Yes, I'm Jewish. And yes, I believe in the free state of Israel. But I also believe in a Palestinian state. I just watch the destruction, the aggression, the provoking and I get angry at the media villainization of Israel when to me it's not that simple, and often is in somewhat disregard to the facts.

If you read the article above which does remark on the Hamas recent bombing of Israel, compare to this BBC piece and note there is no mention of any provoking on the Palestinian side. I'm sorry. I see a huge problem with that. At least Channel 4 makes mention of it, though not the scale or any of the angry or hateful words of Hamas. Only CNN offers an entire article that even attempts to make sense of the recent difficulties. I don't think that it's in favor of one group or the other but at least it seems more fair in the reporting. Is it too much to ask that reporting even attempt to be fair? I'm bothered by the British manipulation of public opinion through suppression of certain information and the boosting of other.

Right. Enough on world affairs. It just makes me angry. This most recent example highlighting something that pops up and bothers me from time to time. I don't know how the UK benefits from this lopsided reporting or why they promote it. I'm sure if I did know, it would just be something else to make me angry.