The Trouble With Oranges

I have a lease on an orange orchard in southern Lebanon, about 25km from the Golan Heights. The lease is held in partnership with a Palestinian refugee who is one of Ramallah’s representatives for Palestinians to the Lebanese government. He describes himself as “un-factioned”. In fact he has a long time association with US approved Fatah. I think the US approval really only springs from a favourable comparison to Hamas.

People here often seem to be confused about Hamas and Hizbollah. Hamas controls the Palestinian Parliament and governs the Gaza Strip from behind a wall that Israel built. The US and Israel classify Hamas as a terrorist organisation, the UN does not. Unsurprisingly, Palestinians are a bit upset about the wall. It reduces Gaza to a ghetto comparable to the Warsaw ghetto. The Warsaw ghetto existed behind a wall that the Nazis built. Palestinians aligned with Hamas fire primitive rockets and homemade bombs at Israel from behind the wall. Israel strikes Gaza with some of the most sophisticated weaponry in existence today. Israel’s military is US backed and funded. Surgical strike technology notwithstanding, Palestinian casualties vastly outnumber Isreal's. It’s an entirely unsatisfactory situation, given that dead is dead regardless of your ethnicity, political loyalties or religion.

The Sunni and Shia branches of Islam are analogous to Roman Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity. Sunni and Shia have been known to get a bit fractious with one another through history, as have Catholics and Protestants. Most Palestinians are Sunni. Hizbollah is Shia. It finds its support from Iran and Syria. Iran is predominantly Shia. Syria's government is Shia dominated. The Sunni - Shia juxtaposition is not a specific problem in Lebanon, but it all adds to the tapestry and tension in the region.

Hizbollah is classified as a terrorist organisation by the US and Israel. That is not an opinion universally held. They hold democratic elections in Lebanon. Hezbollah and its allies hold 57 seats in Lebanon's 128 seat parliament. But, Hizbollah’s existence in Lebanon was Israel’s excuse for its invasion and veritable flattening of Lebanon in 2006. I say flattening because they took out most major infrastructure: roads, bridges, telecommunications - and the irrigation to my oranges. The Refugee and me lost 127 young trees. Remarkably in the circumstances, he managed to pay back most of the capital in the years since then. The lease will be sold later this year and I expect the small remaining amount will be paid back along with some capital gain. It was a business deal done on a handshake. It’s turned out quite well, especially when compared to some of my friend’s investments during that period, in Bridgecorp and the like.

The popular protests that have spread across the Middle East have reached Syria. At the moment, the Refugee can’t get our oranges across the Syrian border and through to Dubai where they are supposed to be sold. It’s a problem but he’ll find a way or another market. He always does. Resourceful people, Palestinians. I saw the Queen on TV visiting Ireland. Isn’t it amazing how things can turn around? Catholic France and protestant England were at war for most of the period between 1688 and 1815. They seem to get on pretty well now. They tunnelled through. I hope the Refugee and my oranges make it.

Rules of Engagement for Comment on the Israeli Palestinian Conflict

Posted by Lambcut

Lambcut with a very special Semitic friend

At the discretion of Busted Blonde and the Brunette, I will probably continue to post occasionally as time allows, on Saturdays and Sundays on the delicate topic of Israeli Palestinian politics. If you wish to comment on any post going forward you will have to abide by certain rules of engagement. In previous posts on the topic or in reply to any comment thus far, you will note that I haven’t indulged in any ad hominem attacks, pejorative language, racist insults or hate speech. The same cannot be said for some VRWC commentators. Though, some of those commentators resorted to other blogs as their forum for this. Notwithstanding, I published all comments sent to Roarprawn. I will not continue to do so.

There have been assertions by Roarprawn’s commentators, albeit on other blogs that I am anti-Semitic. Arabs, along with Jews, are Semitic people. In any event, I do not countenance anti-Semitism in any form. There will be no holocaust denying here, there will also be no nakba denying. I do not compare nakba to the holocaust. The horrors of the holocaust thankfully remain out in a league of their own. Nakba is an atrocity in its own right. And I will not ignore it.

I refer to my recent post entitled, Israel and the Fine Art of Sophistry. It attracted remarkable traffic and vitriol from the VRWC’s readers. It was essentially a post on the poor standard of journalism on both sides. Read it properly and see. Not one commentator asked me whether or not I agreed with a withdrawal to the 1967 borders or if I supported a two state solution. The most inflammatory thing I said was, “for Netanyahu to assert that the 1967 borders are indefensible is demonstrably untrue and mischievous”. Not one commentator provided any rebuttal to that statement. No-one talked about the quality or veracity of press coverage.

As it happens I am not convinced a two state solution is best. If Israel took over the West Bank and Gaza, and was made a whole country on that basis, certain things would eventually have to happen. If Israel wished to be thought of as a civilised state the rights of all of its citizens would have to be recognised equally. The Gaza wall would have to come down or it would be an apartheid state, and would have to be regarded as such by the international community. Any violent act by any citizen Palestinian or Jew would have to be recognised for what it is – a criminal act punishable at criminal law. Water and other vital infrastructure would need to be provided to all areas of the country in proper proportions. Persons born in Israeli territory would have automatic citizenship and have the right to leave the country and have the right of return. Disputes over real property, historic or not, would have to be addressed on an appropriate legal basis. Universal suffrage would have to be enacted. Those persons now held in Israeli prisons without trial would have to be brought before the Courts without undue delay.

If you wish to make any comment on any post of mine on this topic I will publish it, provided the comment does not contain:

Ad hominem attacks; or

pejorative language; or

racist insults; or

hate speech against any ethnic group.

Israel and the Fine Art of Sophistry

Posted by Lambcut

Israel likes to complicate the politics of conflict. Complicated concepts are difficult to debate and communicate to our attention deficit disordered Western hive-mind. But it’s really not that hard to understand.

In 1967 Israel won the Six Day War. It was a decisive victory and significantly expanded Israel’s territory.

Yesterday, Barrack Obama called for Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders. The proposal is part of a peace plan that’s been dragging on unrealised for decades.

Today, Benjamin Netanyahu said that the 1967 borders are indefensible. Israeli spinners are pouring out lots of fabulous and complex arguments for why it is so.

The fact remains that Israel won the territory as a result of decisive military conquest. It has been defending the territory adeptly for 43 years. It has expanded the territory incrementally by means of illegal settlement. It is territory gained by such means that is at the root of Obama’s call. For Netanyahu to assert that the 1967 borders are indefensible is demonstrably untrue and mischievous. But Israel will go on spinning it with breathtaking sophistry and the West will go on listening with the understanding and attention span of a gnat.

Lambcut on the Holocaust

Posted by Lambcut (the Brunette is still away)

With the death of bin Laden, there is a lot of chat on the blogosphere about Muslims and the Middle East. Most of it is horrifyingly misinformed. I commented just now on a post of Cactus Kate’s – “Hone Denigrates Jews”. Kate’s post is not directly related to the bin Laden situation but it threw up Holocaust rhetoric undoubtedly heated by bin Laden’s death. Having spent time and done business in the Middle East, I am familiar with the Levant and Palestinians in particular. I commented as follows in reply to Kate’s outpourings. Busted Blonde and the Brunette will probably have me killed for posting it on Roarprawn, but, here it goes anyway:

No sane person should ever stoop to detract from the sufferings endured during the Holocaust mainly by Jews, but also by gays, gypsies, the disabled and communists. Having said that, no sane person should stoop to detract from the sufferings now being endured by Palestinians. The Palestinians call the events that took place in 1948 the Catastrophe. It’s not comparable on a numeric basis to the Holocaust, but it’s getting pretty bad. Around one million Palestinians were displaced at the time or shortly following the Catastrophe. More than ten thousand Palestinians are currently imprisoned without due process in Israel. Hezbollah has about one prisoner currently – Corporal Gilad Shalit, a combatant. I am not aware that Hamas have any – but I am happy to be corrected especially as to numbers. A significant number of the Palestinians held by Israel are minors. Most by any reckoning are civilians. Around 350,000 Palestinians are living as stateless refugees without full human rights in the Lebanon. They are not able to own land or occupy most professions (ironically, a very similar situation to Jews in Europe until later in the 19th century). Because they only have refugee passports it is very difficult for them to emigrate elsewhere. Most of Palestine has been taken unlawfully beyond the Israeli borders that were established during the ’67 war. 1.6 million Palestinians living in Gaza have been walled off in a ghetto easily comparable to Warsaw. Palestinian deaths attributable to the conflict outnumber Israeli deaths attributable to the conflict around ten to one.

And we in the West, we authored this situation to salve our conscience about the various roles our state’s played in contribution to the Holocaust.

Around the World at Easter

Posted by Lambcut.

The US is to begin drone strikes on Libyan targets. Games without frontiers war without tears.

Your iPhone knows where you are and it can tell other people, like the IRD, the Police and your spouse’s divorce lawyer.

24 people had themselves nailed to crosses in the Philippines, to demonstrate their Christian love.

Live on Italian TV, a little girl asked Pope Benedict to explain the suffering caused by the Japanese tsunami. Poor old Bene the Rat was buggered if he knew about that.

In Israel yesterday, WikiLeaks revealed that whilst in opposition, Benjamin Netanyahu tried to make Ehud Olmert attack Iran. Benjamin is Prime Minister now. Watch out Iran.

And in the UK, Kate Middleton’s face was found on a jelly bean. It’s a good likeness too.