Recently, Stevie Wonder cancelled a planned concert for an organization that works to raise money for the Israeli military. He was to play for Friends of the Israeli Defense Force on December 6th but backed out after pressure from the UN claiming that someone with such a title should not support the Israeli Army. (This is just days after the United Nations overwhelmingly voted to recognize Palestine as state, and a few months after our own Prez denied talks with Netanyahu)
Mr. Wonder released the following statement, “I am respectfully withdrawing my participation from this year’s event to avoid the appearance of partiality…As a Messenger of Peace, I am and have always been against war, any war, any where. In consistently keeping with my spirit of giving, I will make a personal contribution to organizations that support Israeli and Palestinian children with disabilities.”
Mr. Wonder…you state that you’re against war. Please tell me more about why supporting a benefit for a force that is simply protecting its own people is war.
This nonsense, coupled with some recent Facebook shenanigans, compelled me to create a timeline of events regarding the Conflict with Israel & Palestine.
Note* The term “Palestinian” is fairly new relative to history and fabricated.
The ‘land in question’ has been conquered and re-conquered many of times but belonged to the Israelites dating back to 1250 BC. In 586 BC, the Jews were exiled by the Babylonians and waited 70 years to return to rebuild their Temple after it had been destroyed. Then a bunch of Greek stuff happened (that I’m not well-versed on) but Judea, the Jewish state in the Roman province of Palestine was established in 63 BC after another conquering.
Somewhere around 120 AD, Jews were initially allowed to return to Jerusalem after more Temples had been destroyed, but – after another Jewish revolt in 133 – the city was completely destroyed and its people banished and sold into slavery.
Some 500 years pass and the region is ruled by those of Muslim faith until the fall of the Ottoman empire in the 1900’s.
1897: Zionism emerges, primarily in response to anti-Semitic beliefs in Europe. Roughly 65,000 people of Jewish faith resided peacefully alongside Muslims for the next 20 years.
1917: Balfour Declaration: Britain aims to create a home for the Jewish people in a new area called Palestine.
1920’s– Violence erupts as the Jewish population rises to 11%. It surges when, in 1929, 133 Jews were killed by Palestinians and 110 Palestinians died at the hands of the British police (NOT JEWS)
1937 Finally in the late 1930’, Secretary of State for India, Lord Peel, recommends partitioning the land into a Jewish state and an Arab one. Both side rejected this suggestion.
1947: Britain forfeits power and hands it over to the UN. The Jews now consist of roughly 33% of the population. They were also dealing with a significant displacement of Jews following World War II and the Holocaust.
The UN set up a special committee which recommended splitting the territory into separate Jewish and Palestinian states. Palestinian representatives, known as the Arab Higher Committee, rejected the proposal; their counterparts in the Jewish Agency accepted it.
The partition plan gave 56.47% of Palestine to the Jewish state and 43.53% to the Arab state, with an international enclave around Jerusalem. The plan was never implemented, even though a UN vote supported it.
1948: (May 15th) The State of Israel is proclaimed. The next day, five Arab armies from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq immediately invaded Israel but were resisted, and the Israeli army crushed pockets of confrontation.
1967– A year of war on all fronts, Israel eventually expanded their territory. The Arabs, displeased fled to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. This also marks the shift in UN support for Israel.
1968– Yasser Arafat Fatah-backed forces inflicted significant casualties on Israelis in Jordan.
1972: 11 Israeli athletes are killed at the Olympics
1973– Still mad about 1967, Egypt & Syria launched major forces against Israel on Yom Kippur. Israel made gains in this war as well, but eventually re-released them. Egypt and Syria jointly lost an estimated 8,500 soldiers in the fighting, while Israel lost about 6,000.
1974: Harold Saunders,(U.S. State Department Official) acknowledged for the first time that “the legitimate interests of the Palestinian Arabs must be taken into account in the negotiating of an Arab-Israeli peace”. This was after Arafat made an appearance at the UN referencing his “olive branch and his freedom-fighter gun.”
1977: First Arab leader recognizes Israel, Egypt’s Anwar Sadat. Fellow Arab nations boycotted Egypt for negotiating peace with Israel.
1982: After an attempted assassination of an Israeli ambassador, Israel invaded Lebanon. This was in response to the perpetuated violence of Hezbollah.
Mid-1980’s: Israel faces Palestinian uprising which result in Palestinian deaths. Some news outlets will attempt to convince the world that this is a fault of Israel, however, this was a result of Palestinian violence in addition to general boycotts, graffiti, barricades and stone-throwing demonstrations.
After this incident, PLO decided they DID want to negotiate a two-state plan, but Israel declined.
The Palestinians (PLO) supported Iraq during the Gulf War and alienated a significant base of people.
Early 1990’s: PLO again is in a vulnerable position (still from supporting Iraq) and attempts to reconcile with Israel. During the Oslo Peace Process, PLO agreed to recognize Israel as a state if they de-occupied current Palestinian territory. Negotiations culminated to a Declaration of Principles.
Peace didn’t last long. After a year of Palestinian recognition, dozens of Israeli’s were killed by Palestinian militants. Oslo II was signed, granting 72% of territory to Israel, 21% under joint occupation and 7% under Palestinian control.
1996– Hamas begins to gain strength and carries out dozens of suicide bombings against Israelis.
Early 2000’s– Israel continues assassinating Palestinian militants, air strikes and incursions into Palestinian self-rule areas. Palestinian militants stepped up suicide bomb attacks in Israeli cities.
2004: After 3 bombings in August and September and abundant Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli towns, Israel launched a major and bloody incursion into northern Gaza.
The last 8 years has consisted of perpetual violence against Israelis as they continue their attempt to barricade and block Palestinian violence and control. Even so recently as November, Hamas violated ceasefires and continued sending rockets into Israel.
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There is a consistent pattern of Jewish persecution (I don’t think I really need to name specific events, as anyone aware of the last 100 years could pin point my references). And just recently in Hungary, the parliament called for Jews to be registered on lists as threats to national security. Since when is this kind of behavior okay?
I stand with Israel and the people of Jewish faith.
*I’d like to note that until the current administration, the United States has been an avid ally of the Israel and a strong supporter of their peace, safety and freedom. Presidential statements include…
JFK—“Israel was not created in order to disappear—Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors the sword of freedom.”
Jimmy Carter—“We have a special relationship with Israel. It’s absolutely crucial that no one in our country or around the world ever doubt that our number one commitment in the Middle East is to protect the right of Israel to exist, to exist permanently, and to exist in peace. It’s a special relationship.”
Bill Clinton—“Our relationship would never vary from its allegiance to the shared values, the shared religious heritage, the shared democratic politics which have made the relationship between the United States and Israel a special—even on occasion a wonderful—relationship.”
Bush II—“Israel is a small country that has lived under threat throughout its existence. At the first meeting of my National Security Council, I told them a top foreign policy priority is the safety and security of Israel. My Administration will be steadfast in supporting Israel against terrorism.and violence, and in seeking the peace for which all Israelis pray.”
So that group that hates Israel, and people of Jewish faith….there’s a name for them. We call them anti-Semites. And the ACLU would say it’s a hate crime.
The Perspicacious Conservative 
While I can understand your passion for Israel unfortunately many of your facts are incorrect – starting with the term Palestinian – it was not invented by Yasser Arafat as it was in use by the British in the early 1920’s. Much of the rest of your “history” is oversimplified and in some cases not correct. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is very complex and the responsibility for this conflict rests with both sides. It is not easily condensed into a few simple facts.