• Limerance@piefed.social
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    3 months ago

    You are forgetting 1948, 67, 73 when lots of Arab countries waged large scale war against Israel. There was even a huge oil embargo in the 1970s by Arabs against the West, causing huge economic turmoil.

    Of course having a good relationship to the US is important to many countries. It’s very beneficial to them. However those governments opposed to the US aren’t particularly great for their population either.

    There’s certainly no lack of bad regimes in the Middle East. Bribes and arms deals are just how business is done there.

    Regarding Prince Bandar and Saudi policies in the region. Saddam’s Iraq became an enemy with his invasion of Kuwait. Iraq had been a regional rival to the Saudis even back to the time it had a Hashemite king. The Hashemite and Saudi clans are old rivals for power in the region. Saudis have their own interests in the region. Iran is a regional rival for example and their Islamist ideology a direct threat to the kingdom. Yes, Saudis have played some stupid games with spreading Wahhabism and supporting Islamists militias against other governments in the region. Of course the Saudis prioritize their own interests above the Palestinian cause. They have been a big supporter historically both financially and politically.

    I really recommend you watch the interview to hear another perspective and his personal interactions with Arafat during the peace process.

    Also Palestinians have agency and have influenced the history of the region significantly since 1948. It’s patronizing to see them only as victims.

    • mrdown@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      after the formation of a large army in the wake of the establishment of the state, we will abolish partition and expand to the whole of Palestine - Ben Gurion

      No wonder arabs was trying to stop the occupation plan from the start

      • Limerance@piefed.social
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        3 months ago

        Arab leaders were promising massacres and ethnic cleansing of the Jews from Palestine in the wake of the war. “Throw them back int the sea.”

        Jews in nascent Israel at that time was mostly refugees from Europe, but also Yemen for example. They didn’t have any other place to go to. Nobody wanted them. For them it was fight for their lives or be killed.

        Remember that Jews were ethnically cleansed from the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem. Jerusalem had been majority Jewish for decades and some of the oldest Jewish quarters were in the Eastern part.

        After the war was won by Israel. 800,000 Jews were expelled from Arab and Muslim countries and mostly went to Israel. Adding more Jews to the land with no other place to go to.

        It’s a pretty shit situation overall and was from the beginning.