In the news

Just to throw my 2p...

As are the events in Iraq and Syria*.

*Where an uncountable number of dead are piling up in a day:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28456961

First, eyebrows makes an important point. If you're looking at numbers this whole situation is almost a non event with Syria still going on with no one in the international community giving a shit.

I also find the whole conflict interesting... it's basically an attempt to reverse history and create a set of favourable circumstances that never historically existed.

To all those who make arguments like "Well we can't just put the borders back to "... Israel are showing that history isn't static, you can move borders and re-write stuff... then defend it long enough that moving from the current position seems infeasible.

This is very true. What do you say to a 25yo Israeli who has been born in Israel? They didn't create the situation they're in and they've got to work out a way to make the best of it.

Aren't we only a few years away from the British fuck-up that caused it all?

Wasn't it WW1 and the need to get Jewish support to help bring the US into the war, that led the UK government to support a motion to assist in the establishment of a Jewish state within the region of Palestine.

I disagree with that and have to say that the blame the British rhetoric over the establishment is lazy. We've had a lot of faluts in our history, but I think that is overplayed. I also think it's really important for people to read the Balfour Declaration before they start commenting on it.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Balfour_portrait_and_declaration.JPG

I think it's often overplayed. If you read it, it is very qualified and does not give the sort of carte Blanche a lot of people seem to imply it does.