Palestinians loathe US foreign policy

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3198250.stm

Most Palestinians will tell you that they have nothing against individual Americans - visitors to Gaza are afforded the territory's traditional hospitality.

Rachel Corrie, an American activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer during a protest against house demolitions, is revered as a heroine.

What Palestinians loathe is US foreign policy.

"I see Americans dealing with people with haughtiness and arrogance," Ahmed Abdullah, a head teacher in Gaza's largest refugee camp, told me recently."Because they are strong, they feel they can do what they want."

"In the Middle East, they have the worst policy because they make the cornerstone for their policy Israel, and they forget about the other countries, the Arab countries, the Muslim countries," he explained.

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he knows the score and put it quite bluntly and eloquently....

amen.

"We are all Palestinians."

I think I can agree with Ahmed Abdullah, except I say that America's foreign policy in the region is dominated by oil and not Israel - though Israel is still an important part of that policy.

Look at the vote today on the Syrian Sanctions, or the wording in the recent "Sense of the Senate" resolution supporting the war in Iraq, and tell me that Israel is not a dominate feature of our foreign policy.

It always disturbs me when I see people try to play down the aspect and nature of the relationship between Israel and the U.S., and feel it is disingenuous. And, given that much of our current foreign policy is dominated by PNAC neocons who have long histories of working for and with Israel, how can one say our policies are not severely tilted towards Israel?

The two sides use each other. The oil people use Israel as an excuse for their ME hegemony, and in return, Israel gets someone to fight its wars for them, and provide them additional protection and money. Sweet deal.

Let's be honest here....

PNAC's plans for the Middle East, for instance, benefit Israel, which is indeed the only true ally of the US in the Middle East in the sense that it is the only one which supports US campaigns of aggression. Sharon, therefore, helps those plans, and the plans help Israel. It is a two-way deal, there we agree.

But the US is not a tool of Israel. Rather, their relationship is mostly due to the fact that the current national interests of both nations coincide. This relationship is fruther aided by the billions of dollars given to Israel yearly.

American foreign policy isn't dictated by Israel. Rather, American foreign policy benefits Israel in trade for Israel helping to advance Amerian foreign policy.

"America's foreign policy in the region is dominated by oil and not Israel." The word "not" is key. As I pointed out, it is dominated by both factors, pretty much in equal value in my opinion. And, as I also pointed out, the two sides use each other, again it seems to me, on a pretty equal basis.

BTW, I will no longer be posting in I/P. This is my last post here. I am not happy with some of the new I/P rules, and in an effort keep from being banned, I have chosen to simply remove myself.

Take care.

you will be missed!

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It's like this: When you vigorously support the destruction of people's homes and the murder of their civilians, people tend to loathe you for it.

Kind of an odd quirk to human nature, huh.

Palestinians have some very valid reasons for hating American foreign policy.

Most earth residents loathe it.

If there was ever a time when you had something constructive to add..

Pretty tough comments from a group that allows terorists to express their own foreign policy because they won't deal with them.

Pretty tough comments from a group that 75% support
the bombing of restaurants and the murder of 23 innocent
men,women and children.

They allow war criminals like Ariel Sharon to inflict terrorism on the Palestinians. If either side stopped, peace would come.