Reply to Bill Maher explains the Middle East to Gen Z: Can anyone really dispute the facts?

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Reply to "Bill Maher explains the Middle East to Gen Z: Can anyone really dispute the facts?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I just had a chance to watch this and have a few questions to those who believe it presents facts:

1) do you accept that people of both Jewish and Palestinian descent share common ancestry from the Caanites who lived in the region prior to both the Jewish and Islamic faiths existed? If not, who you think that the ancestors of Palestinians are from”invaders”?

2) if you accept the U.N. designation of Israel’s borders when it was created, why do you not accept the current UN mandated border for the state of Israel. [/quote]

As an American who is neither Jewish nor Muslim, I couldn’t care less about ancient history when it comes to who has dibs on the land. Rather, I care about what’s happening right now.

Re: the UN approved borders - I believe borders matter. I also recognize it’s really tough to live alongside countries where terrorists dedicated to your eradication live. Seems like that might prompt you to create a buffer for your security…and perhaps overcompensate to control the border…especially if you know Iran is sneaking in trucks and weapons via big tunnels from Egypt.

To be fair, I also recognize it sucks for the innocent Palestinians and Lebanese people who are caught up in this brutal war thanks to the religious extremism that fuels terrorists funded by Iran. The reality is the violence still would have happened even if Israel never expanded its borders. Terrorists aren’t motivated by borders: they just want Israel and its people gone…and they feel just as strongly about America and the West.

As an American, that last bit is the piece that worries me. Moreover, I’m confused why it doesn’t concern all Americans. I’m not ride or die for Israel. I’m not anti-Palestinian. I just wish there was a way to wave a magic wand to move all religious extremists to evolve. If everyone could embrace basic human rights and religious freedom and terrorism disappeared, the Middle East might have a chance at peace. Debating ancient or even recent history or borders won’t fix the real problem. If you can’t recognize the real issue is religious extremism, then we can’t really have a productive conversation.

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I also don't think ancient history matters, but that was the premise of the Maher video. Did you watch it?

I agree that religious extremism is at fault (in fact, I think religion has done way more harm than good throughout history, but I'm a 3rd generation atheist).

But my questions are to the folks that agree that Maher presented facts. I'm trying to understand the mindset of their reality because it fundamentally confuses me.

As to your point about concern about terrorists, I agree. But perhaps where we differ is that I think the US's unwavering and unquestioning support of Israel and inability to look critically at why the terrorists are terrorists is dangerous for Americans. You just have the look at the photos and imagine yourself in the footsteps of people in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon to understand why they might hate Israel and the US.

Have you travelled to the region? Do you have friends who are Palestinian or Lebanese? The suffering they are experiencing is not just an abstraction it's real and human.

I am worried that events have gone too far for there to be resolution that allows Israelis to live in long term peace. But the other path forward that I see is for people to get out of the echo chamber and start understanding others' PoV. 
 [/quote]

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