As a columnist I feel I have done a reasonable job when I receive praise and angry responses to the same piece. My column on the Israeli/Palestinian issue was light on facts, but the facts were definitely accurate.
The column was objective. It was not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.
The column was not subjective, meaning it was not based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.
The data I have obtained and used in this and my previous article are from the Encyclopedia Britannica. An objective source.
Resident D. Allen, my angry critic in a July 18 letter to the editor in the Morgan Hill Times, has personally been to Israel on “humanitarian missions,” working in Israeli hospitals, etc. If there is objectivity possible in that circumstance, I can assure it is not in Allen’s repertoire. Allen is a subjective source.
Allen makes several claims to “facts.” I have seen and heard all these representations of ethnic/religious bias (“facts”) before and feel they are worth refuting just so they do not go unchallenged. Lies repeated frequently often take on the appearance of truth.
Allen’s apparent premise is that calling Israelis terrorists is not appropriate.
Not only were many Israeli leaders of the 20th century called terrorists by the world at large at one time in their lives (before Israel became a state); the leader of the most extreme Zionist organization in Palestine before WW II was an outspoken admirer of Hitler and tried to establish ties with him and his regime – before WW II and Hitler’s atrocities towards Jews became known.
Subjective Allen says that the “Arabs put their own people in refugee camps, to use as political pawns”. Silly Allen!
Objective facts: at the time of Israel becoming a state, the land and possessions of the Palestinians living in Israel were confiscated by Israel. The best accepted estimates were that between 600,000 and 700,000 people were “displaced” to “make room for the State of Israel.”
It would be like a local Indian tribe successfully claiming the City of San Jose as their land after a long terrorism campaign. The 700,000 humans in San Jose would just have to find another place to stay; leaving their homes, careers and most of their valuables behind. Where do you think they would go? Would some of them, in their turn, become terrorists?
Please just give it some serious thought if you really want to begin to understand the origin of the “Middle East problem” as we know it today.
Those who were not sent packing lived under severe military rules perpetrated by Israel which fervently worked to control any nationalistic tendencies by non Jews. Religious intolerance by the Israelis was rampant. People were arrested and harassed for daring to speak of having equal rights and compensation for their property which had been taken by the new State of Israel. The techniques used were similar to those of Hitler and other oppressors in suppressing an ethnic population.
Allen says that there is a continuous connection between the Jewish people and the land of Israel over the last 4000 years. It is also put forward that there is some kind of ethnic integrity to being a Jew.
The last time I looked one could become a Jew by deciding to be one, followed by learning their special version of the truth and swearing to uphold it. I think that is called religion, which has little to do with ethnic purity or historical reality. Religions have commonly rewritten history to give their faith based version of reality credibility. Judaism is definitely not an exception to this manipulation of the truth.
As for the continuous connection over 4000 years (with a 2000 year gap until 100 years ago): There is no historical evidence for this other than the writings of the Old Testament, which I believe was actually written approximately 150 years before the fabled birth of Christ, with extensive backdating to prove false claims of occupying the lands in question.
My great grandmother was a pure blooded Seneca Indian. As her descendent, my claim to parts of the East Coast of the USA is remarkably more valid than the entire Jewish population’s claim to Israel. My claim is only 300 years old, not 2000 years of absence – and I never left the country!
Allen’s arguments are completely subjective and without any basis in reality. Maybe Allen should learn what research means.
Veterinarian John N. Quick is a 25-year resident of Morgan Hill. He’s been operating the Animal Medical Clinic since 1983, which was expanded in 1997 and is now the Animal Care Center. He’s one of the founders of the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center and Furry Friends Foundation.
