Many common myths have floated around concerning the Israel-Palestinian conflict. We will address some of the important common myths regarding Hamas, rights to the land, shared values as well as others.
Israel is a Democracy
● Israel may be more of a democracy than other countries in that region; however, it is not the same kind of democracy as other western nations.
● The government of Israel controls all of Palestine. Some people in the occupied territories have the right to vote in Israeli elections, but some do not.
● Some people argue that the Palestinians who live in the occupied territories have the right to vote in Palestinian elections in the Occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip when they had elections around two decades ago. However, their elected leaders have limited authority. In the end, the government of Israel controls the Palestinians’ lives, and the Palestinians in the occupied territories don’t have a vote.
● Israel claims to be a “Jewish State”. Conversely, the establishment of a national religion contradicts the U.S.’s constitution.
● Unlike the media in the United States, Israeli media regularly submits their work to censors before publication. [90]
The U.S. and Israel Have Shared Values
Many claim that Israel and the U.S. have “shared values”. Certainly, some values are shared, but not the ones listed below:
● Is a 56-year military occupation of a people a shared value?
Israel Has Historical Rights to the Land
The government of Israel claims that they have historical rights to Palestine because they controlled that territory two thousand years ago. If a historical claim is valid, which time in history has the correct map? Why is two thousand years ago valid? Why not the year 1900 or 1215?
Moreover, aren’t China and Russia making similar historical claims on Taiwan and Ukraine respectively? The government of Israel’s claim is two thousand years old, but China and Russia have more recent claims. What is the statute of limitations on these claims? If China’s and Russia’s historical claims are invalid, the government of Israel’s claim is definitely invalid.
If the government of Israel’s historical claim focuses on being the original indigenous people, how can they prove it, and why is it even relevant?
For those Americans who say the government of Israel has a historical claim based on being the original indigenous people, are they willing to give their homes to the Seminole, Cherokee, or Navajo tribes? If not, what does that say about the government Israel’s claim?
Finally, this historical claim isn’t for the right to a portion of the Palestine. Israel already has 78% of Palestine. This claim is for the remaining 22% of the Palestine and must outweigh the rights of the Palestinians who have lived there for centuries and still don’t have a fully recognized state of their own.
How can the world operate peacefully when nations are continuously going to war to reclaim their history? Why not share the land?
Israel Has Religious Rights to the Land
The government of Israel claims that they have religious rights to Palestine. Unfortunately, the world does not universally accept the Torah verses referencing the land, and the claim cannot be independently verified.
Further, if the religion does not support violence, isn’t there a contradiction? Which value is more important: the land or nonviolence? Wouldn’t the government of Israel have to break the Ten Commandments to achieve this religious goal? Doesn’t that contradiction in itself weaken their religious claim?
Finally, this religious claim isn’t for the right to just a portion of the Palestine. Israel already has 78% of Palestine. This claim is for the remaining 22% of the land and must outweigh the rights of the Palestinians who have lived there for centuries and still don’t have a fully recognized state of their own.
Why not share the land peacefully? What would Jesus do?
Palestinians Are Taught to Hate Israel in School
Some claim that the Palestinians teach their kids to hate Israel in their schools.
● According to an article in The Guardian, the majority of schools on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides may not reference the other side on their maps, but neither side teaches hate in their schools. [91]
Is it possible that the more than a half century of occupation, murdering their family members, confiscating their land, restricting movement and commerce, and incarcerating them with no charges teaches them to hate Israel?
Israel Has a Right to Defend Itself
When Hamas conducts a terrorist attack, the government of Israel claims it has the right to defend itself. Of course, they have a right to defend themselves. All attacks that target civilians must be condemned.
Do the Palestinians also have the right to defend themselves against the 56-year occupation? Do they have a right to defend themselves when they are being kicked out of their homes by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)? Do they have the right to defend themselves from attacks by settlers or the IDF in the Occupied West Bank? Can one expect people to peacefully accept a multi-decade, brutal occupation?
Arab Nations Should Absorb the Palestinians
Why don’t the Arab nations accept the Palestinians into their countries?
● Isn’t this suggestion literally “ethnic cleansing”?
● Does this suggestion also feel racist? All Arab nations are not all the same. They may share a common language and to a great extent a common religion. However, the Palestinians have their own dialect, clothes, food, and culture, hence being referred to as Palestinians.
● Palestine is the Palestinian’s home. They are not going to leave Palestine willingly and why should they?
● Incidentally, the Arab nations already took in hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948 during the Nakba.
● Israel already has legitimate sovereignty over 78% of Palestine. The question should be why can’t the Palestinians have the remaining 22% of Palestine?
Hamas Wants to Obliterate Israel
Hamas’s original charter in 1988 did indicate that it wanted to obliterate every inch of Israel, but that changed in recent years.
In 2017, Hamas updated its position indicating that their struggle is against the Zionist occupation and not the Jews or Judaism. They also showed a willingness to accept a Palestinian State based on the pre-1967 borders including East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. [92] [93]
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References – Common Myths
90) Martin, Justin (November 4, 2011) Speech in Israel Is Not Free. archives.cjr.org
91) Sherwood, Harriet (February 4, 2013) Israeli and Palestinian Textbooks Omit Borders. theguardian.com
92) Knell, Yolande (May 2, 2017) How Much of a Shift Is the New Hamas Policy Document? bbc.com
93) Wintour, Patrick (May, 1 2017) Hamas presents new charter accepting Palestine based on 1967 borders. theguardian.com