[James Haire]

Yes I have. I have long debated this topic since my youth and I am biased towards Israel because I am a Christian who is very fond of the Old testament. I honestly never considered things from the Palestinian perspective because of my Pro-Israel Christian stance. This course has illuminated to me the importance of empathy and placing myself in their shoes to try and understand fully the entire conflict. When I discuss this topic with people what I find is none of them really have much knowledge on the topic, they appear to me to be under the influence of some form of propaganda. When someone supports Palestine with foolish accusations that Israel is an apartheid state or oppressors its usually someone incredibly ignorant who supports socialist policies globally. They accuse me of supporting an oppressive regime that has committed all these atrocities but I clearly don’t see it that way. To me they are leftist who call everyone a Nazi yet they support a group of people who essentially has the same ambitions to exterminate or eliminate Israel in some way shape or form. I believe if Palestine was in power over the Jews they would not be so cordial as the Jews have been to them. It only appears the way it does because the Jews have the power. How would I respond? I would tell them of Israel’s willingness to meet them half way but they simply refuse, how can Israel make peace with people who despise and refuse to accept them. I believe it is the Palestinians who has forced the hand of conflict upon themselves because they don’t want peace and any type of peaceful measure is constantly met with deceitful means to gain the upper hand and support conflict. I would argue the Palestinians must rid themselves of those who are dedicated to conflict such as Hamas if they hope to ever hope to have any measure of peace and prosperity, what do you expect Israel to do? Accept extinction? Palestine and it’s supporters slander Israel is lies and then accuse them of oppression when they respond to acts of aggression. It reminds me of ghetto’s in the United States where when the police are called they are mocked, ridiculed, attacked and assaulted then when that same neighborhood needs police assistance they are slandered as responding to slowly. It’s a lose lose situation always, they are never happy they just want you to die. Such people you can only tolerate for so long until finally people have had enough.