Akiva Eldar / Israel has a double standard on freeing 'terrorists'

Akiva has become more and more outrageous. This week, when another terrorist targetted the US, and suicide bombers continue murdering in the Islamic world, he's still dumping on Israel. Israel is certainly the one of the most civilized country in the world. The Arab-Israeli conflict will end the minute the Arabs decide to allow Israel to exist.

The Europeans invaded North America and took it away from the natives. The Spanish and Portuguese invaded South America, Mexico and Central America and took them from the natives. The British and other Europeans invaded Australia and New Zealand and took them from the natives. The Arabs invaded many areas of the middle east and slaughtered or subjugated the inhabitants. The Jews RETURNED to their land, after the world had treated them so horribly that it will be forever a shame on civilization, and you scream foul! What a hypocrite. Let the Arabs share a corner of their vast territories with a tiny, oppressed people (oppressed by the Arabs themselves, btw). It's about time the Arabs act civilized.

"Why would the Jewish Agency say that?" A political power struggle, oaf.

Instead of telling me to read books, why don't you actually refute what I wrote, because it's not inaccurate.

TO THE YISHUV Together with all the civilized world, the Jewish community has been shocked to hear of the despicable crime of murder of the British Minister in the Middle East - a crime rendered more despicable by the fact that the British people have been engaged for the past six years with great heroism and supreme effort, together with their allies, in a life-and-death struggle with the Nazi foe. This terrible crime, carried out outside the borders of our country, and whose circumstances have not yet been clarified, demonstrates once again the increasing threat of the terrorist gangs, which still exist in this country. Terror in this country can stifle the prospects of our political struggle and destroy our inner peace. The Yishuv is exhorted to cast out of its midst all members of this destructive and ruinous gang, not to succumb to their threats and to extend the necessary aid to the authorities to prevent acts of terror and to eradicate its organisation, since this is a matter of life and death for us. (Signed) The Jewish Agency Executive

For a delightful first person account of what so many on the psycho-right deny ever happened read Yehuda Lapidot's account of an attack at http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/english/history/lapidot/11.htm See the forward to Lapidot's memoirs written by Menachem Begin to get a clue as to how the systematic white-washing of the history of Irgun and Lehi has progressed.

Of course Irgun and Etzel were terrorist thugs. Certainly the vast majority of Palestinian Jews were appalled by their actions. Indeed, the WZO and Jewish Agency deplored their terrorism. And certainly the Israeli right applauds and defends their murder of innocent civilians as well as British soldiers and police - and yes, even Labor Zionists. What is amusing is the need to deny these uncomfortable facts when they are stated by some people in certain arguments while revelling in them at all other times. Why not admit that most Palestinian Jews were happy when Yair Stern went down, even if they deplored him being murdered while under arrest? Realit is complicated, and simple minds like to imagine a simple world.

You should go back and look at some British books on Jewish terrorism during the mandate. You would realize Akiva is spot on! Dutch

The zionists invaded Palestine and manipulated the vote in the UN and forced Truman -a confessed anti-zionist - to vote in favour. The world never "offered" a country to the zionists. The zionists were 8% of the population and got 51% of the land, and kept stealing it, expelled the Palestinians to Gaza 1.5 ml, to Jordan 3.5 mil, etc etc etc. The US went to war against Mexico, conquered Arizona, New Mexico, California... who are inhabited now by 60% of Mexicans. What you send out has a way of coming back to you.....

When offered a country of their own, the Jews accepted it. The Arabs have rejected it every time, in an attempt to take more, and wipe it clean of Jews. Of course, they initiated the violence in 1920 and it hasn't stopped since. How many Jews died before they started "fighting", but not fighting for freedom at first -- fighting for their LIVES for SURVIVAL. How many Jews were absorbed from surrounding Arab countries into Israel instead of being left to fester in camps? If you gave Israelis the opportunity to develop a livelihood, like, let's say a network of greenhouses... Would they use it to build? Or would they tear them to pieces? Would they bomb their own fuel supply line? Would they recruit dozens of people to blow themselves up among civilians? Was Baruch Goldstein memorialized this way? Did Israelis ever literally tear anyone limb-from-limb and dance around with blood on their hands? Could they pass out candy in celebration of something like 9/11?

and 71 years later, israeli terrorists are STILL killing palestinian civilians... only difference is that they no longer plant them on buses; they use jets, tanks, and artillery to deliver them.

And the poor Count was not a military man. Again and again, Israel's hypocrisy becomes self-evident as it loudly lambasts Arab "terror" yet in the same breath honors its own past and present killers. Gideon Sa'ar should be ashamed of himself, but I doubt he's ever felt shame in his life.

I really support Gideon Saar's initiative because the first time I went to Israel during Pesach of 1969 to see Jerusalem reunited and to see the Kotel, we also went to visit the caves near the Lebanese border, among other things. But what REALLY impressed me EXACTLY was visiting Acre and being told the story of these heroes who did go to the gallows before the British would even refuse entry to the Exodus. This memory has stayed w/me to this day, especially that my father,z"l, has now passed, and I am forever grateful that he showed me Israel in this way. So good luck to Mr. Saar, their sacrifices should never be forgotten and it is an obligation and a duty to raise school children's awareness as mine was so many years ago even though I'm still here in North America. Knowledge is power! "Ba avour zeh!..."

Brilliant. One of the most moral and logical pieces of writing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict I've read.

Does eh fact that the Jewish underground didn't in fact haves access to many British civilians have a bearing on their not killing them? Does anyone doubt they would have killed them if they had the chance?

By the Jewish underground? Zero. How many Arabs participating in Hebron massacre were hanged by the British? Zero. How many Arab terrorists were legally executed by Israel? Zero. And the Pal terrorists who masterminded Munich, and the notorious Bus massacres, already have been immortalized by naming after them Cultural centers (US financed) and Sports Stadium.

How many things in Israel are named after David Raziel - most famous for killing innocent Arabs through market bombings. So long as he together with Irgun and Lehi remain honored, Israel is in no position to criticize Hamas.

When it comes to talking about 'terrorists' Israel's hypocrisy is really shocking. This is especially so because of the close analogy of Jewish struggle for independence pre-1948 and the same Palestinian struggle in 2009. I like how Akiva Eldar exposes Gideon Sa'ar's myopic ideology for its unabashed hypocrisy.

Israel now has the IDF for that.