26 October 2014

Palestine for Beginners: Three Videos

Allow me to suggest a short series of excellent introductory videos. 

PALESTINE FOR BEGINNERS, PART ONE: ROOTS OF CONFLICT
PALESTINE FOR BEGINNERS, PART TWO: OCCUPATION, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND US TAX DOLLARS
PALESTINE FOR BEGINNERS, PART THREE: Issues, Obstacles, Futures

The videos were created by Palestine Information Project, written and presented by Linda Bevis and Edward Mast.  They are factual.   First I must say - do not be insulted by the "beginner" designation.  These are good videos for everyone, whether as an introduction or as a review.   If you have ever asked me, or anyone else, for information in the past I highly recommend these videos, though the amount of information might be overwhelming to anyone.  You will need to listen carefully, probably more than once, because of the amount of information being presented especially if you are not familiar with the legal issues.  In particular, the fact that the  presentation is within the legal framework in which it belongs, is key to the understanding of both problems and solutions. 

The idea of these videos as with all efforts to educate, is to convince of the necessity of understanding the issues.   Doubt and question.  If something does not sound quite right then do your own research to discover the facts for yourself.   But if you are  uninclined to make or take time to do so, then learning from these videos is the next best choice (and/or from other videos of a similar caliber).  Of course I always advocate library research using actual books and other hard copy material.   Except for scholars, and then only to fulfill course requirements for credit it seems, the book method of learning seems to fall by the wayside too often.  However, with all the publications that have been digitalized I really can not fault too much those whose preferred method of research is online.  It is convenient in many ways.  And it is a good starting place.  However, nothing really can take the place or compare with the ease and joy of sitting in the library at a table full of books, comparing and contrasting what is stated, as a way to learn the facts.  Nothing compares when making an effort to understand the complexity of issues, any issues, to sitting with a table full of open books so as to ascertain the same set of facts all authors agree upon and present, versus the selective facts they each omit and include upon which their analyses are based.  Not only is it a way to learn the facts, it is a way to learn how much each author can be trusted to be objective.  And objectivity is of primary importance in understanding any issue. 

If you have been paying attention to these issues for a long time these videos are a reminder of the extensive knowledge you have accumulated over time, every detail of it important to the understanding of the issues.  Well done.  Keep up the good work.

Because of a comment in the third video I would add that rarely are Palestinian individuals  prejudiced against Jews.  The confusion may lie in the fact that when Palestinians in oPt talk about the issues some will simply say "Jews" when referring to Israeli Zionists.  However, there is no confusion because everyone agrees that the problem is not the religion, or ethnicity, but instead a result of those who embrace the political ideology of Zionism.  Of course not all Jews are Zionists, and not even all Israelis are Zionists.  Some Zionists, perhaps even a majority, are Jews living in Israel.  Even so the numbers of Jews, even in Israel, who have seen the light and are no longer Zionists, is slowly diminishing.  There are a few more comments in the videos which I would make differently, more precisely, but these are introductory and as such of high value.

As usual, it most be noted there is a very clear distinction between Jewish (ethnic and religious) and Zionist (political).   The problem  is the political situation of the Israeli government's institutionalized "state" terror; because it is responsible for the illegal nature of the occupation created by those who embrace the Zionist political ideology.  Not only are Zionists victimizing Palestine, they also blame Judaism for their crimes which has become a serious problem worldwide, not only for Israelis and Jews.  It has lead to what seem to be insurmountable political obstacles, insurmountable  because International and Humanitarian laws are being violated, then when cited are neither condemned nor enforced.  Unfortunately, the U.S.A., alone most of the time, refuses to condemn the lawlessness of the Israeli government which is totally unconscionable to Americans and everyone else.