Óglaigh_na_hÉireann said:
Israel has time and again proven itself to be the civilized side.
Frequently my young friend, you write way beyond your years (that's a compliment). This isn't one of those times. Dig deeper.
Both sides have dirty hands. Israel has the cleaner hands but they're not clean. Your statement is too black and white. See Sabra and Shatila in the early 80's.
The truth of the matter is that if the Palestinians had the weapons the Israelis did and the Israelis had the weapons the Palestinians do, the Palestinians would murder every Jew they could find.
Quite possibly as the extremists have sworn to do so.
... I think it's time all the Palestinians were sent to Jordan and other surrounding Arab countries.
Those who forget history are bound to repeat it.
particularly in the Middle East.
"Black September" ring any bells?
In '67 Israel won an astounding victory in the Six Day War. Among other areas the Israelis occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River which was part of Jordan. The population was largely Palestinian and they fled in droves to Jordan. After the war the Palestinians launched guerrilla raids into Israel from Jordan. The Israelis retailiated. Sound familiar?
The Israelis sent in an expeditionary force as they would in Lebanon years laters. But it was small and the Jordanian army defended their homeland and drove them out. The Palestinians and a guy named Yasser Arafat claimed victory although it was the Jordanian Army that did the fighting.
The friciton grew daily between the Palestinians and the government of Jordan. The Palestinians refused the right of the Jordanian police and army to govern Palistinian refugee camps in Jordan although Jordanian land. They collect taxes and set up their own government. They captured Jordanian soldiers and armed conflicts ensued over the next year and a half or so.
In September '70, Palestinian factions highjacked several airliners, US, Swiss, British, and I think one other country's and brought the planes to Jordan to embarass Hussein's government. It was a hugh P.R. coup for the Palestinians. The Free World comdemned the action but al Fatah's got lots of new recruits. Fatah sensing momentum was on their side took over the PLO. Hussein forces attacked and bloodied the Palestinians.
Peace was brokered by the Arab nations (Nasser?) but incidents continued. A year or so later the PLO tried to overthrow Hussein's government. Civil war erupted.
Interesting sidebar, the Palestinians forces based in Syria and had brokered with the Syrians to support them against the Jordanians (Hussein was pro-West). Hussein in turn asked the Brits and US for help and they got the Israelis to provide air cover to keep the Syrians based forces out. The Israelis planes buzzed the invading tanks and they turned back to Syria. Without the Syrian support, Hussein's army destroyed the Palestinian forces.
Arafat and company were exiled. Most ended up in Lebanon. See the Lebanon Civil War, Highjackings, Guerrilla Raids into Israel, Israeli Invasion of Southern Lebanon, Infantida, etc, etc, etc.
My dates may be a little fuzzy but that's the gist. It's happened over and over again.
Arabs want a Palestinian homeland but Arab Nations don't want Palestinians in their backyard. Not Jordan, not Egypt, not Lebanon, not Syria, not Saudia Arabia. Even Quaddfi doesn't want them in his backyard.