Thursday, October 18, 2007

Israel has more right to exist than most Muslim countries

Recently Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad complained that creation of the state of Israel punished Palestinians for crimes that they did not commit.

The main problem with this assertion is that it is blatantly false. The "Palestinians" were very much complicit in the genocide committed against European Jewry, and their terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians is just a continuation of such actions.

In the years leading up to World War II the "Palestinians" (I put the word in quotes because "Palestine" was what Rome called its Jewish colony and the Arabs living there did not start calling themselves "Palestinians" until 1967) acknowledged leader was Haj Amin al-Husseini, a.k.a. the Mufti of Jerusalem.

Haj Amin al-Husseini was a great admirer of Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. He spent the last few years of World War II living in Berlin. There is no doubt that the Mufti supported Hitler's brutal actions against European Jewry. After the war, Haj Amin al-Husseini was sought by the allies who wanted to try him for war crimes. He escaped to Iraq.

Another fact not widely known is that at the time European Jews began immigrating to Palestine--in the late 19th century--the area was very sparsely inhabited. Jews had already been the majority in Jerusalem for several decades. Arabs immigrated to Palestine from surrounding countries is response to the economic opportunities engendered by the Zionists.

My point is that the Jews of Palestine had as much right to self-determination as the Arabs. A two state solution was proposed, but the Arabs rejected it. Like many Muslims today, they believed that Islam must rule and non-Muslims should accept second-class status.

Also lost in the debate is the fact that while many Arabs fled their homes in Palestine when Israel was created, they did so at the urging of surrounding Arab states. Jews living in those Arab states also fled, but they were forced to do so and in most cases were stripped of their money and belongings.

Why do most Arabs and Muslims in general hate Israel? There are three reasons. First, Islamic supremacists believe that if Islam is to conquer the world then destroying a non-Muslim country located in the heart of the Muslim world is a crucial first step.

Second, they hate Israel precisely because it is a tolerant, largely secular democracy. In Israel, gays and lesbians proudly stage marches. In surrounding countries, they are hunted down like beasts and executed. In Israel, girls prance around on beaches in skimpy bikinis. In several Muslim countries, women are forced to "cover," and failure to do so may result in public beatings (this recently transpired in Iran).

Third, Arabs and Muslims hate Israel because they are brainwashed to do so beginning in early childhood. It's ironic that Western liberals and leftists sympathize with the Palestinians, because the Palestinians and their supporters harbor and openly express a great deal of racism towards Jews. The distinction that some Muslims make between "Jews" and "Zionists" is strictly for the consumption of gullible Western liberals and leftists.

I recently saw a cartoon produced by Hamas about the arrival of a young boy with dual Palestinian/U.S. citizenship to the Palestinian territories. The video portrayed Israelis mistreating the boy the moment he arrived at Ben Gurion airport. Never mind the irony that Israel provides transportation and other services for Palestinians. They portrayed the security personnel as hassling the poor boy. That certainly has not been my experience re: treatment of Arabs and Muslims in my trips to Israel. I've seen Israeli security personnel go out of their way to be friendly to Palestinians, some of whom respond most rudely. Meanwhile, I've seen Palestinians waved through security while I've been questioned at length for no apparent reason.

Many Arab countries are contrived. Even today, the Arabs are largely a tribal people. The borders of countries such as Iraq were created by foreigners. The people in Iraq tend to see themselves not as Iraqis but as Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds.

Most Arab and Muslim countries are run by dictators. The people had little to do with the creation of their state and little to do with its governance. By comparison, Israel is far more legitimate.

EU Investigates Qualcomm

At the request of companies using the CDMA wireless technology invented by Qualcomm, the European Commission is investigating Qualcomm's business practices. Based on Europe's track record, it's doubtful the EC is even capable of being fair in this matter.

If the EC is concerned about ensuring a truly competitive market, why hasn't it investigated Europe's actions during the 1990s to prohibit Qualcomm's technology from being deployed in Europe? Note that one of the main charges against Qualcomm is that the firm offers a discount to companies that license its technology and buy its chips. What customer would not expect a discount in such cases? It's called economy of scale.

Is the EC investigating Airbus for using government subsidies to artificially lower its prices?

This case is about one thing and one thing only: European protectionism. The EC has ruled against Microsoft, Intel, and Rambus. This is a concerted effort to weaken U.S. chip and software makers in the European market.

There is only one thing that could cause the EC to dismiss the Qualcomm case or rule in Qualcomm's favor. It has nothing to do with principles or fairness. The EC could act favorably for Qualcomm in order to give its rulings against bigger firms such as Microsoft more credence.

But I seriously doubt the EC will do that. Europe has been quite brazen in pursuing its hypocritical, protectionist policies, and they are not about to miss this opportunity to help firms such as Nokia, Ericsson, and other GSM industry vendors.