Just watched his doc on Middle East. Impressed with Israel's desalination after exhausting the aquifer under Gaza. Technology needs to be rolled out worldwide. Esp Africa and Oz. Disgusted to hear that as well as stealing Palestinian land they also have an embargo in the Med for imports and fishing. Surely these issues are down to the UN? Over to you Henry for justifications.
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Lumley flouncing round the "Silk Road" on a luvee freebie... on the other hand.
The piece on the Gaza strip was very depressing.
If only there could be a realisation that a two state solution, as set out originally by the UN in 1947 and accepted by Israel but not the Arab League, is achievable only when Israel's right to exist is recognised. But when Gaza is run by a racist, homophobic, misogynist terror group like Hamas (friends of the Dear Leader) who prefer to spend the vast amounts of money they are given by other states like Iran on their leaders lavish lifestyle and funding terror rather than building infrastructure what chance have the ordinary people of Gaza got? Certainly won't enjoy the much better lifestyle, shown on the Reeve show, for both Arabs and Jews in the region's only democracy, Israel.
Not that Israel doesn't also have to shift it's position too or isn't part of the problem but of course that was the only part of the Reeve show some choose to remember.
I'll not get involved too much in a debate about Hamas, but it is possibly worth mentioning that, under the Israeli-Egyptian blockade"dual use" products, such as steel, concrete products and cement are severely rationed (hence the ash block brick factory) and that the IDF, as they have done in Lebanon, concentrate attacks on infrastructure (including Gaza's only power station). So that building infrastructure by anyone (including the UN) in Gaza is almost impossible.
While I agree entirely with your view of Hamas being both homophobic and misogynistic (I don't know about the racist, but will take your word for it), I have to state that they have as much of a democratic mandate as Fatah (because there have been no elections for over ten years), and certainly won the popular vote in Gaza.
PS Israel is not the region's only democracy. Lebanon is clearly a democracy, with a myriad of political parties advertising on roadsides across the country. And Reeve showed nothing of the lifestyle by Israeli Arabs (though Haifa would probably have been the most positive image), my understanding is that their experience of being Israeli is less positive than that of their Jewish fellow citizens.
PPS I don't really rate Simon Reeve, he's doing less well what Michael Palin did thirty years ago. There's no insight or depth to his programmes, his Irish series was just shockingly bad.
Thanks for the one-sided history lesson, again, and the mention of Corbyn.
Perhaps we could get the EU involved.....they'd certainly get rid of any hard border between the 2 states.....
(that was meant to be tongue in cheek before anyone jumps down my throat)
A very good watch. He does make some excellent documentaries.
But Hamas don't want that do they? They want their people to suffer to justify their own dogmatic views of the World.
However, there have been plenty of occasions when other groups in Gaza have fired missiles against Israel, when Hamas have been doing their damnedest to prevent classes. I don't think it's within their gift.
There is a significant problem, for both Israel and the Palestinian authorities, in that many of the people in Gaza are those (or their descendants) expelled from their homes by the terror campaign associated with the formation of Israel. Whatever any political or political/terror groups may want, the impulse to recover what was taken from them will not disappear from the hearts and minds of Gazans. There is a considerable well of bitterness and despair in Gaza, and things show no sign of improving (I believe there is currently considerable suspicion that the Israeli gas platforms, shown in the documentary, are also extracting gas from waters off Gaza).
Like any conflict the reasons why can go back decades even centuries, both sides need to compromise/work harder/talk/listen.
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2018/country-chapters/israel/palestine
This stands out for me, there are two sides to every story.
Between January 1 and November 6, 2017, Israeli security forces killed 62 Palestinians, including 14 children, and injured at least 3,494 Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel, including protesters, suspected assailants or members of armed groups, and bystanders. Palestinians killed at least 15 Israelis during this same time, including 10 security officers, and injured 129 in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank and Israel.
But there's been so much of a morass going on in that part of the World - and not just Palestine - for all of my life, that I struggle to follow those other than Hamas, but please feel free to include Abdullah Azzam, Abu Ali Mustapha, Abu Nidal Organization, Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen, Alliance of Palestinian Forces, Al-Aqsa Martyrs, Arab Liberation Front, Army of Islam (Gaza Strip), As-Sa'iqa, Black September Organization, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Fatah, Fatah al-Intifada, Fatah al-Islam, Fatah Hawks, Force 14, Free Palestine Movement, Holy Jihad, Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, Jaljalat, Jund Ansar Allah, Liwa al-Quds, Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem, Al-Najjada, Palestine Liberation Army, Palestinian Freedom Movement, Palestinian Liberation Front, Palestinian Liberation Front (Abu Nidal Ashqar wing), Palestinian National and Islamic Forces, Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (1991), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, , Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, Popular Resistance Committees, Al-Quds, Galilee Forces, Sabireen Movement, Swords of Truth, Tanzim, Tawhid al-Jihad (Gaza Strip).
And of course The Peoples Front of Judea (splitters).
The long answer is that western powers have fought over and divided the oil rich middle east for decades or more. We have divided tribal lands, formed then deposed governments, taken the profits and allowed non democratic regimes to flourish. We have educated the wealthy, sold weapons and turned a blind eye when it suits. We have made and broken many promises. Is it any wonder the place is so fucked up?
Two books worth a read are The Silk Road that gives a brief history of the Wests meddling (UK, Germany, Russia, France and the USA mainly). Another book is one I read years ago that describes a travelers journey starting in Greece and then broadly moving around the med, each and every country has its own story of religions and sects persecuting one and other depending on where they held power. Unfortunately I have forgotten the name of the book!
Shows how the Zio wrecked Libya and Tunisa and depopulated Sicily.
No wait, it's OK, it wasnt the Zio so you can all ignore it.
#onlybotheredwhenitsisrael
You're coming across as a complete bellend on the subject of Israel. Using the destruction of Libya to make your cheap shot at people on here is really classless and I hope you think about this.
I watched last night's program and was horrified by what Daesh has done to Libya - the destruction shown was heartbreaking. Attacks in Tunisia had done much to destroy its tourism.
It's been a recently interesting series highlighting much of the trouble in the Med and Reeve has shown his compassion throughout. It's very sad the struggles faced by so many in the region.