If Israel would stop treating most of its Arab population as a conquered people, subjecting them to an oppressive military presence, restricting their movements, denying them any democratic voice in the state that rules them and kicking them out of their homes to make way for expanding settlements, it might be a whole lot easier for people in the region to accept Israel's presence. Israel's own treatment of its Palestinian population has fuelled resentment and hostility towards it. The images of death and destruction in Lebanon only add to this - regardless of who started it or whether the campaign is justified or not.Originally Posted by Plastic-Saint
When I was younger and first started to learn about the Middle East, my sympathies were overwhelmingly with Israel. However as I started to learn more about Israel's behaviour in the West Bank and Gaza and particularly the impact of settlement activity on Palestinian life my views changed completely. While most Americans hear very little if anything about this, everyone in the Middle East knows about it. The unresolved Palestinian-Israeli conflict is what keeps all of this going and provides the fanatics with just the reports and images they need to help spread their ideologies.