Colin's Last Stand, Episode 59: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

👍

Bryan Silva

Also thanks for always putting out non biased info. It's really nice to not have to read between the lines because someone's religion and or political beliefs on a lot of this stuff.

Travis farmer

Thanks for the video Colin it was very informative. I've honestly never really looked into the reasons they dislike each other then the obvious religious stuff.

Travis farmer

It's certainly more complicated than it seems, and Jerusalem plays a central role. There's no doubt about that; just look at the UN capital vote fiasco as evidence. My dad visited Israel for a couple of weeks some years ago, and he loved it. He's very religious, so he saw all of the important sites and whatnot. He has encouraged me to take the trip, and I think I will in the coming years.

Colin Moriarty

Great video and it's good to have you back after the break. Several years ago, I had the pleasure to visit Israel for a few days and it was an interesting place to walk around. But I think, one of the bigger components of the whole Middle East conflict is rooted in Jerusalem itself. Before I visited Israel back in 2011, I read a book about a German man that lived for some time in Israel and he described Jerusalem as the Disney World of religions. When I walked through Jerusalem I had the same impression: You are walking from one street to another and you are going from a very clean, tidied up street in a Jewish district, to a chaotic, basar-like street where power lines and washing lines hanging from one side to another, while others are filled with christian mini-churches and crosses. Not only that, within a radius of several hundred meters you have the holiest religious monuments of the three major religions like the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall and the Via Dolorosa, i.e. the path where Jesus Christ was supposedly walking with a cross until he was eventually crucified (I have to say, I also walked along this path when I was there, but instead of wearing a cross on my back, I had an iPad in my backpack which was much easier to wear :-) ). And the thing is, the entire old town is crammed together but I have the feeling that animosities that are happening within this small community in Jerusalem are then spread out and amplified throughout the entire region. I think, and this is my personal belief, that Muslims and Jews would be living peacefully together, if this thing in the middle, i.e. Jerusalem would not be contested. When I left Israel, I had the feeling that only if Jerusalem would be put under international UN control, then this would be a starting point for a valid peace process. Every party wants to have absolute control over that area, but I think only then, when there is nobody who has any control over it, then it would be a good starting point for peace in the Middle East. But that is just my impression, and I found it interesting to see that there actually was the idea for an international peace keeping force for Jerusalem thanks to your video... so... maybe I wasn't that wrong at all :-) I also suggest, if you are planning a vacation some time in your future, you should totally visit Israel. I can tell so many interesting stories, just from this small little trip that I had several years ago (for example: if you really want to see a complete working and functional socialist society in real life, visit a Kibbutz in Israel).

Arvel Crynyd

Yea I'm with yuh Clark... Dunno how to feel either.

Owen

Honestly for the types of people that cancel their shows, etc, all they see is that Israel is this big rich country while the Palestines are poor. So naturally the Palestine's are the victims and Israel the bad guys (where have we seen that logic before, oh yeah, all over the place politically). I've never felt comfortable picking a side but seems obvious to me that logic like that is way over simplistic.

CTE

Their conflicts are way too steeped in tribalism and tradition in my view. Maybe an alien invasion could do it.

CTE

Religion is probably a part of it but lets also be honest that Israel is far closer to our values than other countries in that region are. I don't mean religious values as political and humanitarian values. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that socioeconomically they punch well above their weight too. I've personally never known how to feel about this conflict or who to side with. It's too messy.

CTE

Nice! I just found the Simom Schama's videos. Shall watch them. Look very intersting

Gerhard Peters

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. (And thanks for sharing the article.)

Colin Moriarty

I love, love, love Simon Schama. He's the dude.

Colin Moriarty

I don't know enough about that conflict to draw the parallel, but I'll take your word for it. =D

Colin Moriarty

I feel like the Israeli population gets punished a lot in punitive ways by musical acts and the like cancelling their shows in the country... but few of these acts (if any) have any actual idea what they're talking about. Everything involving Israel comes with drama. It's too bad.

Colin Moriarty

I certainly don't see any signs of you being wrong. That's what's so sad about it.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you. I actually have a pretty deep bias in this "fight," but didn't think it was relevant to the video, so I did my best to keep it out.

Colin Moriarty

Great job Colin!!! Once again a really important video to let everyone understand what is happening. I really enjoyed also this article in The Guardian of what to expect in 2018 about the Middle East. I think you guys will enjoy it. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/04/2018-saudi-arabia-iran-rivalry-key-middle-east-year-ahead?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_WhatsApp" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/04/2018-saudi-arabia-iran-rivalry-key-middle-east-year-ahead?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_WhatsApp</a>

Terrific video. I liked how it stuck to the basic situation, as the seed of what comes after. It's one of those subjects that's intriguing and could go on for hours. I've been watching Simon Schama's doc the History of the Jews that the BBC made a few years ago. It has an hour on that build towards Zionism and goes into it in real detail to show how it developed over decades. It's worth a look.

Peter Campbell

Even though "we know" they have them, by not acknowledging them they get to avoid scrutiny. Several people have said they have them, but by not officially having them, no one ever gets to yell at them for having them.

Owen

What do you mean by not acknowledging the bomb? Would that be a problem if they did?

Gerhard Peters

It's all strategic. They are our only true friend in the region, so we bolster them. I meant to throw it in the video, but forgot: Israel is the only nuclear state that doesn't acknowledge that it has the bomb.

Colin Moriarty

Jerusalem is in eastern Israel, near the West Bank, in disputed territory. Both sides claim it, so it's super controversial to have your capital city be a place that's under siege like that.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you! Glad you liked it.

Colin Moriarty

That would be fun!

Colin Moriarty

Sounds like Bloods and Crips fighting for territory, one pays the police off for more influence (US), one cries poor.

Bryan Silva

Israel has never tried to gain more land, they just want their tiny little piece that was theirs in the first place but "Palestinians" and bds movement and most Arabs in and around Israel and many others others around the world have an intense hatred for the Jewish people and try to destroy them

Avi

As a fan of cycling, one of the biggest cycling races, The Giro d'Italia is starting in Jerusalem in May, it's caused a lot of controversy. The politics in the area are so complicated, but this was a good little piece to help understanding.

Michael Sandiford

All this has come before and all this will happen again. I don’t believe in the word never but I’m pretty close to believing there will never be peace in the Middle East...

Christopher Hopkins

Wonderful video - very informative and lacking any overarching bias one way or another. Or maybe that's my own bias making me feel that it was free of bias? Never the less, kudos on the great content and kudos on having the moxie to cover such a polarizing topic.

Eric Gee

I've never understood while we're so involved as we are. I understand (to a point) trying to keep the peace, but I don't get why we care about Israel more than other countries in this regard. I'm a Christian, and I still think it's stupid. Some sort of religious tether that keeps us together?

Owen

So Colin- what exactly is controversial about Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital instead of Tel Aviv if they’re both in Israel?

Drew Packard

Great video! Thank you Colin...

Gerhard Peters

Colin great piece. How do you see Isreal today? I feel in recent events Isreal is no on the offensive of picking up land that doesnt really belong to them? Am I wrong to think this way?

Joey Finelli

Great video, I can see you doing a pragerU in the future about the American Revolution

Hose A Contra Razz

You're very welcome.

Colin Moriarty

Mmm, whoa. Important. Thank you

Steven Camilo