The Origin Of ISIS And How The United States Played A Role In Its Creation

The United States And Its Allies Created ISIS

ISIS is without question the most violent terrorist group in modern history. ISIS is not a long time established terror organization they[ISIS] are a newcomer on the terrorism scene. ISIS is newly formed, armed, and funded. Where did ISIS come from how are they sustained and after the recent terror attack in France where are they headed next? 

The origin of ISIS began in 2003 when the United States and the Bush Administration invaded Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussian. The "Shock and Aw" war. Not only was America successful in removing Saddam from power we also were successful in destroying much of Iraq infrastructure. America dismantled and tried to rebuild the Iraqi army. 

Furthermore, we installed a puppet government that proved to be unresponsive to the Iraq citizens. We imprisoned Iraqi citizens who we[America] deemed as radicals. Most importantly we left Iraq a destabilized and weak country. So, how does ISIS come into play from these facts? ISIS formed itself in 2006. It was at the time a small group of radicals. ISIS tried to create problems for the U.S. military right away but had no money or real ability to recruit. 

 Syrian President Bashir Al-Assad

In 2009, ISIS changed its focus from Iraq and turned their attention to Syria. By 2011, the Syrian Civil War was expanding rapidly. This escalation gave ISIS its opportunity. In 2013, a northern general for the "Free Syrian Army" proclaimed if international forces did not send weapons the rebel forces fighting Syrian President Bashir Al-Assad they[Free Syrian Army] would lose the war in a month.[See Source] 

Shortly after this proclamation the United States, Saudis, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey, and Israel started providing weapons, training, and money to these rebel groups. Even though these arms were not American made they were funded and organized by the CIA. Here is where the whole plan no matter how well intended fell apart. The facts clearly show that these arms ended up in the hands of Jihadist groups like ISIS. 

In fact, there was a mass exodus of fighters from this so-called " Free Syrian Army" to the terrorist group we now know as ISIS.[See Source] It was at this time that the terrorist group ISIS began to make headlines. However, President Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that ISIS was nothing to be worried about. By 2014, it became apparent that the United States had underestimated the power and influence of ISIS. In a period of just one year, ISIS catapulted from a no-name group in Syria to one who crossed back into the Iraq. The main reason for ISIS rapid emergence was the simplicity of getting their hands on American military gear and the stunning amount of wealth they have been able to accumulate. 

Most of this wealth has been obtained by seizing oil fields in both Syria and Iraq. 

In response, the Unites States military have conducted air strikes to destroy these oil fields. In this writers view this policy does not make sense. Because we will defeat ISIS and who do you think will pick up the tab for rebuilding these destroyed oil fields the American tax payer, and you can put that in your peace pipe and smoke it. 

No matter how much we bomb or put sanctions on buying this oil in the hands of ISIS, they have been able to sell and expand their operations because countries like Syria and others need the oil and could care less about the wishes of the United States and its allies.[See Source] Just like other products there is a huge demand for oil on the " Black Market." The purchasing of petroleum on the " Black Market" is nothing new it has been going on for decades. This reality makes it almost impossible to control. The bottom line here is there's no way to effectively sanction countries who buy oil from ISIS. 

Iraqi Oil Field On Fire

The result and facts are that ISIS is the most well funded terrorist group the United States has ever had to confront. Oil is one of the most difficult commodities to track. Some of our sources here in the House of Public Discourse estimate ISIS is making as much as one million dollars a day smuggling oil on the " Black Market." ISIS now controls a vast amount of territory in both Iraq and Syria. There is a robust demand for oil in the Middle East region. There are some six million people who live in the area controlled by ISIS. These citizens require oil for their cars, generators, homes, and businesses. Much of the oil sold by ISIS is purchased by these individuals living in the ISIS occupied territory. 

ISIS sales on the oil are cash deals that make it extremely hard to track. Some sources say that the oil is being smuggled into neighboring countries like Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Jordan.  All of this begs the question what can America and its Allies do to stop this smuggling and purchasing of ISIS-controlled oil? 

There is one reality that rings true concerning the rise of ISIS. The destabilization of Middle-East governments like Iraq, Libya, and Syria have made it easy for terrorist groups like ISIS to get a foothold and to grow both in arms and people who sympathize with their extremist dogma.  The unrest in these countries has provided the perfect storm for recruiting individuals with extremist viewpoints and joining terrorist groups like ISIS gives that person a sense of solidarity with other like-minded individuals who share their views. 

What we have learned from 20/20 hindsight is that the Army we left in control in Iraq was powerless to stop ISIS when they reentered that country. When America left, they allocated thousands of military vehicles and other equipment to the Iraqi army. Sadly, most of this equipment has been taken over by ISIS.[See Source] 

For many Americans and other citizens around the world, this reality came as an enormous shock. How could an army trained by the United States just fold up to a terrorist group like ISIS? America spent 25 billion dollars of taxpayer money on training and arming the Iraqi Army. The answer is not a simple one, in fact, it's a complicated one. Considering that the entire Iraqi Army under Saddam Hussein was disbanded in 2003 and with this army gone there was no longer any real organization. There were no experienced leaders or soldiers to fall back on. The integrated security of Iraq had to be started from scratch. 

Nouri al-Maliki

Also, no sooner than the American overseers left Iraq there came allegations of corruption in the Nouri al-Maliki administration the puppet leader set up by the Bush administration. The Maliki government wasted no time alienating the Sunnis. This led to low morale in the Iraqi security forces that created a rotten edifice from the start. Once these Iraqi security forces started to turn tail and run, ISIS began recording one strategic victory after the other. ISIS forces took control of a major dam in that country and threaten to flood major Iraqi cities. Next, ISIS robbed an important Iraqi bank and stole 425 million dollars. And, lastly they confiscated large amount of U.S. armaments left behind by the weak Iraqi security forces. 

ISIS Must Be Stopped They Must Be Opposed But Are They A Direct Threat To The United States?

What should the role of the United States be in taking on ISIS? There are no questions that containing ISIS now will be a difficult one. In this writers view it would be wrong for America to withdraw its hand and proclaim it's no longer our problem. Especially since our foreign policy has helped to create ISIS. There is no denying the fact that America is the blame more than any other country in creating the current mess in Iraq and the Middle East in general. 

America's nation-building foreign policy led by the Republicans has left huge power vacuums in Iraq, Eygpt, and Libya. What has transpired in the present and brought to light by last week's terrorist attack in Paris is now an almost necessity for Ameican military involvement. By leaving these countries destabilized, there is no solid foundation for these countries to defend themselves. 

America is paying dearly for the war crimes of Bush and Cheney. America was in Iraq for ten years and its the view of the House of Public Discourse no matter how long we occupy these countries as soon as we pull out these extremist militant groups are going to move right back in just like we see right now in Iraq. Nobody in their right mind would say Saddam was not a monster. Maybe the Reagan administrations should have realized that before enabling Saddam to gain power in Iraq. [See Source] 

 American patriotism may not want to admit it but no matter the evil that was Saddam Hussein Iraq was a functioning society. That claim is no longer valid in present day Iraq. 

To look at the current situation in the Middle East one must ask themselves the question how did the evil dictators become evil dictators? The answer is these evil dictators were able to fend off other potential evil dictators in a region of the world that has been in turmoil since the recording of secular world history. The idea that you can implement a foreign policy of regime change and somehow put a responsible government in its place is not only irrational its dangerous for world peace in general. The history of the region tells us this type thinking just won't work there. To think that it could have ever worked is the biggest failure and blunder in the history of foreign policy in the United States. Current presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has been spot on in calling it like it is. 

The American involvement in the Middle East has been a massive failure from start to finish and a lack of understanding of how the Middle East is structured. The reality is today wars are fought much different than in the past. Imperialism no longer works. 

When you have factions in the United States and politicians like John McCain(R-AZ) and current presidential candidates like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, who advocate war, bombs, arming rebel groups, and regime change as the answer to every problem there will never be a war that should not be fought. 

The failures in Iraq, Eygpt, and Libya should have been an education for the Warhawks in America. But, obviously not because any quick glance of the current newsreels and rhetoric coming from Washington is to attack ISIS and bomb the living hell out of them. Has this worked in the past? No! Will it work in the present? No! Will it work in the future? Absolutely not! 

With the recent terror attack in Paris fresh in our minds, we are seeing the same old debates emerging from Washington. Should we just bomb, bomb away or should we send ground troops in? The truism here whether one wants to face it or not America has had a severely flawed foreign policy in the Middle East since the end of World War II, and the current situation in the Middle East is a train wreck.[See Source] 

It's time for America to take care of our issues at home and stop trying to export our democracy to other countries. Yes, we must work with other countries especially those Muslim countries in the region to find a sustainable solution that will result in a lasting peace. But, just as Bernie Sanders has suggested its high time they[Middle-Eastern Countries] take the lead in the matter. Trying to spread American democracy to the Middle East has been a complete failure. 

America needs to tell Israel we will no longer support any preemptive strikes against Muslim nations like Palestine. The foreign policy of preemption has done nothing but cause countless death and destruction to not only military personal but to innocent civilians including women, children, and elderly. This behavior is not what America is supposed to be and nor do most Americans want it to be.

Written By: Johnny Hill

America's Fed Up With Israel

Unbiased Research Tells The Real Truth About Israel

To Coin A Republican Phrase To The Poor, Go Fend For Yourself! If you are reading here expecting a balanced accounting of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, stop now because you will be sorely disappointed. As a researcher and writer of politics, I take pride in reporting what the facts are and not the hyperbole. I say this because the events surrounding this conflict, when told from a non-bias perspective, will be difficult to absorb  if all you know about this issue is from mainstream media outlets.  I say don't expect a balanced accounting because this conflict is one of imbalance, and there can be no equilibrium when facts reveal there is severe civil injustice prodded by a people upon another people, which is the case in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

Granted the American people have strong opinions about this conflict one way or the other. However, opinions do not equate to facts. For anyone to claim that there is or ever was balance in this conflict, he is either misinformed or in denial. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is covered in so much myth and double standard. For example. In PM Netanyahu's 2012 speech at the UN, you get a clear indication of the myth and double standard.

The Myth

 PM Netanyahu begins his remarks with the assertion that Jews lay claim to the land based on a decree from King David some 3000 years ago.  The Jews call it the "right of return." It's important to point out that these Jews marked for return were not the same Jews who were expelled some centuries ago by, if you know your Bible, GOD himself. See, if you know your Bible, this was not the first time GOD past judgment on these stiff-necked people (Bible's description, not mine). Also, these Jews who were earmarked for return were not descendants either. Calling these Jews descendants would liken me to calling myself the offspring of the Pilgrims . I make this point because what Jew is a descendant of Jesus?  Oh, I forgot the Jews are just like the Muslims, they don't believe in Jesus. In actuality, the Jews claim  some  heritage to the land based on a Book more and more people today find suspect. The claim is Zionism, in a nutshell. You would expect that if a people[Jews] felt entitled to the land based on heritage they would accept that as a principle across the board.

You never hear a Jew or the American media expound on the " right of return," of the Palestinian people and if you do, it pales in comparison to the Jews in the biased American media. Then based on our source here in the House of Public Discourse you hear, in fact, Jews proclaiming that the Palestinians don't have the same rights. Hence, the " double-standard."

What's interesting about this double standard is in creating a land for one group of people [Jews]we created refugees out of another.[Palestinians]  The major question in this issue you never hear asked or reported on is: Who were the indigenous people of the land historically, and which group of people were forced from their homes?  In the Israeli -Palestinian Conflict, the people with the " Keys and the Deeds," were kicked out of their homes and forced to live as nomads. Our source explained there are Palestinians still living today who can show you where their family living area [Family Farm] was that is now an Israeli highway.

With this said, the reality is a small group of people denied rights to a large group of people and with such a case self-evident violence is a given. Conflict is a given. Civil-Injustice is a given.

This conflict is the granddaddy of all double standards. In the 2012 UN speech, PM Netanyahu relied on the Bible account of King David as the Jews claim to a heritage. However, many researchers and academia through exhaustive study question if he ever existed. King David to many is nothing more than a Jewish myth. Quoting the Bible may work fine in some circles but in this world today quoting the Bible as a source of authority is nothing more than the Dominionisism we have been following in our House blog.[See Source] [Read: The Counterfeit Promise Of Dominionism Doctrine] 

We report this because archaeologists have dug up the Holy Land trying to find evidence and have turned up nothing on this great King David of the Bible.

Here is the reality. Right now! This minute! Palestinians are being kicked out of their homes and forced into exile by the use of force in order to prove that this mythical figure existed.[Palestinian Point of View]

America's attitude is changing on this. America's Fed Up With Israel.

Now, in the present, we have these 47 traitors from the Republican Party have us clamoring for war once again. Their behavior is nothing new. It's their obstruction and sedition made ready by gerrymandered safe zones.[ Read: Has Liberty Given Way To Gerrymanding?]  We should get our perspectives aligned with the truth and balance on this issue that is clearly unbalanced. 

Many feel it's way past time for America to revisit its foreign relations with Israel. This relationship and the need for support from the [Jewish Lobby] has driven U.S. policy in the region long enough.
 Israel has had such control over our foreign policy in the area we should be in " let's start over mode."  Millions upon Millions are at stake in campaign contributions. You factor in the Jewish owned Press, and we see where this imbalance originates. Sincerely.

Both parties need to reevaluate attitudes based on the fact that growing numbers of Americans are asking legitimate questions  about why we spend so much of our money on Israel. [See Source]

The poll echoes a Gallup survey from last week.Gallup asked Americans whether they thought Israel's recent actions were justified. While older Americans clearly sided with Israel, 18 to 29-year olds said by a two-to-one margin (51-25) that its actions were unjustified. No other group was as strongly opposed to Israel's actions.

The National Journal's Ron Fournier had this take on the demographic split: "...it's a warning that Israel's decades-old public relations and political dominance is coming to an end unless the nation's leaders change the narrative and reset their strategic position with moderate Palestinians." 

Our President

President Obama's diplomatic efforts with Iran are totally within his sphere of authority, moreover, represent the attitudes of the people who voted him into office. As of the rendition of this writing, some untold thousands and growing daily have signed a petition to bring these senators to trial. The letter these 47 Senators sent to Iran was not only the biggest example of congressional overreach but also it was a national embarrassment and disgrace and clearly obstruction of justice for lack of term. It is clear  as the nose on one's face they[GOP] were trying to undermine our president's role and duty to carry out foreign policy deemed in the best interest of the people who elected him. How American! Based on the petition circulating there is a growing pulse for Civil Justice in this case. There should be a case. [Johnny Hill-House of Public Discourse]



There is much distrust in American foreign policy globally. Unfortunately, we are not that shining city on the hill President Reagan spoke. The Bush Administration has seen to that. What we do not hear much about is the impact of this letter and why this effect reaches the level of treason. This stunt by the GOP may be one of the dumbest, most  criminal acts done with malice and  aforethought with an arrogance that " Act of Treason," is a valid question.  Hypothetically, harken  back to the 1960's when President Kennedy[JFK] and Russia were staring each other down and people were constructing  fallout shelters. What if a bunch of GOP Senators had written a letter to Russia telling them that negotiating with  President Kennedy was in vain?

Moreover, think about it. What this letter said to Iran was no matter what you and Obama work out we going to bomb you in two years when we take the White House. 

The effect has been to throw a wrench into the possible peaceful resolution to a 30-year-old conflict.  Moreover, there is this American arrogance that suggests we hold the high ground in the issue internationally. Russian and China, to name a few, are doing business with Iran in spite of Israel and America. Its imminent focus to sabotage the talks has failed, but it gives Iranian officials a moment of pause on the political future of America. This letter is proof positive that the Senate can't be trusted with diplomatic issues. The Logan Act got it right. 

Are The Republicans And Their Speaker Guilty Of Violating The Logan Act? (Video)

From House Member Debbie Bowen

Debbie Bowen

"Republican leadership is breaking the law. The Logan Act prohibits any “Private correspondence with foreign governments” and reads; “Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.” The Supreme Court ruled that Congress cannot and should not conduct foreign affairs; that power rests with the Executive Branch exclusively.[See Source]

What Is The Logan Act? 

 

In the 1936 Supreme Court case, United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp, the Court held “all ability to conduct foreign policy is vested in the President." It is given implicitly and by the fact that the executive, by its very nature, is empowered to conduct foreign affairs in a way that Congress cannot and should not....

Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply, himself or his agent, to any foreign government or the agents thereof for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.[ See Law]

 

Netanyahu Hungers For War With Iran

 

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict- A Family Affair?

The history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has a convenient paradox; it changes esp deviously depending on who's telling it and where they start the story. For this reason, it's important to have a grasp of the history of this ongoing conflict. Part of this paradox is from what perspective you present your case for lack of term. Inevitably there is an Israeli perspective and a Palestinian one. Our position is an American one that proclaims we have had enough of funding this never-ending Middle Eastern family feud.

The Introduction

1880-1914

The Zionist movement was founded in response to the worsening persecution of European Jews

and out of a desire to join the community of modern nation-states that defined Europe.

Thousands of Jews began emigrating to Palestine, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire.[See Source]

What would happen if you created a place of refuge for a persecuted people in a location where another group of people already lived?[See Article] This question is the root of the ongoing struggles, tensions, and death in the area known as " The Holy Land," or Middle East. What an intermediate goal for all humans should be is to work for a just peace in this region that has remained so elusive.[See Article] First, there are a couple of things helpful to understand: [1] many Jews fled persecution in anti-Semitic Europe due to the Nazi holocaust. [2] The Zionists were encouraged to emigrate to historic Palestine that at the time was under the control of the British.  [3]There has always been an age-old connection with this region for the Jewish people.    

1918

As a result of World War I, Britain wins control over the area of Palestine from the Ottoman

Empire. The area becomes known as British-mandate Palestine. [A mandate is an authorization

To govern over conquered territory]. From 1918 to 1948, Britain rules over the Jews and Arabs living in this region.[See Source]

There had always been small Jewish communities in historic Palestine among the majority indigenous Palestinian people. What many Americans and others fail to realize  is that there were episodes of violence between the Jews and Palestinians before the U.N. Partition Plan of 1947.

1936

In April, in response to the killing of Sheikh Izz Aldin Al-Qassam by the British, Arab residents of

British Mandate Palestine begin the “Great Arab Revolt,” causing inter-communal violence, and the

seizure of a shipment of illegal arms destined for The Hagana,  or Jewish defense force. The “revolt”

lasts until 1939, when the British, in part to obtain Arab support for the recently erupted war with

Germany, banned most land sales to Jews.

The United Nations Partition Plan in 1947 suggested that there be a partition of the British-mandate Palestine into two separate states, one for the Jews and one for the Arabs. Zionists accepted the partition plan for tactical and strategic reasons. Palestinians considered the proposal unrepresentative of the demographic distribution of Jews and Arabs living in Palestine at that time, and so rejected it.[See Source]

This U.N. plan offered the majority of the land to the newly imported Jewish immigrants, which declared itself the state of Israel, and thus the indigenous Palestinians whole system of things was turned upside down. The Palestinians rejected this plan in its entirety. Several Arab states invaded the new state of Israel. After all the fighting, Israel took control of over 78% of historic Palestine. Some 700,000 Palestinians either fled or were expelled. When many of these now refugees tried to return to their homeland, they were permanently barred by the Israeli government, effectively making the Palestinians second-class citizens in their former homeland. 

Refugee Camp

Today these people number in the millions. They have resettled in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Jordan. Palestinians have spread themselves throughout the world with many still living in refugee camps. In summary, one group of refugees found a much-needed home, however, in the process, a new group of refugees was created. 

Here Is The Second Thing To Understand.

Israel was founded as a Jewish State. But ask yourself, what does that mean? People have lots of ideas what a Jewish state should look like. Some called for equality for all citizens. But what was created in practice was institutional discrimination against non-Jews.  In other words, Israel ended up being built on the blueprint of exclusion. The newly formed Israeli government clamored for maximum land and resources for its citizens but not for the Palestinians who lived there. Inside Israel, Jews get special privileges, including rights to land and housing that is denied to Palestinians. Palestinians make up 20% of Israel's current population.  Another issue is that Israel has yet to define its borders. There was the so-called 1949 Armistice lines.

1949 Armistice Agreements

1967-Six-Day War

In what Israelis call the “Six Day War,” Israel conducts a pre-emptive attack against Egypt and gains control over territory formerly controlled by Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Israel gains control over

The Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. In six days, Israel roughly triples the size of the territory under its

control. Israel begins establishing settlements in Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula, and the West Bank, which right-wing Israelis refer to by the biblical names “Judea and Samaria” and consider the biblical lands of the Jewish people.[See Source]

In response to the war, the UN Security Council passes Resolution 242, which calls for the

“withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict [in official UN

languages other than English the article “the” precedes “territories,” thus implying that Israel has

to return all the conquered territory]; termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect

for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of

every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free

from threats or acts of force.” This resolution, with its formula of “land for peace,” is the basis

of for all subsequent peace negotiations between Israel, Palestinians, and the surrounding Arab

states.

Since that time, Israel has built Jewish only cities  in the occupied West Bank supplying them with infrastructures such as roads, army camps, schools, and even a college. As noted in the aforementioned U.N. Resolution, 242 military occupations are meant to be temporary. But, after 40 plus years this one looks permanent and is entirely unjust. In the West Bank Israeli and Jewish settlers live on the same land but live under two separately and unequal set of laws. The Jewish settlers control the natural resources including water and agricultural land. What is even more disheartening is this policy and behavior is backed by the Israeli army. To maintain the occupation, Israel has demolished thousands upon thousands of Palestinian homes, orchids, and confiscated Palestinian land. They have bombed civilian populations in Gaza and punished resistance with raids, arrest, and assassinations, all to gain maximum land while making life so difficult for Palestinians that they will either leave or be too weak and afraid to fight back.

The Palestinians have fought back. 

For decades they[Palestinians] tried to achieve national liberation through armed struggle. Some groups still do. However, the majority of Palestinians today support traditional protest. The profound and harmful control, repression, and violence has proven to be more detrimental to Palestinians still living under occupation.

Now that you have an understanding of the problem what are the solutions?  

After two decades of U.S. backed peace talks, the situation is worst. The U.S. has helped the Israelis maintain their illegal occupation. We have seen years of talking and in the backdrop,  Israel expand its building and presence in the occupied areas. There has been a redrawing of the map. Peace talks are good if they are real but not when they are fodder to mask a land grab. So now what? The bottom line is the USA has been a terrible friend,  enabling the destructive behavior by funding the Israeli military, which is the biggest recipient of U.S. foreign aid in the world.  

Does Israel Benefit from US Foreign Aid?  

The American Jewish Media Bias.

Like most Americans, I paid very little attention to the bias that is prevalent in today's media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In fact, I knew very little of this issue just five years ago. It's fair to say I was a casual observer of the problem and what I thought I knew was based on what I heard coming from mainstream media. Once again, like most Americans,  I skimmed the headlines on this critical issue. There was an acceptance of the confusion on my part, and I moved on. What is vital to "wrap your head around' is that until 1947, there was no such country we now know as Israel! It did not exist.  The area for many centuries had been home to the Palestinians. So, based on the introduction in this article,  we know where this modern-day conflict comes from. You don't have to go back a thousand years to identify the problem. What goes unnoticed is  that before the mass migration of Jews to the land,  the demographics of the area was 80%  Muslim, 15% Christian and 5% Jewish.

There was a movement that started in the late 1800's in Europe called Political Zionism.  

• Political Zionism – led by Theodor Herzl and Max Nordau in Russia. This Zionist Organization approach espoused at the First Zionist Congress aimed at establishing for the Jewish people a publicly and legally assured home in Palestine, which among other items, included initial steps to obtain governmental grants from the established powers that controlled the area.[See Source]

This movement coined a beautiful shiny slogan, " Land without people, for a people without land." What is so imperative to grasp is that the region was a multi-cultural area and for the most part,  people were living and practiced their religions harmoniously. In a nutshell, Political Zionism advocated that there needed to be a Jewish state somewhere in the world. [See Source]

 The countries of Uganda, Argentina, and even parts of North America were considered, but they eventually settled in Palestine because of the Biblical connection some 2000 years before. Let's take a moment to examine that slogan. On its face,  the slogan sounds beautiful, and most people would endorse its narrative. There is one major fatal flaw. The land was not without people. As previously noted, it was fully inhabited. One of the early Zionists, who ventured to the area wrote back to his family stating:

"I have seen the bride, and she is beautiful, but she is married." 

Sadly, nevertheless the migration began in earnest by Zionists to Palestine to create a Jewish state. As the history has shown throughout the "sands of time," indigenous people do not greet their colonists with open arms. "Cowboy and Indians ring a bell?"  To make matters worst, it was clear from the onset that the Zionists' goal was to dispossess the people who had been living there for thousands of years. As a result, there was the tragic but predictable violence.  Then, as now, many innocent lives were lost.[Collateral Damage] What our research has found is that the vast majority who died were Muslims and Christians.  

This violence has continued up to this very day.  In retrospect, we here at the House of Public Discourse raise the question:  What was the United Nations thinking when tasked to solve this migration and violence problem after the British passed the buck to them after creating the problem in the first place? This violence between the Palestinians and Jews was more than the British could stand, so they just simply handed the issue to the U.N. to solve. The United Nations at this point had the option of affirming a bedrock principle of democracy, which was a self-determination of peoples, or they could revert to a medieval version where an entity gives someone else's land away or divides it in half. Sadly for the world and everyone in the region, instead of affirming the right of self-determination of people in which the people choose a course of action,  the U.N. recommended the aforementioned Partition Plan of 1947. The plan suggested that half the area be made a Jewish state and the other half a Palestinian one. The Partition Plan was a coerced plan from an outside agency.[U.N] As with any problem of this magnitude,  there is a strong need for compromise.  In fact, compromise is the reality of the day and what has been lacking in this ongoing conflict.[See Source]

However, when you place this arrangement under a microscope it clearly shows an imbalance towards the Zionists.  A group of people who had been living in the land for centuries got the 'short-end of the stick.' What it boiled down to was that 95% of the population took a backseat to the new colonists. To the House of Public Discourse and to others as well,  this course of action makes no sense. No matter the mitigating factors like the Nazi holocaust or the overall anti-Semitic mindset of Europe;  even with the mass migration of Zionists to the land they still only made up 30% of the total inhabitants of the area. Our research found many factors that brought about this result. One of the most glaring were the Capitalists whose primary subliminal goal to dispossess the people of the region was to buy the land. This effort was funded and can be accurately traced back to the infamous Rothschild family with their massive banking infrastructure. [See Source] This plan was a successful one but even so, the land ownership by Zionists rose a modest 8% total. So no matter how you try to fashion a reasonable explanation for the imbalance and injustice to the Palestinians people in favor of the Zionists, there is not one to be found in the facts.

The fact of the matter is that a much smaller group who now owned just 8% of the land were given what most historians agree to be  55% of the total land mass. As  history has shown,  the more inequitable and unjust the situation has become over the years, the more violent the region has become.[Why Is Israel Putting Boots On The Ground In Gaza Now?]  Rather than the U.N. solution leading to more peace, these outside agencies[USA]  have created more violence. This political settlement led to war in 1947 and after the results, some 800,000 Palestinians were forced to leave their homeland by the victorious Zionists. What went unreported in the American media were the massacres levied by the Zionists on these now refugees. What went unreported in the America media were the harsh and inhumane conditions  this political arrangement brought to the Palestinian people. Our research found many of these atrocities occurred even before Israel declared its independence. So the narrative played out in the American media of five Arab countries besieging this little helpless country now known as Isreal is inaccurate, disingenuous, and is a prime example of the definition of propaganda. What went virtually unreported in the American media was the ethnic cleansing going on inside Israel before the first Arab nation attacked.[The Nakba, 65 Years of Dispossession and Apartheid]

Is It Not Ironic That The Jews Did To The Palestinians What The Nazi's Did To Them?

According to International law,  and morality, in this writer's view,  these refugees  have the right to return to their homeland. But Israel did not allow them to then, just like now. This Israeli position is the critical factor in the present day situational  affairs concerning the Middle-East conflict.

This truth is something the American media did not cover back then and very rarely to the point of never talks about today. But it is the position of the House of Public Discourse that this is significant in the overall dynamics of this conflict. There is this complete misconception that it has been Israel defending itself from Palestinian attacks. Other than in 1947, the Israelis have been the aggressors as was the case in the beforehand mentioned " Six-Day War in 1967." To this day the Israelis have failed to return the West Bank, and have blockaded the Gaza Strip.[See Article] Israel’s settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory is an illegal one.[See Article]  During this 1967 period, Israeli force even attacked  a US Navy ship operating in international waters. 34 American sailors were killed. 

In 1967 Israeli Jets Attacked the USS Liberty, Survivors Want Investigation

Admiral Thomas Moore

According to then Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Thomas Moore, this was an act of war on the United States by Israel;   moreover, an act of murder against American servicemen. Admiral Moore testified in 2003 on Capitol  Hill a  highly significant testimony not reported in the America media. Other than just a few newspapers, this hearing and subsequent evidence went unreported in the mainstream media. 

Taking Land By Conquest Is No Longer Legal Under International Law

The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of it own civilian population into the territory it occupies.[See Source]

There is no doubt whatsoever that Israel is guilty of this practice. What hardens this writer is that America has been a willing enabler of this international illegal action by the Israelis  by both political parties in the past and the present  That is exactly what Israel has been doing since 1967.  In Gaza, there has been the removal of these illegal settlements. However, Gaza has been blockaded by the Israeli government to the point many experts refer to it as a prison. Israel controls the borders and air space and the importing and exporting of goods and services.  The Gaza Strip is just one big prison. Gaza has no Global Independence.[See Source]  The West Bank is a different story. While the settlements in Gaza were being removed, they were on the increase in the West Bank. This occurrence has not been covered by the American media. 

There is a lot of context to know that our news media in America are not telling us  the facts regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As I began my research into this subject matter, it was quite frankly all new to me. Like many Americans, I did not know the history or the actions going on in the present. As our research staff here at the House of Public Discourse began to dig into this complex and important issue of our modern times, it occurred to us how significant this media bias towards Israel is and how this lack of under-reporting and often times no reporting has skewed the American people to the side of the Israelis.  

What is so clear and based on what we have learned, it appears our national interest and needs as a nation were the opposite of what we were being told, and our moral responsibility as human beings were the opposite of what the mainstream media would have us to believe. It seems so important that with all the misinformation being propagated in the news media we felt a duty to report this to our readers.

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict- A Family Affair? 

In closing, what is never mentioned or alluded to in the American media  is the Israeli and Palestinian people are a family. No matter if you take a Biblical perspective or a scientific one. 

The Biblical Perspective

Abraham's life left a legacy in many different ways, but have you ever stopped to consider the legacy of his Y chromosome?

The Scientific Perspective

Jews and Arabs are 'genetic brothers.'

According to a BBC News -SCI-TECH, report Jews and Arabs may have their differences but they share a common genetic code that reaches back thousands of years.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that Jewish men shared a common set of genetic signatures with non-Jews from the Middle East, including Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese.[See Source]

Dr Mark Jobling of Leicester University, UK, 

"The kind of DNA we have used to analyze this question is the human Y chromosome. This represents only 2% of our genetic material and it is passed down from father to son."

"This makes it particularly interesting to use in the study of Jewish populations because Jewishness is passed down from the mother to children - it is maternally inherited. So using a paternally inherited piece of DNA gives us an excellent opportunity to see the signal of mixture with other populations if this has occurred."
"The fact that we don't see it suggests that after the Diaspora these populations actually have managed to maintain their Jewish heritage."

"It seems that in many of these situations where groups are in conflict with each other they are likely to be pretty much genetically indistinguishable, and this factor, to the peoples involved in these conflicts, clearly isn't the point and isn't likely to change their behaviour very much."  

Why Is Israel Putting Boots On The Ground In Gaza Now?

Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip  is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Many have called it the worst place to live in the world. The Gaza Strip has been often referred to as the world's largest open-air prison. Here is why?

1. Gaza has been home to a majority refugee population since 1948. This occurred when in that same year Israel claimed statehood and forced many Palestinians to flee their homes. 
2. Since that time Israel has controlled the Gaza Strip by air, land and sea. Regulating what goes in and what goes out. 

When Hamas  won democratically held elections in 2006, Israel intensified its siege and punishment of the Palestinian people living there. Israel justifies this increase of force by claiming that Hamas is a terrorist organization. In the view of the Palestinian people, Hamas is nothing more than a political party that stands in rejection to Israel control of the region. Hamas has declared that this control which in reality is nothing more than a blockade is illegal. In fact, many U.N. experts say Israel's blockade of Gaza is illegal. [ See Palmer Report] 

Israel blockade of Gaza has cut the region off from the rest of the world and made life miserable for the people living there. 80 percent of the people living in Gaza depend on aid. 57 percent of the families lack enough food for their families. U.N. inspectors have determined that 90 percent of the drinking water in Gaza is unsafe. Due to the blockade, spare parts to repair and upkeep water treatment plants have not been available. Medicine and doctors are in short supply. The infrastructure in Gaza has also suffered. Basic building supplies have been largely banned from entering the region. Israel claims these materials could be used to make weapons. These negative factors are compounded by the reality that the population of Gaza continues to grow. Power outages are common in Gaza. Gaza has virtually no economy. The unemployment rate in Gaza hovers around 40%. 

A History Of Violence

Israel over the years has launched several large attacks against Gaza. The thing is with Gaza being such a heavily populated area no one is safe. Israel in the past and in the present claims these attacks are in retaliation to indiscriminate firing of missiles by militant groups within the Gaza Strip. However, as we have seen in the past and now here in this current affair a disproportionate use of force. 

Hamas Explained.  

  

This latest conflict was kick-started by the death of three Israeli teens. Right on cue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the killings and ordered air strikes. Not long after this declaration a Palestinian youth was killed by Jewish extremist in what appears as a revenge killing. Many have suggested the right-wing prime minster and other Israeli government officials knew weeks ago of the whereabouts of the murdered teens bodies and the persons responsible. In fact, the Israeli government imposed a gag order on journalist covering the abduction of the three Jewish teens to keep the media from covering the story.[Source: Mondoweiss]

Many suggest this was done to fuel the fans of anger and heighten tensions in the region. There are those who claim that the Israeli prime minster did this on purpose. That he wanted to stage manage the events and arouse the public to back his known warmongering spirit. This would not be the first time the Israeli government has manipulated what should be a police action, into a military action against Hamas. For example, the Israeli housing authorities are now calling for settlements in Gaza.

There is a media bias in America towards Israel!

This is were the sore spot comes for this writer. We see in the American press sensational articles of the dead Jewish teens. We have for decades been spoon fed a huge dose of woe is Israel at the expense of a nation of pure poverty with no standing army and arsenal of a few rockets and rock throwers. For many years there have been illegal occupation by Israel of the Gaza Strip in the form of settlements. These illegal settlements were a serious sticking point for the Palestinian people. These settlements were the genesis of much of the civil disobedience and terrorist acts on the part of the Palestinians.

What are settlements?        

In 2005 the settlements were removed from the Gaza Strip. However, Israel was forced by the international courts to do so and many scholars suggest Israel is looking for any excuse they can to re-settle Gaza. The American media has done a huge disservice by shadowing the overall facts surrounding the Middle East conflict as a whole.

One Palestinian child has been killed by Israel every three days for the past 13 years. [Source: Stop the War coalition ]

Often times in the America media we hear of a cycle of violence, a cycle of oppression, and as in this recent case we here mostly of the three dead Israeli teens and very little of the dead Palestinian youth. This is the norm here in America. Anyone with any sense of fairness and a solid mind to seek out the facts can clearly see that in terms of the people of Gaza and the West Bank Israel has been the aggressor. We have seen time and time again that the Israeli's are the worthy victims and the Palestinians are the unworthy victims. There is the underlying fervor that's narrative is the Palestinians are less human and probably deserve what they are getting. There has been an ongoing dehumanization of the people of Gaza and the West Bank by the American media. The American government no matter right or left has been in the hip pocket of Israel and the Jewish lobby.

Supporters of Israel ask a very legitimate question. What do you expect Israel to do when rockets are being shot into their country and its citizens targeted by terrorist plots? It begs the fair question, what is the proper response? For starters, Israel should allow the 80% refugee population of Gaza to move around and colonize themselves back in their homeland that was taken from them. You can't just go back a couple of weeks or years to grasp the impudence behind the Palestinian rejectionism of Israel. Every since the 1948 declaration of statehood by Israel the people who were forced from their homes have had to live in effect under apartheid type conditions imposed by the Israeli's who have been backed by the West and largely the Untied States.

Why is Israel putting boots on the ground in Gaza now?

Benjamin Netanyahu

“In light of Hamas' criminal and relentless aggression, as well as the dangerous attempt to infiltrate Israeli territory, Israel must act to defend its citizens,” 




This past Thursday Israel launched a ground invasion along with continued air strikes into the Gaza Strip. The

purpose of this invasion is to weed out the tunnels Israel claims will be used to invade their homeland. Once again, on the surface, this sounds like a legitimate claim by the warmongering Netanyahu. However, his motives are suspect. Why? The main purpose for the tunnels is the Israel blockade of Gaza. Hamas can't get much supplies into the country due to the blockade. So, they have developed an alternative way of resupplying the people of Gaza. The warmonger [Netanyahu] knows this and by destroying these tunnels it will cause the population as a whole to suffer. Moreover, the majority of these tunnels pop out beyond the Egyptian border. Smugglers supply them with goods that Israel can't or won't let through. These tunnels serve both Hamas and the Gaza civilians. In fairness, Hamas and other militant groups do use these tunnels to smuggle in weapons, components for homemade rockets and other materials they need to fight. The civilians bring in medicines, food and whatever else they can that doesn't get through the blockade.

However you score it, sending in ground troops to Gaza constitutes a major escalation of this ongoing saga between Hamas and Israel. Since Hamas won fair elections in Gaza there has been an up-tick of tensions in the region. If the truth be told and you won't get this from America mainstream media Hamas has done a masterful job of helping improve the lives of the people of Gaza. Despite the Israeli blockade of Gaza that strictly limits the movement in or out of the country and the importation of vital goods Hamas has remained in firm control of the Strip. These tunnels have played a major role and Netanyahu wants them destroyed. So, by sensationalizing the deaths of three Israeli teens and by imposing a gag order on the media to report the facts the game-plan has seemed to work for the warmonger to turn a police matter into a military matter which has now become a full-scale military operation.

President Obama Has Warned The Warmongering Netanyahu About Failing Peace Talks With The Palestinians Would Isolate Israel. 

             

Written By: Johnny