Brother Ariel and Sister Bob

Aside from their countries of domicile and the fact that they both manage to breathe while at the same time not being able to think, they have nothing to do with this post.

I woke up today thinking about the similarities that exist in between Israel and Zimbabwe and how it is somehow completely acceptable to hold a particular view on one country and the contrary view on the other country. Surely we should be more consistent? This would be the point where Patch would say that he reserves judgement until after the case has been made so here goes.

Several years ago Zimbabwe, ably led by Bob, decided that the Zimbabwean land had originally been stolen by the Farmers from them, the original inhabitants, in the first place so the land was forfeit and ripe for annexation at the point of a gun if required. Well the point of the gun was required as well as some 'legal' skulduggery and intimidation of the judiciary because, strangely, the farmers felt they were being hard done by and fought back with everything they could short of firearms since that was a war they had already lost twenty years previously. Most opinions of this land grab was that the farmers were the aggrieved party and that running people off their land at the point of a gun was not the done thing.

Onto Israel which prior to 1948 was substantially owned by the Palestinians, post 1948 it was substantially owned and more so as time went on by Israelis, the Palestinians having been moved off their lands at the point of a gun or by 'legal' dispossession if required. Most opinions of this land grab is that it is entirely justifiable and just what are the Palestinians complaining about?

My point is that I find that often people are sympathetic to the plight of the Farmers but not to the Palestinians and conversely, sympathetic to the Zimbabweans but not the Israelis. Surely one should be sympathetic to the plight of the Farmers and the Palestinians or on the other side to the Zimbabweans and the Israelis if one is to remain consistent in ones' political leanings?