Comments by "JohnDoe" (@JohnDoe-my5ip) on "travelingisrael.com" channel.

  1. I agree with most of your points here, but “European colonists bought land so it wasn’t stolen” is a bad heuristic in general. The history of the USA is absolutely littered with counterexamples. For example, the Dutch “bought” Manhattan in 1626 from the Iroquois for about $1200 in present-day USD. Drawing up contracts that the natives didn’t understand then going, oops no take backsies, is page 1 in the imperialism playbook. I’m not saying this disproves your broader points, or that this is what happened in Mandatory Palestine. I’m just pointing out that it’s not a great way to win hearts and minds internationally.
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  2. This Vox video is a great example of one of the worst tendencies in U.S. MSM propaganda: to cover both sides “equally,” to pretend that topics like this can ever be covered without bias. This creator clearly has a bias, but I appreciate that. He’s upfront about this. He doesn’t manipulate facts or tell half truths, in pursuit of false equivalence. He’s not willfully ignorant of facts that don’t fit the narrative. This is an unequal conflict. The Israelis have 21st century weapons and ethical standards. Hamas has 19th century weapons and 5th century ethics. Their savagery is the only advantage they have. American propaganda uses this fact to condemn Israel. It’s mistaking cause and effect. Palestinians have no other card to play because why help them? I’d rather help the dogs at my local animal shelter, who don’t bite the hand that feeds them every single time.
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  3. It's interesting that the victimhood/martyr complex that's been a core feature of Christianity for 2000 years has somehow been recast onto western progressives in popular culture over the last 10 years. As if western conservatives aren't also constantly bloviating about how oppressed they are. The common denominator is their religion.
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  4. I’m willing to bet there is exactly one exception to your rule, that crime is always higher in Muslim neighborhoods than Jewish neighborhoods, and it’s the Hasidic community in Brooklyn, NY. That’s it. It’s the place where the best behaved Muslims and the worst behaved Jews in the whole world all live side by side by some cosmic coincidence.
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  5. From a pure business perspective, I’m sure the channel has been extremely useful in improving quality and quantity of leads. But travel has been called the antidote to prejudice. If you’re only giving tours to people who agree with you, isn’t something being lost? On the other hand, maybe you get the occasional open minded pro-Palestinian tourist, who books with you precisely because they don’t agree with you, and wants to engage in good faith. I like to think that someday there will be peace. That someday, you could have a Palestinian business partner who offers the same service you do, but from the other perspective. Pure fantasy in 2024, I know, but did anyone in 1993 think that there could be lasting peace in Belfast?
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