Why does Palestine bring out such strong feelings?

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I really don’t want this to become about individuals’ feelings about the conflict. There are plenty of threads for that.

I am interested in why Palestine provokes such a strong feelings about civilian in Britain. We didn’t see weekly marches and such intense, passionate feelings regarding any other conflicts over in, say, the past ten years (Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Congo, Somalia, and, of course, Ukraine). These all involve thousands of civilian casualties caused by conflict.

What is it about Palestine in particular that causes British people to feel so passionately about it?

Someone said to me today that, for them, it was the most pressing political issue. They have never even mentioned any of the other conflicts above. It got me thinking about it. If you care greatly about what happens in Palestine, why Palestine and not the other conflicts?

Please don’t come on and say you care about them all. It might be true but there is no doubt that the reaction to what’s happening in Palestine in Britain is much greater than the rest, which barely cause a murmur.

I don't believe there would be the same amount of frenzied feeling, nor that it would be the "single most important issue" in the minds of most people if there weren't Jews involved. If it was an Islamic on Islamic conflict, even if western governments were supporting/arming one side, it still wouldn't have reached the hysterical pitch that it has.

When I asked my husband this question he said we feel more responsible for Palestine as we literally stole someone’s country (part of Palestine) and gave it to someone else (which became Israel) so although that happened decades ago we still feel bad about it

Er...who still feels.bad? Jeremy Corbyn? Not most other people in this country.

Yes and you. Can see why Palestinians would feel aggrieved.

"We" knew it wouldn't work even when we arranged it.

It was an opinion- not necessarily mine- and I’m sure that there are many differing views about why
Sometimes things are just as they are without any particular rhyme or reason to it

This.

I was born in the late 1960s and my generation used to wonder how the Holocaust was possible. How did ordinary German people and others remain silent, condone or participate in the circumstances that led to the systematic rounding up, transportation and organised murder of millions of Jews. How could that happen?

Well, now I’m seeing how it could happen.

Yes and to add to the chaos we - the US and UK government still can’t seem to mind our own business
seems as if no lessons have been learnt

The Jewish faith has nothing to do with it for me, especially as I have met many Jews on protest marches who are as horrified as I am by the genocide in Gaza. No doubt the Uyghur Muslims in China also need support, but this is not a reason for watering down outrage over Gaza.

There wasn't a "palestinian state" either. And Israel was the Jewish people's ancient homeland.

There's no outrage for any actual genocides though? Just the not-a-genocide. Why?

Agreed. It's scary how many freaky people have scurried out of the woodwork to parade themselves on hate marches every Saturday. Hideous.

I am not sure what you are asking me.
I can't speak for everyone in the UK. If you think that anti-semitism is at the bottom of the widespread outrage about Gaza, I can say that in my case, and in the case of people I know well, it is not. I deplore the way that the state of Israeli has driven Arab residents of Gaza and West Bank out of their homes and imposed a kind of apartheid, as well as their current decimation of those living in Gaza, but I would never say that 'Jews' have done this, or that being Jewish implies a particular set of values or behaviour. These are political acts by a subset of Israelis, and I feel as friendly to individual Jews as I do to individual Muslims. The many Jews and Muslims who are peace-loving around the world are having a hard time.

But why has this conflict inspired you in particular over and above all the actual genocides going on?

It seems to inspire certain types of people in particular. It's interesting as well as frightening.

Perhaps it has been made more than usually clear that the US and UK are both making this particular conflict possible by supplying arms and also by reporting the conflict in particular ways. And Trump being so very pro-Israeli has been alarming, though he is changing a little now.
In the UK, ordinary citizens peacefully expressing support for the aims of Palestine Action (ie to stop the killing), are being arrested in large numbers and treated as terrorists, which is frightening for us personally too.
I hope that answers your question a bit. I have become involved in a number groups supporting Palestine and have literally not heard a single anti-semitic comment. Care is taken to say 'Israeli' rather than 'Jewish' when it comes to the conflict. The people I have met are horrified for Muslims in Gaza/West Bank and concerned about freedom of speech in the UK. They are a peaceful bunch.

That’s good to hear. But it doesn’t represent more than a tiny fraction of the protestors and activists. They chant “From the river to the sea…” because they want the elimination of Israel. (I assume you don’t.)

A massive majority of British Jews, and as far as I know Jews worldwide, support the existence and security of Israel.

There is no middle ground between the protestors and the fact of the Jewish state of Israel. This isn’t really about Netanyahu or political decisions, whatever some posters on here might pretend. It’s about the right of Jews to maintain a homeland.

What about the right of Arabs to maintain a homeland?

If they would maintain the land that was given to them and stop stealing land from others it would be a great start to a peaceful existence.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
Most people that chant this mean free from occupation. Free from the tyranny of Israel.

Is Israel wanted to conduct a genocide in Gaza, there would be no one left alive.

But again, why Palestine? Why no concern for the genocide in Darfur? Myanmar? Ethiopia?

Palestinians had their homeland taken to give a homeland to the Jews, but Israel wants to destroy what Palestinians were left with and force them out.

If its about Jews having a homeland, why all the settlements?

What about it? There are many Arab states. And a Persian one in the region. Not that the Arab states or Iran have ever cared about peace and security for Palestinians though.

If you mean ‘why can’t the Palestinians throw out all the Jews and claim the land that’s presently Israel’ you’re just objecting to the existence of a Jewish state.

Did your husband say why we don’t feel as bad about the numerous other conflicts that we had a role in?

The Palestine issue has been (for far too many people) a good excuse for anti-semitism to come out of the closet.

Otherwise there would have been similar strong feelings and protests about persecuted people in Sudan, Myanmar, etc.

I don't know about PP, but I'm not saying that at all. I do understand why Palestinians would be aggrieved at being evicted from land they previously owned, for the creation of Israel and even then, not being allowed to occupy the areas that were granted to them in that agreement without settlers coming and taking more land.

That doesn't mean I think Palestinian should have Israel back only that they should properly be allowed to have what they're supposed to have retained.

I don't think that's it at all. Palestine has become such a big issue because it's on such a huge scale and because the pictures of destruction are so shocking.

And what does ‘from the river to the sea’ mean?

It is widely recognised as a phrase calling for the destruction of Israel and the ethnic cleansing of the Jewish people living there.

If this is not what you mean, why use that particular phrase when it has got such connotations and has done for many decades?