Letter: In light of Ballymena disorder, let’s reassess our negative attitude towards Palestinians
A letter from Arnold Carton:
The recent violence in Ballymena has intensified debate on tensions caused by immigration for communities that feel competition for housing, or see the character of the area in which they were born being changed.
Several unionist spokespeople have explained that when the immigrant populations arrive bringing different cultures, religions and standards of behaviour, when they fail to integrate and live in clusters together, this can be intimidating for locals who fear their country is being taken over.
As we try to understand why local people can become fearful that the character of their country will be changed by immigration, perhaps this will help us reassess our view on the Palestinian/Israeli problem.
The Palestinians who were born in the Holy Land will have seen massive immigration from Europe from 1935 to the present day. This immigration has not ended and continues today from the USA.
The character of their country was dramatically altered - the immigrants had a different religion from the majority and did not integrate. Even today, an immigrant from Europe or the USA can be involved in taking over land that belonged to a Palestinian family for the past centuries.
When the good arable land is taken from the locals and given to the recently arrived immigrants from Europe, have the Palestinian locals a right to complain?
When almost all the jobs go to the immigrants or their children, with the local Palestinians experiencing massive unemployment of over 34%, have they a right to complain?
Perhaps we unionists can use the experience of recent weeks to help us reassess our negative attitude towards Palestinians, who unlike us with our 3.4% immigration rate, saw their land flooded with millions of migrants from Europe and the USA and who are still seeing their towns and homes taken over by people with a different culture and religion.
Palestine and Israel need a political, rather than a military, solution.
Arnold Carton, Belfast BT6