Thread by @ManjaKoi

Today we'll compare the States of #Liberia 🇱🇷and #Israel 🇮🇱
It's said that both of these countries are settler colonies and apartheid states.
Others say they are peaceful democratic societies.
Maybe one is and the other isn't?
Let's compare and see..👀
#AfricanHistory a Thread 🧵

We will begin with comparing these two countries starts and foundings.
To escape persecution in Europe early Zionist wanted a Jewish state in Palestine and offered to buy it from the Ottoman Caliph but they where rejected.
Zionist began illegally migrating to Palestine anyways...

Despite the illegality these early Jewish settlers at first lived peacefully with their
Palestinian neighbors.
The Ottoman Empire fell after WWI. The British empire took over Palestine.
In 1947 after the Holocaust the British wanted to reorganize Palestine into 2 new states.

At the same time extreme Zionist in the Israeli camp wanted a Jewish majority state and more land.
This led to war between both sides and the events know as the Nakba or "the catastrophe".
Israeli Militiamen would kill any Arab civilian on sight. Horrified 700,000 Palestinians…

left their homes forever and 20K Palestinian civilians where killed.

After their victory and the ethnic cleansing of Arabs the Zionist declared their independence from the British and Israel was founded.
Jews where invited(and expelled) from around the world to settle Palestine.

Lets compare this with Liberias founding.
In the 1820s the abolitionist movement was gaining steam in America and many US elites had the idea of sending the US enslaved Africans back to Africa.
These individuals along with some blacks formed the American Colonization Society(ACS)

Many black people where given the option to remain a slave in America or to be freed but sent to the Windward coast(Liberia).
Wishing freedom and excited about returning to their motherland Africa, many black people choose to be repatriated to Liberia.

The 17th-18th centuries where a turbulent time for the Windward coast.
The area was being ravaged by the trans Atlantic slave trade and regional wars where common.

Despite this there where also many thriving societies there aswell and many did not engage in the slave trade.

This was this situation in the area when the first "Americo-Liberians" arrived on the African coast.

First Contact went surprisingly well. The Africans of Cape Montserrado recognized their African brothers and welcomed them with open arms. These where Gola Dei and Vai people.

Contact between the indigenous and the repatriates varried widely from the location, tribe, and individuals who encountered each other.
Not only where the indigenous tribes not one group, but the repatriates where also not one group, and many were not managed by the ACS.

The ACS and the repatriates where able to barter with the 7 kings of Cape Montserrado to purchase land.
Other groups of repatriates bought land from ethnic groups down the coast like the Grebo and Kru. Some settled with indigenous communities on the coast like the Dei and Vai.

There where wars with some of the indigenous coastal Kings and chiefs. Some where still engaged in the illegal but lucrative slave trade.
Together with indigenous Allies the repatriates wiped out the Slave trade.
Monrovia gained hegemonic status among the new settlements.

With all the new migrations and settlements on the Coast the British asked for clarification as too exactly what the new ACS settlements where.
When asked the United States made it clear that The United States Congress had no affiliation with the ACS or it's settlements.

The ACS was a small philanthropic organization that went defunct 20 years after funding the initial repatriations.
Being unrecognized and stateless the repatriates in the new coastal settlements formed a government and a new country named
Liberia.
This is how Liberia was founded.

Now we compare the historic laws of these states🇱🇷🇮🇱
In 1847 the founders of Liberia wrote in their constitution that Liberia would have religious freedom. Most importantly citizenship was only given to Black people, even indigenous people.
Liberia became Africa's first republic.

In 1950 Israel attempted to form a secular democracy and a parliament based on the western model.
In practice from the Jump the parliament was a
Far right Autocratic government that didn't give equal rights to all.
Everything from basic rights to citizenship depended on religion.

Let's Compare the Social caste systems of each country

Liberias historic classes are this:
1. Rich "Americo" Liberians & highly Educated indigenous Liberians

2.Lower class indigenous Liberians, poor uneducated Americo Liberians

3.Rescued/marooned freed slaves (Congo people)

Israel's Social Caste System

1. European Jews, especially Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews (Wide gap)
2. North African/ME Mizrahi Jews (wide Gap)
3. Black Jews ie Ethiopian Jews
(Infinite GAP)
4. Israeli Palestinians, West Bank Palestinians
5. Black Palestinians
6. Gaza residents

Liberia’s social classes where all based on wealth, status, affiliations and education, not race or ethnicity.

Israel's social classes where organized on the basis of ethnicity, race and religion above all else. This social orders purpose was to oppress and control Palestinians

Now well compare the social progress of the marginalized groups.

Liberia has had multiple Non African American Presidents and indigenous Presidents.The very first one being Daniel Howard in 1912, a member of the Bassa Tribe.

Israel has never had a Palestinian PM(And never will)

Now we'll contrast the modern situation of both countries in 2023.
"Americo" people and Indigenous Liberians live side by side as neighbors as they always have since the beginning.
Israelis and Palestinians live in unequal segregated communities. Most Palestinians are stateless.

Last but most importantly is accountability.
Liberia has had Presidents in the past who oppressed indigenous like Charles D B King.
After being exposed for his wrongdoings he was forced to resign in disgrace.
In Israel, cruelty towards Palestinians is highly rewarded in politics.

End of🧵
People compare Liberia and Israel because they see two oppressed diaspora becoming the colonizer.
The core difference is that Liberians saw each other as long lost black kin.
Israelis will never see Palestinians as their kin.😔
We are not the same🇱🇷=\=🇮🇱#FreePalestine 🇵🇸

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