MORE ABOUT ROME AND AMERICA | 2004-11-06
Did you know that many Roman soldiers used to write home regularly?
Today America talks about oil in the Middle East. In the time of Rome, the oil was wheat. Egypt was Rome's breadbasket. So the Romans said they had to control the Middle East to prevent starvation. They said that control had to include Palestine because it was right by Egypt.
So the Israeli zealot groups harrassed the Roman solders, and Rome would not let its soldiers go in and clean that crowd out.
Sound familiar? And Roman parents wrote to the Emperor:
"Why are you letting our boys over there die and not letting them go after their atttackers? Why are you holding them back?"
Sound familiar?
So in 69 AD, the Romans went in and wiped the zealots out and burned the Temple. That was what we now call "collateral damage."
Today's Israelis are all for it.