Politicians and other marketeers love to play 'the people' with old grudges: 'Remember how they stole our land (Israel/Palestine: 3000; USA: 300; WW2 victims: 75) years ago?’
Samsom wasn't the first Israelite to fight the people in the (ever growing smaller) area we now know as Palestine. Back then the people living there were called Philistines. Both names are derived from Peleset. 'Sea people', as I've come to understand. But may be wrong of course because not all sources are 100 percent correct. Especially when something occured a long time ago.
Even though the current situation has nothing to do with the old grudge between the Isrealites (a mix of the people of Canaan (current Palestine) and the people that fled from Egyptian oppression (the story of Moses, remember?) and the Philistines (a people that most likely originally came from Crete), the people of Israel (mainly Jews from all over the world who weren't rich enough to stay where they were after WW II and were 'promised' a new homeland to live) and Palestine (mainly descendents of Canaanites and the same mix of people that resulted in the existence of the people we came to know as Jews. Resulting in the people of Palestine and Isreal sharing their DNA) are still not friends.
The fact that two peoples 'hate' one another is being exploited by [arms dealers] politicians and marketeers.
Marketeers? Absolutely. Commerce has a lot to gain from friction between two sides. Just look at the orange coloured merchandise being sold when there's a football match between The Netherlands and Germany; the Dutch still 'hate' the Germans because of WW II. And the loss of a worldcup match in 1974. For a few weeks in The Netherlands it doesn't matter who you vote, what your skincolour is or what your income is. As long as you wear a piece of orange clothing, you're all 'comrades in the war against Germany'.
A famous example is how this is exploited in the USA: billions of dollars are made in the 'fights' between College and University teams. Creating division is a proven way to manipulate people and gain wealth and power.
'Panem et ludos' the Romans called it. And it worked. Sports have always been used by politicians to push a political agenda. Remember how Adolf Hitler used the Berlin Olympics of 1936 as a propaganda tool? He wanted to show the world that white people were mentally and physically superior to 'Untermenschen', aka 'people of lesser races' like gypsies, jews (circling back to the first paragraph) and people with darker skin.
Some history books say it's why he didn't acknowledge the amazing achievements (four gold medals!) by one Jesse Owens (click. Very interesting story), grandson of an actual African-American slave. It's true he didn't shake hands with the man who was the overall 'man of the match' at the '36 Olympics. But Hitler didn't shake hands with any of the winners. Not even with the 'Pure blood Arian' ones. Hitler didn't like to touch people. It's why he didn't get biological children, I guess. Thinking of another famous germaphobe (click) who was also the leader of a country and didn't like immigrants.
For political but more and more for commercial reasons, people willingly forget their stance on issues they find important in discussions, but not in business. As a matter of fact, purely for commercial reasons sponsoring was invented. By a company known as Adidas.
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