"Because Israel is stronger militarily, the Arabs cling to the underdog image of poor refugees under occupation and siege by evil Israelis, thus eliciting sympathy."

Hey, guess what?  It works! I do have a great amount of sympathy for the poor refugees under occupation and siege by evil Israelis.  I find it equally remarkable that one would be referred to as a "refugee" in their own home. 

The story of Israeli occupation is every bit as hard to learn the truth of, as is learning about how, why, and who our nation can attribute credit to for the passing of the Federal Reserve Act, as well as the sixteenth and seventeenth amendments, not to mention the reasons for our entry into WWI and WWII, or how the Treaty of Versailles had come to be the tool by which America, Great Britain, and France were able to delineate new borders for countries in the Middle East and Africa.

I don't know the truth yet, but I smell something rotten in the nation of Israel, as well as in the American government's affiliation and participation with that nation.