As always, the nation will rejoice on the anniversary of its independence, much like any other country in the world celebrates its independence day. Israel will also take the time to pay homage to those unselfish men and women, young boys and young girls who gave their lives so that Jews from around the world would have a land they could call home.

And, in turn, tens of thousands of Palestinians – men, women and children – have also paid the ultimate price so that Palestinians can also have a place to call home.

While the birth of Israel in May 1948 was not without the labor of pain and suffering, of course the same can be said about a great many countries which fought for their independence.

With little exception, a good many countries that make up the United Nations today were born through difficult divorces, often resulting in terrible colonial wars often followed by years of even more devastating civil wars. Algeria, Burundi, Croatia, Eritrea, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, India, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Rwanda, Serbia, Timor-Leste, United States, Vietnam, Western Sahara, Yemen and Zimbabwe are just some examples.

But the birth of the State of Israel, as joyous a time as it might be for the Israelis who have managed to survive – and for the most part, prosper – in a neighborhood where everyone was out to get them, is a time of great sadness for the Palestinians.

They will forgo Israeli festivities to remember the "Nakba," the Catastrophe, the moment when the Palestinian Arab inhabitants of the land lost their homes, their possessions and in many cases their identity. That's the time that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians became refugees. And to this day, their children, in some cases grandchildren and great-grandchildren, have remained refugees.

This week the Middle East Times has published, and will continue to publish in the days ahead, numerous opinions representing differing views from Palestinian and Israeli perspectives.

Already we have been accused of being too "pro-American and too pro-Israeli," and we've also been accused of being "too sympathetic to the Arabs."

We have been accused of promoting Islamophobia, something the Middle East Times has strived hard to combat. Rather, we see our mission as one of trying to promote understanding between the different faiths; trying to encourage the Palestinians and the Israelis to live in peace; trying to explain to an uninitiated public the intricacies and nuances of a very complicated region.

In so doing, it is only natural that we will ruffle feathers on both sides when we publish articles, opinions, analysis and news reports that will undoubtedly be perceived to favor one side or another.

The Middle East Times strives to be as objective as possible, although our columnists and our political analysts may well project their opinions in the writings. Some readers will be pleased, others less so. But that is the nature of this business.