When Will It End?

It has been said that politics make strange bedfellows, and the Israel-Palestine issue is a great case in point. A lot of Jews who are otherwise progressive have allied themselves with the Religious Right and the Neo-Cons for their support of Israel. (Neither the Religious Right nor the Neo-Cons are on their side out of concern for the Jewish people.) And many people, including a significant number of Jews, who have legitimate questions about the policies of the Israeli government march in lockstep with those who utilize the issue to further their anti-Semitic agenda. Any discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to be prefaced by saying that it is much more complicated than most people recognize, whichever side they are on.

The very existence of the State of Israel is fraught with peril. Israel stands as a very small island surrounded by a sea of Arab and Islamic nations, many of whom have anti-Jewish sentiment ingrained in their culture. A lot of it has been exacerbated since Israel came into being. This is not a justification, but a recognition that there was a time when Jews and Arabs could live as neighbours in the region. There might have been a bit of a bunker mentality when they were both under British rule in Palestine, but Jews were also able to live in relative peace elsewhere in the Middle East. However, the anti-Jewish culture of the region has become grotesque over the last half-century and is just another reason why Israelis feel they need to keep their guard up, and you can't really blame them for that. Then there is the Palestinian refugee problem, which isn't entirely of Israel's making, and not aided at all by the rest of the Arab world. Anyone who criticizes Israel without understanding its history and its obstacles to maintaining democracy need to familiarize themselves with these facts or there will never be any reconciliation of thought.

I wrote recently that the foreign policies and actions taken by the U.S. over the years have not always been benevolent. This idea is considered blasphemous by many on the Right, and condemns me to membership in the "hate America" crowd. But it took me a long time to figure out that the actions taken by governments are not necessarily refelctive of the values of its common citizens, because the corporte power elite doesn't have the citizens' interests in mind. This is not only true of the U.S. If France had thought they could have their interests served by fighting the war in Iraq, they'd have been first in the door. And supporters of Israel should not forget that Israel is not immune. Recall that Israel stood almost alone in the industrial world in their relations with apartheid South Africa in the 70's and 80's. Even now, Israel has seen fit to conduct arms sales with China, the next real menace in the world (and I'll write about China some time soon.) Dwight Eisenhower, upon leaving the office of President, warned of the dangers of too much influence by the Military-Industrial Complex. There is no doubt that plenty of powerful and influential people (and especially corporations) have a vested interest in the perpetuation of conflict. Make no mistake - this is the case in Israel and the Palestinian territories as well. There is a lot of money and power to be lost, on both sides, by a permanent resolution. People who take a black-and-white, hawkish stand in support of Israel have to take this into consideration, or else there will never be any reconciliation of thought.

Where do I stand? I guess you'd call me an extreme moderate. I support a safe and secure State of Israel, as well as a viable Palestinian state. I believe that Palestine's ascension to statehood would immediately make it more accountable to the international community for any terrorist acts perpetrated against Israel. But I also believe that a lot of the measures taken by the Israeli military have been excessive and counterproductive, and justly criticized. In answer to those who wonder why liberal groups criticize Israel but give the Palestinian terrorists and oppressive Arab regimes a "free ride", I can only answer this way: Israel is a democracy, a very important fact in that region. Liberals who value democracy and freedom believe that free nations should live up to a higher standard than those who are not, and demonstrate why our way is better. This is why torturous acts committed in Gitmo and Abu Grahib are abhorrent to any society that values the rule of law. Democracies are rightfully singled out for their transgressions because there is the hope that the people in these countries can hold their leaders accountable for such actions and straighten them out. This is not possible in dictatorships. You have to keep your own house in order before you chew out your neighbour. Saying "we're not as bad as the other guys" is not living up to the highest standards.

It is my hope that the moderate voices on both sides will win the day amid the slings and arrows of outrageous hatred. It is my fear that the powers that be will keep their own winning streak intact.