What Drives the Arab-Israeli Conflict?
There are two basic ways to view the Arab-Israeli conflict. To understand these two basic views, we have to identify conflict drivers. What drives the conflict?
It’s the Occupation, stupid!
This argument is a favorite of the Left and the mainstream media. Not including egregious examples of anti-Israel bias, if the MSM seems subtly biased against Israel, it is because they base their reporting/interpretation of the conflict from the assumption that Israeli occupation of parts of the West Bank and Gaza drives the conflict and is thus the major impediment to peace.
It’s the implacable anti-Semitic hatred, stupid!
The other argument cites the unceasing anti-Semitic hate that permeates Arab and Muslim society as the primary driver of the conflict. For some reason, I rarely read about this phenomenon in the MSM, even though it is well documented. If you doubt me, have you read or heard anything in the MSM about the latest accusations in the Arab world blaming Israel for Sharm el-Sheikh attacks in Egypt? You didn’t?
The occupation is not the primary driver
Which perspective is most accurate? I think the latter. First of all, the Arab states tried to kill Israel at birth in 1948, before she was even a state, before any occupation or refugees. In the following 19 years Egypt ruled Gaza and Jordan ruled the West Bank and East Jerusalem, yet both countries continued to support terror against Israel and advocated its destruction. In 1967 they rose up to destroy Israel, but ended up loosing the aforementioned territories. So, we can already see that Arab hate and aggression pre-dated the occupation.
Secondly, in 2000 Ehud Barak essentially offered Yasser Arafat everything the Palestinian “moderates” claimed would satisfy them: namely a state composed of the West Bank, Gaza and a shared Jerusalem. The Palestinians responded with the so-called al-Aksa Intifadah; in short, violence and rejectionism. This was their opportunity to “end the occupation,” and they blew it (up).
Thirdly, over the years polls have shown that large percentages of Arabs do not believe a two-state solution would be a satisfactory resolution to the conflict. In fact, if we merely listen to what the Arabs say in their mosques, newspapers, manifestos, etc., it is sadly obvious that for most of them, nothing short of the destruction of Israel will satisfy them.
In addition to the above examples, we have the insane anti-Semitic conspiracies theories, canards, lies and pure Jew-hatred promulgated incessantly through the most popular Arab and Muslim media outlets, as well as in the mosques, schools, universities and on the streets. The constant bombardment of anti-Semitic venom has poisoned the minds of generations of Arabs, and it is this hatred that motivates them to despise Israel and keeps the conflict chugging along.
This does not mean that Israel should continue to occupy the West Bank and Gaza. In fact, most Israelis want to end the occupation. They’ve tried, as the Camp David talks in 2000 attest. Despite the savage violence of the “al-Aksa Intifada,” Israel is about to unilaterally disengage from Gaza. This won’t stop the violence. It will probably make it worse. The unilateral withdrawal will send the signal that violence, not negotiations, work. Thus, more violence will follow.
With so much evidence proving that the “Occupation” is not the real driver of the conflict—and with so many insane anti-Semitic theories circulating throughout the Arab world—you would think that ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Newsweek, NYT’s, etc. et al., would take more notice by now.
It’s the Occupation, stupid!
This argument is a favorite of the Left and the mainstream media. Not including egregious examples of anti-Israel bias, if the MSM seems subtly biased against Israel, it is because they base their reporting/interpretation of the conflict from the assumption that Israeli occupation of parts of the West Bank and Gaza drives the conflict and is thus the major impediment to peace.
It’s the implacable anti-Semitic hatred, stupid!
The other argument cites the unceasing anti-Semitic hate that permeates Arab and Muslim society as the primary driver of the conflict. For some reason, I rarely read about this phenomenon in the MSM, even though it is well documented. If you doubt me, have you read or heard anything in the MSM about the latest accusations in the Arab world blaming Israel for Sharm el-Sheikh attacks in Egypt? You didn’t?
The occupation is not the primary driver
Which perspective is most accurate? I think the latter. First of all, the Arab states tried to kill Israel at birth in 1948, before she was even a state, before any occupation or refugees. In the following 19 years Egypt ruled Gaza and Jordan ruled the West Bank and East Jerusalem, yet both countries continued to support terror against Israel and advocated its destruction. In 1967 they rose up to destroy Israel, but ended up loosing the aforementioned territories. So, we can already see that Arab hate and aggression pre-dated the occupation.
Secondly, in 2000 Ehud Barak essentially offered Yasser Arafat everything the Palestinian “moderates” claimed would satisfy them: namely a state composed of the West Bank, Gaza and a shared Jerusalem. The Palestinians responded with the so-called al-Aksa Intifadah; in short, violence and rejectionism. This was their opportunity to “end the occupation,” and they blew it (up).
Thirdly, over the years polls have shown that large percentages of Arabs do not believe a two-state solution would be a satisfactory resolution to the conflict. In fact, if we merely listen to what the Arabs say in their mosques, newspapers, manifestos, etc., it is sadly obvious that for most of them, nothing short of the destruction of Israel will satisfy them.
In addition to the above examples, we have the insane anti-Semitic conspiracies theories, canards, lies and pure Jew-hatred promulgated incessantly through the most popular Arab and Muslim media outlets, as well as in the mosques, schools, universities and on the streets. The constant bombardment of anti-Semitic venom has poisoned the minds of generations of Arabs, and it is this hatred that motivates them to despise Israel and keeps the conflict chugging along.
This does not mean that Israel should continue to occupy the West Bank and Gaza. In fact, most Israelis want to end the occupation. They’ve tried, as the Camp David talks in 2000 attest. Despite the savage violence of the “al-Aksa Intifada,” Israel is about to unilaterally disengage from Gaza. This won’t stop the violence. It will probably make it worse. The unilateral withdrawal will send the signal that violence, not negotiations, work. Thus, more violence will follow.
With so much evidence proving that the “Occupation” is not the real driver of the conflict—and with so many insane anti-Semitic theories circulating throughout the Arab world—you would think that ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Newsweek, NYT’s, etc. et al., would take more notice by now.
posted by semite1973 at 7:54 AM
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