That said, the first place to look is at Israel. No, it's not because I hate Jews or because I secretly sympathize with the Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians, Egyptians, or Iranians1. The reason to look first at Israel is because Israel seems to be in the mix everytime there's a problem. When my eldest son was having issues in school a few years ago, it wasn't because he was doing anything overtly bad. It just happened that everytime something was going on, he seemed to be nearby. So, suspicion naturally fell on him. By moving away from the center of action, he stopped getting into trouble.
So, why is Israel always nearby when trouble arises in the Middle East? There are at least two sides to this.
Israeli supporters would say something like: Israel is just defending its right to exist, so must strike hard in response to any provocation. Otherwise its enemies will see it as weak.
Arab supporters would say something like: Zionists are attempting to destroy Islam and ensure the domination of the Jewish people. The Arab people must wipe this abomination from the face of the earth.
Not much in common, is there? Well, there is. Both viewpoints are driven by fear. The Israelis are afraid of being destroyed, so they lash out in what they feel is a desperate attempt to preven their demise. And, given the rhetoric, it's not a unreasonable position.
The Arabs, on the other hand, are afraid of losing more land, power, and lives to Israeli incursions. Ignoring for a second whether or not those incursions were provoked, it should be relatively obvious that the reactions taken by the Israelis are very harsh given the provocations. Two soldiers are kidnapped and 15,000 soldiers invade a sovreign nation without a declaration of war, drop 500lb bombs on civilian targets and end up killling around 1000 people in an incursion that lasts over 30 days. That seems to be the standard ratio between provocation and response.
Is it any wonder that compromise is extremely hard to come by?
Footnotes:
- Did I miss anyone in that list? That there is a list should be a telling point.
1 comment:
Rob, Rob, Rob. Put your kool-aide down. Go read the PIG Guide to Islam and the Crusades and get back to us with a revised understanding. Furthermore, consider that while Israel may occasionally create their own problem, or respond harshly to the kidnapping of their soldiers (too harshly to make you comfortable), often the Arab nations that surround Israel act provocatively.
What do I mean by this? Let's see, proclaiming to the world that Israel should be wiped from the map. Claiming that Jews and their faith are a lesser, misguided race/religion. Suicide bombings. Theft. Suicide bombings. Missile attacks. Suicide bombings. You get my point.
This isn't entirely about some agreement from the 50's that Syria is pissed about. This is the entire Arab world, and the entire Muslim world, fighting a continuing holy crusade against Christians and Jews. Some of it is overt and brutally violent (suicide bombings) some of it is less so, Fatwa or proclamations from the president of a sovereign state.
After some 2000 years of persecution from everyone from Egyptian Pharos, German Dictators, and Looney Puppet Presidents and American Skinheads; you might begin to understand how they might be a tad on the irritable side.
What you've presented hear in your post sounds like a relocation program; news flash, they were there before the Muslims, and they have as much right to their homeland as anyone else, if not more [I apologize in that my knowledge of the entire history of that piece of land is a bit thin when it comes to who was where first] What I do know is, Israel is a small portion of a vast region, and while every major religion in the world has some claim to Jerusalem, Israel holds the territory for the moment.
To suggest that this is some fear based argument between two juveniles in a school yard is to presuppose ones own greater maturity and to wholly misunderstand the crux of the argument in the first place.
Post a Comment