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Recent WikiLeaks revelations exposed the hypocrisy exercised by Arabs when it comes to the words they verbalize in public or in Arabic as opposed to what they say in private or in English.
WikiLeaks has shown the Saudis to side with Israel against Iran and its nuclear ambitions by making it known that Israel is not the only concerned nation, anxious about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s aspirations. These unearthed publications revealed a truth, long claimed by leaders of the Jewish state, that Iran poses a threat to the rest of the world, including its Muslim neighbors. It cannot be refuted now. The bully from the Persian Gulf is not only an Israeli concern. Dealing with it forcefully is the masked wish of most Arab leaders as they have secretly pleaded with the U.S. to take aggressive action against Iran. Most recently, WikiLeaks has confirmed the covert cooperation between the PA’s and the Israeli security forces. The June 13, 2007, memo from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv has made clear that during the civil war in Gaza that ended with the Hamas takeover, the Israeli security service was provided with all the intelligence that Abbas’ internal security agency collected on Hamas. The Fatah security forces sided with Israel against their Hamas brothers. Surprised? Not quite. Hamas has long complained about Fatah’s cooperation with the “reviled Israeli Security Agency”. As it goes, most of the world’s Muslims view any collaboration between Arabs and Israelis as indistinguishable from the titanic crime of blasphemy. Prior to the WikiLeaks revelations, Fatah, in its efforts to save its authenticity, denied it had cooperated with the Jews; the PA believed they could get away with a bald-faced disclaimer, since there was no clear proof. There is one now, and Abbas must find a way to recover from this “horrific setback.” There are two dichotomous options available to the PA president. He may keep denying that his forces have collaborated with the Israelis, or he can say, “Yes, we have done it; we still do it; we will keep on doing it.” Let’s look at the consequences of each side of this troubled coin. Denial in the face of cool and hard evidence may convince those who want to believe the lie. Years of brainwashing, teaching Jew-hatred in schools, rubbing out Jewish history and Jews’ connection to the land of Israel, persistent Nazi-style anti-Semitism — all have contributed to a deep-rooted mindset. This way of thinking, this paradigm, marks anyone who collaborates openly with the Jews — regardless of the merits or the benefits of such joint effort — as a traitor, a scum of the earth, a dreg of humanity. Those who want to believe the denial will use their cemented prejudice as a source of counter-evidence. They will accept the PA word as a final cut. No argument and no proof will change their mind. On the other hand, there are skeptics (including opposition forces), even within the Palestinians. They include Hamas members, open-minded folks, and some “experienced” individuals within the Palestinian Arab masses who do not trust the PA. These groups pose a risk to Abbas and his colleagues. Their numbers may grow, leading to dwindling popular support — not a safe outcome for the deniers. The second option available to the PA is admitting to the truth: “Yes we have collaborated with Israel. It was our best option when trying to protect the life and livelihood of our citizens from Hamas terror. It was the right move when trying to steer clear of constant war, destruction and never-ending Jihad. We want to live in peace and security, grow our economy, improve our standard of living. And if collaboration with Israel facilitates and promotes this cause, so be it.” But, wait a minute… Arab leaders who attempted this paradigm shift paid with their lives. King Abdullah (the present king’s great grandfather) of Jordan and Anwar Sadat are best historical proofs that the risk they had taken was deadly. And unfortunately, Abbas would face the same outcome should he dare walking in Anwar Sadat’s shoes. The PA may not be able to admit to collaborating with Israel against Hamas, even in the face of hard evidence. They may not be able to stand up and declare in Arabic, in public, “yes, we have done so.” They may not be able to reverse years of brainwashing. They may fail the truth test. And if they do fail the test, it will constitute one more proof that true peace in the Middle East is an impossible dream, a mirage. If Arab leaders are unable to bridge over and bulldoze the hate-chasm that they have cultivated for the past one-hundred years, then any peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians may have little chance of being realized today. If they fail the test, but nonetheless, a peace miracle comes to pass in spite and against all odds, it may certainly never subsist beyond the next inevitable Palestinian regime change. I wonder. Will the Palestinians fail the truth test? Or will WikiLeaks bring about a paradigm shift in the Middle East?
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The December 20 issue of Time Magazine features an article, “Palestinian Youth, Growing the next generation of Israel’s adversaries,” by Karl Vick, in which he contends that the separation wall, erected by Israel on the border line between Israel and the West Bank, is the reason for the separation of the mind, for the absence of familiarity. It is the rationale and the basis, he claims, “there is little chance for the two peoples, one day living as neighbors in peace.”
Really? “It’s the wall,” rather than the constant brainwashing of the Palestinian youth by their leaders and their schoolteachers. “It’s the wall,” not the rise of political Islam with its anti-Semitic venom. “It’s the wall, which isolates the Palestinians, taking them farther away from the Mediterranean coast, and from orientation to the West,” not their seventh century desert Jihad culture and teaching, portraying America and Israel as the latest reincarnation of the devil. Oh, no. Blame it on the wall. Now, let’s examine the true nature of the separation wall. It formalizes the border between the state the Palestinians are striving for and the despised Jews and their “Zionist entity.” This wall is a dead ringer for any other border between countries. It makes it difficult for those who wish to cross illegally from one state to another. And in Israel’s case, it prevents terrorists and suicide bombers from crossing into Israeli towns and neighborhoods, killing innocent women and children in the killers’ quest for a fake promise of paradise. It does not prevent Palestinians from crossing legally into Israel, as thousands of them do on a daily basis, in quest of medical care in Israeli hospitals. It does not prevent Palestinian children from learning the truth about Israel and Israelis in their schools. It does not prevent Palestinians from appreciating and relating to Western culture due to their inability to reach the Mediterranean — Islam pulls it off for them. A formal border between countries, a border preventing illegal infiltration from one side to the other, should not be drawn on as an excuse for hostilities unless the hostile region does not accept the borderline as a formal boundary denoting and marking their territory’s limits. When Palestinians see the wall, they see an end to their dream of an expanded Palestine, stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, where Jews are no longer the masters of that narrow stretch of land they call Israel. The Palestinians do not like the wall because it formalizes the fact that Israel is not part of Palestine; it is a different country ruled by different people. It does not enclose the Palestinians in a prisonlike state unless they make their own towns and villages feel like prison. In the fifties and sixties, when I grew up in Israel, the country was young, isolated and tiny. I did not hate America, I loved and admired it, even though I had never been outside the boundaries of my petite world. I knew what Europe was like, even though I had never visited Paris, London or Zurich. I read books, saw pictures, watched movies. I did not feel isolated like those Palestinians who could benefit from the Internet as well, only if they truly wanted to learn about Israel and its people. Time Magazine had it wrong again. Karl Vick offered a distorted picture of the root-cause dominating the Palestinian “misunderstanding” of what Israel is. It’s not the separation wall, Karl. It is the persistent brainwashing; it’s the Palestinian’s culture of hate and hubris. It’s the Palestinian’s unwillingness to accept Israel for what it is — a Jewish state. Five days ago, On December 11, I wrote an article, "What do the Palestinians want?" (also in http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/9863), in which I claimed that they were merely bluffing when threatening to call for a unilateral declaration of statehood. I claimed that they put on an act, pretending to yearn for an independent state.
Since then, on December 13, the European Union has threatened to recognize an independent Palestinian state to punish Israeli refusal to halt "illegal" Jewish settlements. This was in response to Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath who had asked France, Britain, Sweden and Denmark and the European Union envoy to the peace process to recognize the truce lines before the 1967 Mideast war as the borders between Israel and a Palestinian state. On December 15, Palestinian Authority's Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, declared, on Israel's TV, that "the Palestinian Authority (PA) is not interested in another unilateral declaration of statehood." In other words, he said (I am paraphrasing here), that the PA was bluffing… Fayyad went further and explained that he did not see how a unilateral declaration would help the PA's cause. Such a declaration "is not and will not be a part of our thinking," he added. Apparently, when circumstances reached the point of "we have to deliver on our threat," there was nothing but an empty bag, filled with hot air. What was obvious to me was not obvious to the professionals from the EU. It only proved once more that the EU governments are clueless when it comes to reading the tealeaves, which decorate the desert culture of those who practice "the religion of peace". For years, it has been taken for granted that the Palestinian leadership, a.k.a. the Palestinian Authority (PA), headed by their current president, Mahmoud Abbas, has been striving for an independent state, free of Israeli occupation. They have seemed to be making every effort at being in charge of their own administrative, economic, security and overall governing responsibilities. Moreover, recent plans by Abbas and his "peace team", the PLO and Fatah Central Committees, have called for a unilateral declaration of statehood with the backing of the international community, since "Israel was not interested in reaching a bilateral peace deal." It does seem genuine. Arab's frustration over Israel's "lack of sincerity and violation of agreements" has left the PA no choice, but to completely abrogate the Oslo Accords and all subsequent agreements signed with Israel, declare independence, then hope for the best. But, surprisingly, the "best", according to the secret agenda of the PA, is nothing more than a prolongation of the status-quo, a continuance of the demonization of Israel by the pro-Arab, and anti-Semitic international communities. Let me explain…
If truth be told, the PA does not fancy an independent Palestine confined to the territory of the West Bank (Gaza is ruled by Hamas where the PA has no jurisdiction and no influence what so ever), nor do they desire an independent state status with a genuine, democratic state infrastructure. They are merely bluffing. They put on an act, pretending to yearn for an independent state. It's convenient, it's popular, it's enriching its ruling elite. They stick to the simple reality that getting there is much more fun than being there. And they intend to keep the road to independence longer than a thousand light years. "It does not make any sense," you might say. "Why?" You might contest. "Isn't independence a preferred status to Israeli occupation?" You might pause to catch your breath, then continue, "And even if the PA does not wish for an independent state, what's the motive behind making us believe they do? And how do you explain their unilateral move toward an independent state?" Let me tackle these important arguments by taking on the last challenge first. The potential declaration of a Palestinian state by the PA will not create an existent Palestinian state. It will merely deepen the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; it may effect another round of Intifada (uprising). Israel will continue to occupy the Palestinian territories; the PA will continue to cry foul; the international anti-Israel propaganda machine will acquire new wings, powered by a fresh cause; the hate engine, the core (and maybe the solitary) force bringing about Arab unity, will reboot to a new phony morality. In short, a unilateral declaration of independence by the PA will yield no change to the actual status of the territory. It, nonetheless, will elevate the PA leadership to a hero standing, will solidify their eminence as bona fide freedom fighters, and will secure their leadership position. It's good politics—not an honest concern for the long-term well-being of their flock. Furthermore, the PA is not prepared for running their own state. They lack basic infrastructure; they depend on Israel for the most basic needs like financial services, medical services, food, energy, even internal security. And Israel (rather than the PA) is obligated by international law to ensure that as an occupier it must provide for normal and healthy living of the residents in the occupied territories. And as long as the Palestinians remain "occupied", as long as they maintain the "poor refugee" image, the naïve world would feel sorry for them, would shower them with money and resources, would endow their leaders with comfortable, worthy of note lifestyle—not a bad outcome for a fake cause. It has become increasingly evident that the PA is not seeking an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They have refused to abandon their demand for a return of the refugees to their non-existent homes in Israel and for recognition of Israel as a Jewish state; they have refused to leave the past behind and move on to a better and peaceful future. They keep mounting piles over piles of unreasonable excuses, justifying their unwillingness to negotiate an end to the conflict; they keep encouraging the proliferation of Jew-hatred, since loathing is a strong unifying force in a society overflowing with infighting, rivalry, a culture of endless vengeance and backstabbing between clans, and no tradition or history of national unity. Mahmoud Abbas must realize that once he rules over an independent Palestine he runs the risk of being exposed to his own fake wishes. An independent Palestinian state may not have the legal entitlement to vital Israeli services—services provided at present under the rule of "occupation". He also knows that independence may bring about an eruption of violence in his own backyard as a direct consequence of invoking further feelings of deprivation. Abbas does not want an independent Palestinian state. He does want to maintain the status-quo of an occupied territory, maintain pressure on Israel, keep playing the poor, the needy, the deprived, the weak, so that he can prolong the international pouring of sympathy and material gifting. He keeps on playing loser—"never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity". Abbas belongs with a culture where logical reasoning and forward looking take a backseat to pride and false honor; where redeeming the shame of the 1948 Naqba (the "catastrophe" of Israel's independence) takes precedence over a peaceful future, free of past fiascoes. The game played by the PA will not lead to a peaceful co-existence. The US should abandon its fruitless efforts of pressuring Israel for increasingly more concessions in its attempts to facilitate an end to the status-quo. It takes two to tango, and the other partners, the PA and its comfortable leaders, are not about to take unnecessary risks. They do not intend to plead for a change. For the past hundred years, they have brainwashed their own people, preaching Jew-hatred. Going against their own teaching, the PA leadership may very well terminate their support base, their careers, their livelihoods, their lives… |
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