generalspeaking

Lamentably Clumsy

Or was it deliberate? Hard to say, given that this is the Middle East, Israel, and the United States. Hard to say given that this is Israel, with all its factions and disagreements and awkward political disagreements and even more disingenuous and barely functioning political alliances to make a government look as though it's working. A government polarized even within itself. A government which, even if it enjoyed a one-party majority would still struggle with internal policy disagreements.

So here is yet another visit by yet another high-ranking American with elite executive office playing to both his constituents back home and to this long-time political ally. A political ally, moreover, which has gifted the United States, its perennial champion-with-misgivings with more than a few heart-stopping moments throughout the history of the two countries' special alignment. Pleasing Israel, supporting that tiny nation invariably results in mightily displeasing America's other 'allies' in the geography.

And nowhere is that more true than in the impossible stand-off between Israel and the Palestinians. The conflict in the standoff, needless to say, is not necessarily what it seems; it is, rather between Israel and the Arab/Muslim world. And that's a huge imbalance by anyone's reckoning, guaranteed to induce one headache after another. It is quite simply unreasonable for a miniature country resolved to exist, to continue confronting an Arab-Muslim colossus.

But then, that's the hallmark of Jews in general, isn't it? A tendency to irritable unreasonableness. Why might the world in general and the United States in particular expect Israel to accede to their notion of what's best for the State struggling in a sea of Judaism-malevolent tyrants, when it is not they whose existence hangs on a spider-thread-thin, but iron-tough resistance to annihilation.

Here is President Obama's vice-president, such a nice man, Joe Biden, visiting Israeli cemeteries, holy places, and Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, doing all the proper, conciliatory things, promising steadfastness and resolve to help solve Israel's/the world's searing problems, when he gets gob-smacked by an announcement of the intention to build more homes and apartments in East Jerusalem. Provocation extraordinaire.

Old City Jerusalem? Judaism's ancient historical heritage site of primary importance, with its equally-ancient heritage documents renowned the world over as the Old Testament proof of heritage, proposed by right of inheritance as the capital for a nascent Palestinian state? Well, doesn't that make sense, quite aligned with the Palestinian demand for the 'return' of Judaism's ancient scripts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

There goes Israel again, confounding world expectations that it will play fair and justly hand over to the Palestinians their perfervid aspirations to become a sovereign state with proud ownership of East Jerusalem. But that's what it's like, dealing with Jews, untrustworthy and devilishly clever, determined to have their way. They keep claiming that the biblical-era land, promised by God Almighty to the Hebrews of yore represents their rightful heritage.

Claiming that land in the West Bank, earmarked along with the Gaza Strip as the new Palestinian State, includes in part their heritage, refusing to end the occupation, co-opting Palestinian sites. Those particular discrete sites could, mind, be exchanged in a civil manner with other sites within Israel's borders that are occupied by Arab populations, in a quid pro quo arrangement, but that would mean the Palestinians would have to be reasonable.

And effectively remove one of the primary sources of aggrievement, second only to the major affront of Israel's existence to begin with. What could the Palestinian Authority resort to in their ongoing effort to recruit supporters abroad if the accusations of 'occupation' of Palestinian land by illegal settlers, were resolved; if the reason for reproof were removed as a result of a conciliatory trade? As it stands, condemnation of Israel's perfidy is most useful.

Israel, on the other hand, makes no inroads in public support abroad when it trots out the reality of the Palestinian Authority's ongoing incitement to violence against the Jewish state, nor the glorification of Palestinian 'martyrs' who have murdered Jewish civilians, nor its teaching of Palestinian children that the Jews aspire to murder all Arabs to destroy the very future prospect of a Palestinian state.

These tedious little disagreements aside, what prospects for peace could possibly abide in the absurd third-party peace talks, when the Palestinian Authority, after suspending first-party peace talks continues to refuse to meet with Israelis face to face? Why should they; as time goes on they become ever more emboldened to insist on greater entitlements for the achievement of peace. All designed to destroy the state they refuse to recognize as Jewish.

And aside from all of these little digressions, it was impossibly awkward, deliberately non-plussing for Israel to embarrass poor old Joe Biden. Just trying to do his best to get along, after all. Encouraging direct negotiations where there are no prospects for any. And meanwhile, Israel is coping with her own problems, with her own citizens, and her own parliamentarians some of whom can behave very peculiarly indeed.

Take, for example, the Deputy Knesset Speaker, Arab MK Ahmed Tibi, who as a proud Israeli and member of the Knesset with the responsibility as Deputy Speaker, validating Palestinian grievances at the misfortune of the creation of the State of Israel; the Palestinian Nakba, an event of great mourning. For Israel, recalling the pre-State British Mandate regime when Jewish men who struggled to achieve an independent state for Jews were sentenced to be hanged, the Knesset convened a special ceremony honouring their memory.

Whereupon Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Ahmed Tibi, was inspired to deny their status as national heroes calling out during said ceremony, interrupting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's memorial speech: "Why are they being honored? These are heroes - or terrorists?" Not even in anyone's wildest dreams could the prospect of a Jew, elected within an Arab parliament rise out to shout such a condemnation, be possible.

So much for apartheid Israel. But then, isn't it the proof of that old maxim that one man's villain is another man's hero? Or should that be one country's heroes explaining another nation's terrorists?

Labels: Conflict, Israel, Middle East, United States

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, March 10, 2010