Palestinian-Israeli problem
QUITE a few articles about the Palestinian-Israeli issue have appeared in the Pakistani press lately.One of these, titled “Israel’s gloomy reality’ by , Dr.Alon Ben-Meir, appeared in Pakistan Today on February 21.
The article honestly describes the atrocities and illegalities, committed by the Israeli authorities on Palestinians.
However, it is silent on the role played by the United States and the European countries in creating, nourishing and nurturing Israel and making it the monster that it has become.
After all, Israel’s invincibility is due to it being the sole nuclear power in the region.And we know that Israel acquired this capacity with the active help of the US, France, Britain and Germany which, between them, provided it a nuclear reactor, hard water, super computers and nuclear capable submarines.
Additionally, using their veto power, Israel’s sponsors have been blocking meaningful attempts at the UN Security Council to solve the Palestinian-Israeli problem.
Moreover, the US gives Israel military and economic aid, and maintains a buffer stock of ammunition which it regularly replenishes so that Israel may never be short of ammunition while bombarding Palestinians.
Donald Trump crossed all limits of decency, even legality, in pampering Israel, by establishing US embassy in the disputed Jerusalem and accepting Israel’s sovereignty over disputed and illegally-occupied territory, in flagrant violation of UN resolutions.
In fact, the successive US administrations have been so much under the influence of pro-Israel lobbies that sometimes it becomes difficult to tell that between the United States and Israel, which is the dominant partner.
The strangle-hold of pro-Israel lobbies on successive US administrations can be judged from the fact that the US hushed up the matter of the reckless killing by Israel of 34 American sailors and wounding of another 171 in the USS Liberty incident.
The article also does not say why a community having such a large number of accomplished professionals did not maintain at least one state for Jews despite having a much earlier start than both Christianity and Islam.
Moreover, out of the total world Jewish population of under twenty million, only about seven million live in Israel.
Also, in recent years, the number of Jews leaving Israel to settle abroad seems to be higher than those coming to settle in Israel.
So, just how much land Israel needs for its small Jewish population, even allowing for its natural growth?
And why do the Israelis have to grab more and more land – which they don’t really need – uprooting Palestinians through terror organized at state level?
In the absence of any logical reason, I can only assume that perhaps the reason behind this abnormal hunger for free land is the proverbial greed usually associated with Jewish community, which statement may perhaps appear exaggerated but may not be entirely unfounded.
During nearly a decade’s stay in the UK long time back, I came in contact with many Jews who were mostly reasonable persons.
One of them, a third-generation Jewish immigrant really hated Germans, for obvious reasons.
He said that whenever he went to Europe on holiday by car, he made sure not to stay in Germany for the night and drove right across it.
However, what he did not say was that he used to drive right through Germany in a BMW car.
Now, if he detested Germans, and things German that much, he could have easily avoided a German-made car, especially when Europe offered a big range of quality automobiles.
The reason he always had a BMW was that it offered excellent value for money, and fetched high resale price because of rising value of German currency those days.
Perhaps for him, the monetary gain overrode all other considerations. And extending that logic, grabbing Palestinian land free of cost becomes quite ‘understandable.’
Moreover, despite having so many billionaires within the comparatively rich Jewish community, Israelis don’t mind receiving US economic and military aid – which is basically charity – thereby depriving many Americans who may be in greater need of help.
So again, monetary gain supersedes and overrides all other consideration, including national pride, etc.
According to Dr.Alon Ben-Meir, the Israelis of European origin discriminate even with Jews of Middle-Eastern and North African origin.
And additionally, there is division between secular, Orthodox, ultra-orthodox, reformed and conservative Jews, with each class suspicious of others.
So, excluding a small number of humane Jewish individuals and institutions, it is quite obvious how the majority of Israelis will treat Palestinians.
The writer also talks about self-serving Israeli politicians.Another problem is the multiplicity of political parties, made worse with the proportional representation system which makes the government basically a hotch-potch government, unable to make bold and ‘unpopular’ decisions which could turn Israel into a somewhat normal state, as opposed to the terrorist state that it is.
Dr Alon Ben-Meir rightly claims that there can’t be peace in the region without a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli problem.
This is almost universally seen as a viable Palestinian state, on a contiguous piece of land, with East Jerusalem as its capital, plus fair settlement for Palestinian refugees.
Unfortunately, the successive short-sighted Israeli leadership has failed to realize that such a settlement is essential even to ensure long-term survival of Israel.
Unfortunately, the Israeli leadership neither has the will nor the capacity and courage that is needed to make it happen.
And as for the US and its veto-holding western allies, having attacked and ravaged Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya, they are now busy, trying to use Ukrainians against Russia, much like they used and abused Afghans.
However, with the changing global power dynamic, Israeli situation cannot stay static. So, if Israel and its sponsors fail to take appropriate and timely action, the matter may eventually erupt and sort itself out, but in ways which may not be to their liking.
— The writer is senior political analyst based in Karachi.
