FresnoZionism.org — ציונות פרסנו

By Vic Rosenthal

Some questions about the Arab-Israeli conflict and a possible answer:

Why do attempts to compromise with the Palestinians, such as the Camp David proposal, always fail?

Why have the Palestinians chosen terrorism as their preferred means to their political ends? Sometimes it seems as though the violence is an end in itself, and is even counterproductive.

Why is it so hard for Jews and Arabs to understand each other?

I think the answers to these questions lie in the importance of the related concepts of honor and shame in the Arab culture, which is a “culture of honor”.

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By Vic Rosenthal

The following is excerpted from a blog by Yariv Oppenheimer, Secretary General of Peace Now in Israel. My comments are interspersed.

Israel manages to attribute the full stop in the wheels of the peace process to the general Palestinian unwillingness to recognize the State of Israel. By doing that, it enables Hassan Nasrallah, Khaled Mashaal and their partners to dictate diplomatic maneuvering in the region and to prevent any progress towards dialogue and compromise.

What is there to talk about if your ‘partner’ will not even go so far as to admit that you may continue to exist within any borders? How can this not be a reasonable starting point? And if we don’t insist on this in the beginning, what does this say about our self-image, and where can negotiations go after this?

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By Vic Rosenthal

From YNet (AP):

Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Friday that Israel must choose between the mentality of “Israel the fortress” or “living in peace and security with its neighbors.”

Abdullah said that he realized that Washington was preoccupied with Iraq, and said Jordan too wanted to see reconciliation and stability in Iraq.

But, the king added, “The principle [sic] problem in the region is the Palestinian issue and, if it is not solved, it will be impossible to solve the other problems.”

Is this the best he can do? Recycle the same tired, old rubbish?

The King is on his way to Washington, where he will no doubt speak similar wisdom to the US Congress. He is also expected to push for the worthless Arab Peace Initiative, (which I’ve discussed ad nauseum).

Of course, nothing having to do with Israel and the Palestinians can affect Iraq. But the hidden subtext is “Give us Israel and we’ll make it easy on you in Iraq.”

The future of Iraq, however, will be determined by the balance of interests of the major powers in the region, Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran. This will be the case whether or not the United States betrays Israel.

But they will do their best to wring the maximum out of the US until the game is entirely over. Ahmadinijad and the king of Saudi Arabia are probably discussing this right now. The US would be well advised to consider its true interests in the region and continue to support the one country that will be her steadfast ally, Israel.

Technorati Tags: Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Mideast conflict