Why does Israel get so little support from the international community? It clearly wants peace more than the Arabs do, and it's obviously willing to go to much greater lengths to get it. So why do foreign nations, which also claim to want peace in the region, seem to favor the Arabs so much? Maybe the following illustration will add some clarity:

Two men are having a violent quarrel on a street corner in a rough part of town. One is named Ishmael, and the other is named Jacob. Ishmael is bigger than Jacob, and outweighs him by a considerable amount. But Jacob has resources that make him more than a match for his adversary. In fact, truth be told, Ishmael is secretly terrified of what Jacob is capable of doing. But he also knows that Jacob is a sensitive soul who abhors violence and will do almost anything to avoid it. He's now using that knowledge to extract maximum advantage.

Ishmael seems to be in a uncontrolled rage against Jacob. He's screaming and cursing at him, and accusing him of every imaginable crime, in a voice loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. He seems about to jump on Jacob at any second with the intent of killing him. Jacob, for his part, is trying to calm the situation. He's not defending himself against Ishmael's accusations, and is even apologizing profusely for any accusation that has even the tiniest grain of truth. He's clearly trying to appease Ishmael's anger.

A third person enters the scene, a strapping young fellow named George, who's known as the toughest fighter in the neighborhood. Ishmael and Jacob would both like to have George on their side.

Ishmael, in a voice filled with venom, says, "George, this Jacob is the most evil person in the world. He constantly commits atrocious crimes against me. If you have any concern for justice at all, you'll help me finish him off once and for all. But if you don't want to help me, then stay out of it altogether. Jacob is my mortal enemy, and if you help him, you'll be my enemy too. And even though you're stronger than me, I can still do you harm."

Jacob, speaking calmly and refusing to say anything bad about Ishmael, says, "George, I consider you my best friend. I'd really appreciate it if you would restrain Ishmael for me, because I don't want to get into a fight with him. But whatever you decide to do, I'll still consider you a friend."

George thinks about it. Should he side with the hot-tempered Ishmael, or the mild-mannered Jacob? He'd prefer to be on good terms with both, but Ishmael's belligerence makes that difficult. He knows Jacob well, and he knows that Ishmael's accusations are false. In fact, he has a lot of sympathy for Jacob. He knows that Jacob is picked on a lot in this tough neighborhood, not because he doesn't know how to defend himself, but because fighting is abhorrent to his nature, and he tries to avoid it at all costs. In fact, George is rather displeased that Jacob isn't responding more forcefully to Ishmael's provocations.

George is a man who respects strength, and if anybody tried to push him around the way Ishmael is trying to push Jacob around, he'd pound him to a pulp. In fact, part of him is secretly hoping that Jacob will do just that to Ishmael. But he doesn't say so, because that would antagonize Ishmael, who's just crazy enough to strike out at George, despite that fact that he himself would be severely pummeled. In short, it appears that going against Ishmael could have a significant cost, while going against Jacob would probably have very little cost. And George has to consider his own interests first. Why should he put himself at risk standing up for someone who isn't even willing to stand up for himself?

Finally, George decides. His main goal is that the quarrel should stop, regardless of who wins. If it continues much longer, other neighbors may get involved, and the whole neighborhood could descend into chaos. George has a stake in this neighborhood, and he wants it to be peaceful. So he'll keep talking with both men, and show sympathy for the aspirations of both. In the meantime, he'll seek a compromise. If either side seems willing to make concessions, he'll press that side for even more concessions, following the path of least resistance.

So what is Jacob to do? Since he's already shown that he's willing to make concessions, he'll now be pressured to make even more. But if he makes too many, it will be the end of him. There's only one answer. He has to stop making concessions altogether. Once George sees that Jacob won't make any more concessions, he'll stop pressuring him. In fact, he'll even respect Jacob's fortitude, although he won't admit it. Jacob must understand that his life is truly in danger from Ishmael, and must use this realization to overcome his natural inhibition against using all the resources at his disposal to put an end to Ishmael's threat.

Will Jacob make the right decision? Will he recognize Ishmael as the implacable enemy that he is, and act decisively, distasteful though that may be? Stay tuned for future developments.
--------------------------------------------------------
Martin Wasserman is a software developer and former radio show host in California's Silicon Valley. He can be reached at DeeperLook@aol.com.