Saddam Hussein could not have stopped Arab terrorism by raising his stipend to martyrs? families from $25,000 to $250,000. Granting statehood to an Arab terrorist organization won?t stop Arab terrorism either.
The first and most obvious flaw of the ?roadmap? is that it treats the so-called ?Palestinians? as a party to the conflict. In reality, the enemy Israel has been facing since the day the UN reinstated it on a small portion of its ancient land is the entire Arab world. The ?Palestinian people? is a recent Arab creation. They did not exist until the Arab defeat in the Six-Day War in 1967. They are not a people. (I don?t mean to say they are not human: the Little Italy area in Manhattan is populated by humans who nevertheless do not constitute a ?Little Italian people?.) They are a terrorist organization. They are the Arab weapon against Israel. The Arab war against Israel will go on until the Arab world decides to stop it. The failure of the ?roadmap? to recognize the role of the Arab countries in this war deprives it of even a theoretical chance for success. This failure is so fundamental, that it renders irrelevant even the much-discussed shortcomings of Mahmoud Abbas (if being a terrorist qualifies just as a shortcoming) and the clear fact that Israel is once again being forced to surrender precious tangible assets in exchange for empty promises that no one intends to keep.
Being merely an uninspired variation of the failed Oslo accords, the ?roadmap? cannot bring peace to Israel. This is so obvious that there can be only two possible explanations for the fact that it was nevertheless put forth: either its authors and sponsors are clinical idiots or the goal they are pursuing has nothing to do with peace for Israel.
By the way, today, there is a unique opportunity to end the Arab war against Israel once and for all. All that?s needed for it is a few days during which the IDF would destroy the Palestinian Authority, along with all its affiliates, and reclaim the territory that?s been so far occupied by Arabs calling themselves ?Palestinians?. The Arab countries, of course, would be terribly unhappy about such a development, but their means to express their unhappiness would be severely limited by the benevolent presence of American armed forces in the very heart of the region. This would be perfectly consistent with the US policy of never negotiating with terrorists and would provide a valuable assistance to the American War on Terror.
Instead, for some mysterious reason, President Bush, so uncompromising with all other terrorists, has decided to reward the terrorists that target Israel. Why?
Even though the word ?nooqular? makes my skin crawl, I have never belonged to the rapidly diminishing group of people who consider George W. Bush a moron. He himself, and members of his cabinet, have convincingly demonstrated uncommon talents and great skills under extraordinary circumstances. Therefore, the only remaining possibility is that President Bush, regardless of whatever noble intentions he claims, is working to assure that while Israel?s existence is not really threatened, the Arab war against Israel continues indefinitely. I realize how monstrous this may sound, and yet it would be perfectly consistent with the entire history of US-Israeli relations.
In 1967, the United States did nothing to prevent the Arab war against Israel. When Israel was on the verge of a total victory over its enemies, the United States interfered and saved Arabs from an ultimate defeat.
In 1973, the United States did nothing to prevent the Arab war against Israel. When Israel was on the verge of a total victory over its enemies, the United States interfered and saved Arabs from an ultimate defeat. To erase all vestiges of Israel?s victory, President Carter forced Israel to surrender Sinai. Ever since, Egypt, bribed by the US to the tune of $2 billion a year, has abstained from attacking Israel directly, while remaining one of the major supporters of Arab terrorism against the Jewish State.
In 1982, the United States prevented Israel from destroying the PLO.
In the 1990s, the United States sponsored the ?land for peace? scam that has lent an undeserved legitimacy to the terrorists and weakened Israel.
In 2003, the United States, contrary to its declared policy, is sponsoring the promotion of a terrorist organization to statehood.
There must be a reason for such consistent betrayal of the country America calls its ally. There must be a reason why every inhabitant of the White House makes sure the Arab war against Israel goes on. The first explanation that comes to mind is anti-Semitism, but it doesn?t fly: there are anti-Semites in America, but it is not an anti-Semitic country, and as far as I know, President Bush has never given anyone a reason to suspect him of being an anti-Semite.
Then it must be judeophobia ? the fear of Jews. This may sound ridiculous: there is no army in today?s world that could withstand the awesome force of the US military, and tiny Israel couldn?t threaten the United States even if it called all its reservists, including even the Bedouin scouts. However, the military might is only one part of being a superpower.
Like members of every small, dispersed nation, Jews have been carefully and proudly counting their super achievers in all areas of human endeavor. They have a very good reason to be proud: no other nation on earth has ever produced so many great scientists, artists, philosophers in proportion to its general population. Considering that we are talking about people that were exiled from their land and spent two millennia homeless and persecuted, this looks like a miracle. Even more miraculous is the sheer fact that Jews have survived this far at all.
Israel is not just the only democracy in the Middle East. It is the most prosperous country in the Middle East as well. Surrounded by hostile neighbors outnumbering them 100 to 1, forced to defend the very existence of their country since its rebirth in 1948, the Israelis have literally turned a patch of barren desert dealt to them by the UN General Assembly into a blooming garden. Israel is not just the most prosperous country in the region. It is the only country in the world that sticks to its ethics while facing the mortal danger it has to repel every single day of its life, even though this is perceived as weakness by its enemies and has so far failed to win it a point from the international community.
One can?t help wondering how far Israel would go if allowed to live in peace for a few years, or a few generations.
America is a smart country. It encourages achievers and rewards them, regardless of their origin or religion. It knows how to turn the success of an individual into the success of the society. What if a peaceful, prosperous Israel lures the most talented Jews away from the United States? What if a peaceful, prosperous Israel turns into the scientific, technological, financial, artistic center of the world? What if the nation of super achievers, for the first time in two thousand years, gets a chance to be everything it can be? Will the United States remain a superpower or become just a world policeman in charge of peacekeeping for Israel?
How farfetched is such a concern? Probably not too much. And if you have a different theory that could explain the consistently anti-Israeli policies of the United States, I?d love to hear it.
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Yashiko Sagamori is a New York-based IT consultant.
The first and most obvious flaw of the ?roadmap? is that it treats the so-called ?Palestinians? as a party to the conflict. In reality, the enemy Israel has been facing since the day the UN reinstated it on a small portion of its ancient land is the entire Arab world. The ?Palestinian people? is a recent Arab creation. They did not exist until the Arab defeat in the Six-Day War in 1967. They are not a people. (I don?t mean to say they are not human: the Little Italy area in Manhattan is populated by humans who nevertheless do not constitute a ?Little Italian people?.) They are a terrorist organization. They are the Arab weapon against Israel. The Arab war against Israel will go on until the Arab world decides to stop it. The failure of the ?roadmap? to recognize the role of the Arab countries in this war deprives it of even a theoretical chance for success. This failure is so fundamental, that it renders irrelevant even the much-discussed shortcomings of Mahmoud Abbas (if being a terrorist qualifies just as a shortcoming) and the clear fact that Israel is once again being forced to surrender precious tangible assets in exchange for empty promises that no one intends to keep.
Being merely an uninspired variation of the failed Oslo accords, the ?roadmap? cannot bring peace to Israel. This is so obvious that there can be only two possible explanations for the fact that it was nevertheless put forth: either its authors and sponsors are clinical idiots or the goal they are pursuing has nothing to do with peace for Israel.
By the way, today, there is a unique opportunity to end the Arab war against Israel once and for all. All that?s needed for it is a few days during which the IDF would destroy the Palestinian Authority, along with all its affiliates, and reclaim the territory that?s been so far occupied by Arabs calling themselves ?Palestinians?. The Arab countries, of course, would be terribly unhappy about such a development, but their means to express their unhappiness would be severely limited by the benevolent presence of American armed forces in the very heart of the region. This would be perfectly consistent with the US policy of never negotiating with terrorists and would provide a valuable assistance to the American War on Terror.
Instead, for some mysterious reason, President Bush, so uncompromising with all other terrorists, has decided to reward the terrorists that target Israel. Why?
Even though the word ?nooqular? makes my skin crawl, I have never belonged to the rapidly diminishing group of people who consider George W. Bush a moron. He himself, and members of his cabinet, have convincingly demonstrated uncommon talents and great skills under extraordinary circumstances. Therefore, the only remaining possibility is that President Bush, regardless of whatever noble intentions he claims, is working to assure that while Israel?s existence is not really threatened, the Arab war against Israel continues indefinitely. I realize how monstrous this may sound, and yet it would be perfectly consistent with the entire history of US-Israeli relations.
In 1967, the United States did nothing to prevent the Arab war against Israel. When Israel was on the verge of a total victory over its enemies, the United States interfered and saved Arabs from an ultimate defeat.
In 1973, the United States did nothing to prevent the Arab war against Israel. When Israel was on the verge of a total victory over its enemies, the United States interfered and saved Arabs from an ultimate defeat. To erase all vestiges of Israel?s victory, President Carter forced Israel to surrender Sinai. Ever since, Egypt, bribed by the US to the tune of $2 billion a year, has abstained from attacking Israel directly, while remaining one of the major supporters of Arab terrorism against the Jewish State.
In 1982, the United States prevented Israel from destroying the PLO.
In the 1990s, the United States sponsored the ?land for peace? scam that has lent an undeserved legitimacy to the terrorists and weakened Israel.
In 2003, the United States, contrary to its declared policy, is sponsoring the promotion of a terrorist organization to statehood.
There must be a reason for such consistent betrayal of the country America calls its ally. There must be a reason why every inhabitant of the White House makes sure the Arab war against Israel goes on. The first explanation that comes to mind is anti-Semitism, but it doesn?t fly: there are anti-Semites in America, but it is not an anti-Semitic country, and as far as I know, President Bush has never given anyone a reason to suspect him of being an anti-Semite.
Then it must be judeophobia ? the fear of Jews. This may sound ridiculous: there is no army in today?s world that could withstand the awesome force of the US military, and tiny Israel couldn?t threaten the United States even if it called all its reservists, including even the Bedouin scouts. However, the military might is only one part of being a superpower.
Like members of every small, dispersed nation, Jews have been carefully and proudly counting their super achievers in all areas of human endeavor. They have a very good reason to be proud: no other nation on earth has ever produced so many great scientists, artists, philosophers in proportion to its general population. Considering that we are talking about people that were exiled from their land and spent two millennia homeless and persecuted, this looks like a miracle. Even more miraculous is the sheer fact that Jews have survived this far at all.
Israel is not just the only democracy in the Middle East. It is the most prosperous country in the Middle East as well. Surrounded by hostile neighbors outnumbering them 100 to 1, forced to defend the very existence of their country since its rebirth in 1948, the Israelis have literally turned a patch of barren desert dealt to them by the UN General Assembly into a blooming garden. Israel is not just the most prosperous country in the region. It is the only country in the world that sticks to its ethics while facing the mortal danger it has to repel every single day of its life, even though this is perceived as weakness by its enemies and has so far failed to win it a point from the international community.
One can?t help wondering how far Israel would go if allowed to live in peace for a few years, or a few generations.
America is a smart country. It encourages achievers and rewards them, regardless of their origin or religion. It knows how to turn the success of an individual into the success of the society. What if a peaceful, prosperous Israel lures the most talented Jews away from the United States? What if a peaceful, prosperous Israel turns into the scientific, technological, financial, artistic center of the world? What if the nation of super achievers, for the first time in two thousand years, gets a chance to be everything it can be? Will the United States remain a superpower or become just a world policeman in charge of peacekeeping for Israel?
How farfetched is such a concern? Probably not too much. And if you have a different theory that could explain the consistently anti-Israeli policies of the United States, I?d love to hear it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yashiko Sagamori is a New York-based IT consultant.