Some Things Have Changed

Submitted by Alex (United States), Sep 13, 2013 at 20:40

Two things I can think of that have changed since the Oslo Accords are the vastly increased frequency of suicide bombing as tactic used by Palestinian terrorists against Israel, and the further shrinking of Israel's territorial boundaries to no longer include southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. For that matter, the replacement of Palestinian Arab nationalism with radical Islam is another change. The terminology that people generally use to refer to the conflict between Israel and Arab Muslims has changed, and substantively too --I think that referring to the issue under the heading of "Israel/Palestinian" conflict instead of "Arab/Israeli" conflict both absolves the Arab states of responsibility for the conflict (and they hold 100 % of it) and also reflects a growing despondency over the prospects of making peace.

The current shift of focus from the conflict to the internal affairs of Arab Muslim states seems to be the logical completion of this decline in confidence, as peace with even just the Palestinian Authority now appears less likely to most (John Kerry notwithstanding). Perhaps the terminology cal disappearance of the Arab states in the very description of the conflict with Israel gave rise to a sense of neglect that helped fuel the rebellions that began the Arab Spring.

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