Obstacles To Victory

Submitted by Dave, Jan 11, 2017 at 11:46

If Israel and Palestine were located on an island in the middle of an ocean, the idea of a decisive Israeli victory would be quite plausible. The geographic and cultural reality is very different, however.

Culturally, Palestine is really but a subset of the vast Islamic lands around Israel. Geographically, it represents the tip of an iceberg stretching from Morocco to Indonesia. Palestine is the Islamic version of Israel, its putative replacement, both geographically and theologically. It is the political embodiment of a victory mosque. The Palestinians are the front line shock troops of a big jihad, and there are plenty of reinforcements ready to march right behind them if needed. That's why a military defeat is so problematic, despite its obvious appeal.

The real path to victory is through the battle of ideas. On that front, the West holds all the cards. Our culture is far superior and a Western vision of the region should be much more compelling if only we had the self-confidence to boldly make the case. But do we have that confidence? That's a question.

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