Nobody wants a Palestinian State in the Middle East--except George Bush

Submitted by Martin Kessler (United States), Jun 20, 2007 at 11:57

... What will it take for Daniel pipes to "tell it like it is". By this I mean to repeat here a few words I wrote in response to a question from a supporter of establishing a Palestinian State. I have yet to have anyone tell me I'm missing the essential point.

I copy here an item I wrote some time ago prior to Sharon's idiotic unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in response to a question put to me by an advocate of Palestinian Statehood.

I wrote, as follows:

The point is this: I am at a loss to understand why little if any attention is given to the basic motivating dynamic underlying the Middle East, namely, the reluctance of the Arab States to welcome a Palestinian State in the region. You read that right: A Palestinian State! Israel would be delighted to see a peaceful Palestinian State established. They have since 1947! There are two things the Arab States have always feared: One, is a war with Israel and the second is a free, democratic Palestinian State. The overriding preoccupation of the Arab States, even more than its concern with living with Israel's existence -- if you can imagine that -- is the creation of a democratic Palestine on their borders.

Ironically, compounding this is the fact that the US is driving to accomplish just such an outcome so how could the Arab States, forever seeking aid and protection from the United States, publicly confess that a "peoples" democratic Arab State is anathema to them. The Arab regime's domestic stability would be threatened with internal discord far greater than if they signed a peace treaty with Israel. Israel is actually the lessor of the two evils. The Arab States, but especially Jordan, have been attempting to prevent an independent Palestinian State at every opportunity -- and, this is a fact, even entered into a secret pact with Israel to that end -- when it was first announced in 1947 in the UN partition Plan. Jordan has always wanted land that the Palestinians are hoping to get.

Moreover, in all the innumerable, fruitless, unproductive Arab League "Summits" in the years following 1948 to the present, over 118, to be exact, wherein Arab states exercised their newfound statehood and jockeyed among themselves for self-serving ends, accompanied with mutual back-stabbing all the while professing the unity of the "Arab Nation" -- and to suck up as much Saudi and Gulf money they could extract -- always restrained any effort by the radicals, including the PLO, that might precipitate a war with Israel.

Look at it this way. Let us say in 1967 Israel "kidnapped" the West bank and Gaza and have set as ransom recognition by the Arab States. The Arab states say "No Recognition," "No Negotiation," "No Peace."

Good, says Israel, you don't want us to release the land kidnapped so we'll just hold ["occupy"] it until you come to your senses. And for thirty years the Arab states have let Israel occupy the West bank and Gaza and have done nothing for the stateless Palestinians "kidnapped" with the land, that's how much the Arab States want the land back. Recognition, not "occupation" is and was always the solution of the so-called "Arab-Israeli Conflict" which, gradually, because of uninformed analysts and Politically motivated Journalists became referred to as the "Palestinian-Israeli Conflict," a change in terms to the delight and interest of the Arab States, as if the "Arabs" are no longer a party to the conflict. It's now the Palestinians. How quaint!

Unwittingly, perhaps, we might suggest the Palestinian failure to achieve statehood was ensured by the 30 year sorry "Reign of Arafat." How's that, you say! Was Arafat an agent of Israel? I chuckle at the thought. Even the Mossad could not have placed a more effective agent to prevent a Palestinian State from being born if one follows Arafat's several abortive "peace process" negotiations and bloody Jihads. Just go and survey the current dismal economic and social state to which he led the now impoverished Palestinians. The Palestinians would be happy to move if only they had the resources. The'll be lucky if they ever wind up with just Gaza.

Martin
mdk4130@aol.com

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