PEACE FAILURES - PAST AND FUTURE

PEACE FAILURES - PAST AND FUTURE

September 9, 2010

The outstanding, continuous basis for Palestinian/Israeli peace-initiative failures in the past, and the obvious presence of those reasons for the much anticipated failure of the current peace initiative, is the intransigence of the on-looking Arab states. The vast majority of those states benefit in various ways from the continuation of the conflict. Only two of the twenty-one neighboring states have peace treaties with Israel – Egypt and Jordan, and only one other, Morocco, has formal relations with Israel.

The primary benefit is the continued rule of the oligarchies in those states. By pointing at Israel and pointing to the continuing Palestinian/Israeli conflict as the source of all woes and the sad economic condition of their masses, the oligarchs are freed from responsibility for that miserable impoverished condition. Reading local newspapers, seeing state-controlled television, and driving through the countries from city to city, it becomes apparent that every negative in their citizens’ lives that can be found, is exploited loudly and vigorously against Israel. Poor health care, low level schools, retarded economic growth, even the rutted condition of the roads and the shortages of foods and goods caused by control of the wealth and power of the oligarchs, is levied against Israel. “How can one make peace with such an enemy?” “Allah willing, the Jews will all be murdered.”

The condition of unemployed hordes of men, sitting and smoking and sipping at their little coffee-cups in the cafes that line the roads in all the towns in the Arab world, is blamed on Israel. Yet calls to protest peace with Israel brings those hordes to march, raising banners and weapons by young and old men, - but not the burdened women - screaming imprecations against the avowed enemy of their world of deadly backwardness. All this rabble-rousing noise is applauded by the wealthy in their walled villas and government offices.

The Western World wants Israel to make concessions to these rulers so their oil may flow westward; to become the sacrificial lamb. Israel does not cooperate. Israel cannot cooperate and live.

No Palestinian leader can ever make peace with Israel without fear of assassination by the military servants of the Arab power elites for taking away their goodies. No compromise can ever be made without the acquiescence of those power elites.

Notwithstanding United States pressure on Israel to make concessions that appear to lead to peace, will peace ever be achieved without democratic rule in Arab countries. This is the curse in all the conflicts with the Muslim world and within the Muslim world. This is the curse of Iran and Saudi Arabia, of Syria and Lebanon, of Iraq and Afghanistan. Guns are votes.

No democracy, no peace; not past and not future.