February 2006
Avant Propos
This paper attempts to provide the
reader with a number of history related pieces of information, the
perception of whose interaction is needed to create a knowledgeable grasp
of the tragic, over a century old Jewish-Arab conflict in Palestine.
It is neither news, nor detailed
history. It is, rather, the information needed to form an opinion.
The paper is dedicated to the
readers who wish to come to their own conclusion, rather than to those who
already have acquired a firm, politically correct, mainstream opinion and
do not want to be confused with facts.
Although the views expressed are
personal and subjective, I attempted to present them as logically and
truthfully as possible. I would appreciate reading my opponents’ views
when presented in a similar way. Maybe we shall be able to find a common
denominator.
Stories and books on the Arab-Israeli
conflict abound. Middle East Quarterly Review, Fall 2004,
introduces its readers to 15 new books, some of high value, released
during Autumn 2004.
Examining these publications, one
realizes that many are either pure academic studies of a particular event,
plain current media reporting, political defensive or offensive statements
related to a detail/issue, or reports on a particular event. Most of these
writings are valuable, well worth reading.
However, as an active participant in
over 60 years of struggle for the establishment of a “Jewish National Home
in Palestine”, I believe, to paraphrase George Orwell in reverse, that
“Ignorance is By No Means Bliss”. Insufficient historical perspective,
lack of careful analysis of the intense ongoing interaction
between various regional events, especially US and Israeli policy/war aims
in the ME coupled with insufficient attention paid to global geopolitical
changes over time, do lead many erudite and diligent people to wrong
conclusions. Were these conclusions to relate to historic trivia, it would
not matter. But where ME political issues are concerned, one deals with
matters of life and death of the region and for about 60% of the world’s
oil reserves. Hence this paper, whose purpose is to cast some more light
on politics and media-blurred notions, vectors closely interacting in a
complicated matrix.
YTC
For the
complete text of this paper in English, click
here.