By: Jabbar Fazeli, MD
UN recognition of "Palestine"
The UN voted last week, on November 29, 2012, to admit Palestine as a non-member observer State by an overwhelming majority, with 138 in favor, 41 abstentions, and 9 No votes. The No votes were Israel, USA, Canada, Czech Republic, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Panama, and Palau; 5 countries were absent (2). This status is similar to that of the Vatican in the UN, and is the first step to joining other international organizations.
It took the generations of Palestinian leaders, and their Arab and Muslim allies, 65 years to finally see the merits in applying for Palestinian "statehood", something they could have easily done in 1948, as stipulated by the 1947 UN partition plans that ended the British mandate in Palestine (1). This vote was not even close, due in part to the early Christmas present from the Israelis, their attack on Gaza, which contributed to some of the Yes votes, and the abstention of previously No votes like the case of Germany and Australia. This last minute change of political dynamics is sure to introduce the Palestinians to a new political concept, "sometimes when you lose, you win", lets just hope that it won't take them another century to get it.
Israeli Declaration of Independence 64 years ago
Aside from being congratulated, the Palestinians should be reminded that 65 years ago, the leaders of Jewish organizations in Palestine wasted no time in declaring the state of "Israel", just 6 months after the UN resolution to partition Palestine into an Arab and Jewish states was passed on November 29, 1947. That partition resolution passed by a vote of 33 yes, 10 abstentions, and 13 No votes. The No votes didn't include he Arab states who walked out in protest, not a smart move in retrospect. The state of Israel was born on May 14, 1948, the day the British mandate in Palestine ended. Israel gained UN membership in 1949.
In the time between the partition vote in the UN and the due date for the British to relinquish power, the then Israeli leaders worked hard to ensure they had political support in the USA and Europe, including the USSR, before they declared an Independent State. They also had to prepare militarily for the predictable Palestinian and Arab reaction to a Declaration of Independence. The Israelis had the foresight to prepare for an all out war through weapon purchases (from Czechoslovakia and elsewhere), building domestic ammunition and weapon manufacturing capabilities, and by recruiting experienced Jewish WW II veterans to join their military ranks (see video link) (5).
Aside from the military preparation, the Israelis declared independence with political preplanning that ensured recognition by most countries. In case of the USA and the USSR the recognition of the state of Israel came within 48 hours of the declaration of independence. With Jewish immigrants from all walks of life with various civilian and military expertise, Israel had a distinct advantage over the Palestinians who were just emerging from the British colonization as peasants with limited depth in educated professionals. Most importantly the Israelis understood European and US politics and modern military planning, something the Palestinians and their Arab allies could not even come close to matching. The Arabs had equipments they didn't build, no combat experience to speak of, and a leadership that failed to appreciate the military and political balance of power in the world and the region.
The Palestinians fought a civil war with the Jewish citizens of Palestine from November 1947 till May of 1948. During that time there was no political effort by the Palestinians to prepare for the establishment of their own state of "Palestine". They ignored the UN and its politics and combined their ignorance of the political game with their unfounded military arrogance. They thought they could crush the Jews who were controlling less than 10% of Palestine and numbering just one third of the population (12). They never took into account that the Israelis were mostly Europeans with acquired (not inherited) superior expertise and planing capabilities, just like the British colonizers before them.
The UN partition gave ~50% of Palestine to the Jewish state, but the Israelis controlled only a small portion of the UN promised land, no pun intended. The Palestinians were emboldened by the number of Arab countries, and Arab armies, lining up to attack Israel on their behalf, which they did. Immediately after Israel declared independence, the Palestinian Arab allies attacked half-hazardly, and without any consideration for the Israeli military buildup. The Jordanian army which was one of the major armies going to war against the newly formed Jewish state was still commanded by British military officers and had a British supreme commander, John Bagot Glubb (4), need I say more?!
Arabs at the root of the stateless status of Palestinians
The Palestinian and Arab leadership continued to conspire against the common Palestinian by their sheer incompetence. In the aftermath of the war of 1948, they failed to heed the UN resolution urging them to facilitate the return of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who fled or were driven out by war. None of the UN registered Palestinian refugees ever returned to Israel (11). The Arab leaders used the Palestinian cause as a handy punch line for decades to come, but failed to do anything to give the Palestinians legal status within their own country or in the international community.
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| Photo source: BBC, ashram, palstinianhistory |
The Palestinians leaders themselves didn't seem to mind; No Palestinian was calling for the establishment of "Palestine" as an internationally recognized state. "Big deal" they must have thought, until someone finally realized, in 2012, that in the world of international politics being recognized as a state is a prerequisite for everything else.
The Palestinians lost the war of 1948 and with it 50% of the land assigned to them by the UN in 1947. The Arab neighbors didn't support any political moves for Palestinian independence after their joint defeat. In fact the Egyptians maintained control over Gaza, while Jordan became the sole ruler of the West Bank and East Jerusalem (until Israel pushed them out in 1967). The Palestinians were not even given autonomy by their interim Arab rulers. (Footnote: In the war of 1967, Israel was officially the aggressor, and as such the UN never recognized its occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza territories which were acquired during that war. This is why foreign embassy moves to the unified Jerusalem are a big deal, since it would legitimize the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel (16).
Palestinian identity and statehood was such a non issue that the Arab allies didn't even bother to create a real Palestinian army during their wars with Israel . The Palestinian volunteers were left to fight as integrated units in Arab armies, or as para-military forces. The symbolism is obviously lost on the Palestinians population who still think the Arabs are on their side and truly cared for their independence.
The Arabs did lasting damage to the Palestinians by depriving them of statehood between 1947 till 2012. Their action contributed to the myth on the Israeli side that the Palestinians are part of a monolithic entity called "Arab" and that refugees have no right of return as they can easily become permanent residents of other "Arab" countries. Many of the original Palestinian refugees now dead, they leave behind three generations of stateless Palestinians who can not return to their 1948 homes, cities, and villages. The Palestinians should have demanded statehood and the return of the refugees in the early years, but their leaders didn't have the foresight to see the importance of such political action, instead they focused on waging wars they were destined to lose. Below is a declassified CIA assessment of the military balance of power in 1967.
It is worth noting that Arabs were not done "helping" the Palestinians even after their last defeat in 1973. The neighboring Arab states did all they could to pressure the Palestinians to maintain the status quo which was a non status. Palestinians within the current borders of Israel were pressured to refuse Israeli citizenship for decades, to stop the "Israelisation" of Palestine, but the Arabs failed to understand the implication of the Palestinian non-status on their civic and personal lives. Many Palestinians in the 1948 borders are now Israeli citizens and have representatives in the Israeli Knesset. They represent an enduring voice for the Palestinians as legal citizens of the modern state of Israel. They can not be deported even as conservative Israeli leaders push for emphasizing the Jewishness of the state of Israel. These Israeli Arabs still see and call themselves Palestinians.
Losing the PR war
It took the Arab neighbors of Palestine 26 years to understand that fighting Israel was like fighting a European power, and is not as easy as they thought. The Israelis not only had the European and US military and political know how, but they also made sure that news media of the world had news clips of the Israeli triumphs and viewpoints to broadcast (that's not the same as the supposed Jewish control of media), thus solidifying western, especially American, public opinion behind them (17).
Palestinians on the other hand, were only capable of inflicting political and PR damage on Palestinians. In between wars, and ever since the last war in 1973, the Palestinians managed to provide the western media with a steady stream of news clips to broadcast, the downside was that they consisted of indiscriminate terrorist attacks against the Israelis. That of course fit neatly with the image of Palestinians Israel wanted to portray in the west. As far as the Israeli leaders were concerned, the Palestinian terrorism was a gift that kept on giving for more than half a century.
Every one of the terrorist bombings helped the Israelis brand the Palestinians as barbaric aggressors and Israel as the civilized underdog defending itself. The west was seeing recurring images of Palestinian bombings against people who looked and acted like any European or American citizen. The Palestinians are still cluelessly wondering why the USA feels compelled to vote No against anything anti-Israeli, including the Palestinian statehood vote last week.
For the Palestinians to acquire some sympathy here in the US, they would have to do what the Israelis did for decades and undo the self inflicted damage to the Palestinian image. In this endeavor they may want to hire a few publicists, media experts, and lobbyists who know a little more about the western psyche than an average Palestinian on the streets of Gaza.
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Photo source: Thetsablog, Nowtheendbegins.com
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Domestic and Foreign sponsorship of Palestinian terrorism and its negative impact
Aside from the ill conceived and poorly conducted losing wars, the Arab and Muslim allies of Palestine managed to undermine the cause by embracing and funding the violent Palestinian "resistance". This "resistance" included airplane hijackings(6), killing Jewish passengers of hijacked ships(7) and airplanes, kidnapping and killing Israeli athletes (8), countless bombings of buses and cafes in Israel (9), and other acts of violence against civilians. The so called "resistance" was seen by the entire civilized world as acts of terrorism; The entire world except the Palestinians that is, who took the cheering by their local allies as universal approval, and didn't see how they were irrevocably damaging their own cause.
The Arab and Muslim street was brainwashed into justifying Palestinian terrorism against Israeli civilians by showing images of Palestinian suffering and despair, which also happened to be true. Sadly the Palestinian suffering multiplied as a consequence of Palestinian terrorism but the cause-and-effect was lost on the Palestinians and their allies. The embrace of terrorism resulted in increased western political and military support for Israel over the years, while numbing Arab and Muslim psyche to the immorality of killing Jewish/Israeli civilians.
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| photo source: cifwatch.com, Jpost |
The lasting consequence of the moral exceptions made in Palestine can be seen in other middle eastern conflicts. The average fighter in Syria today may consider killing the "enemy" civilians or prisoners of war "OK", because they "deserve" it. It doesn't take much to exchange the word "Jew" with "enemy" then apply the same moral exception. The Geneva convention has become a mere slogan in this part of the world.
The Palestinians can blame their mostly unelected leaders for their poor political standing today which leaves them celebrating even the most basic of achievements. The Palestinian leaders vary between the clueless who don't understand the impact of fighting without adherence to the expected moral standards, and those who know better but decided to throw red meat to their supporters in order to stay in power at the expense of the Palestinian cause.
It shouldn't take a genius to realize that the violence perpetrated by the Palestinians hurts the Palestinian cause in the long run, and as such, no violent act should be cause for celebration on the streets of Palestine. The Israelis may suffer in the short run but their cause becomes more "just" with every terrorist attack against Israeli civilian targets. By contrast, every time there is a Palestinian civilian casualty, Israel is able to state an intent to hit a military target or militants, which makes a huge difference in the west. The truth, or lack thereof, of these assertions is subject for another discussion.
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| Photo source: front page magazine |
The Palestinians are subjected to propaganda that glorifies terrorist attacks as "martyrdom operations", no matter what target is hit and how many civilians are killed as a result. The Palestinians and their "allies" fail to appreciate that the universally accepted nobility of "self sacrifice" does not apply to "suicide attacks" targeting civilians.
The Palestinians are shielded by their leaders and media from the negative western reactions to terrorism, as a result, there is no negative reinforcement and no adjustments to Palestinian public opinion when it comes to violence against Israeli civilians.
Two wrongs don't make a right
Many justify the Palestinian disregard for moral prohibitions on attacking civilians and civilian targets by comparing their acts to the acts of violence committed by their enemies, or by the west in other conflicts. Aside from the many instances of Palestinian loss of life at the hand of Israelis, they point to WW II targeting of cities on both sides, including the use of nuclear weapons by the USA, and the 1940s Jewish terrorism in Palestine. Indeed, Jewish militants in Palestine were labeled "terrorists" by the British for committing acts of terrorism against the British establishment (10).
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| Militants then and now |
Palestinians need to remind themselves that humanity is constantly evolving, rendering what was permissible in the 20th century, Impermissible in the 21st century. The other consideration is that, whether they know it or not, the Palestinians are dependent on Western governments for political support, and by extension on western public opinion. In the interest of self preservation, the Palestinians should adapt western standards in their "resistance" and denounce past and present violence against Israeli civilians under any circumstance.
What's next for Palestine?
Under the best case scenario the recent Palestinian action in the UN is a sign of an emerging Palestinian foresight that will lead to more practical steps toward statehood and comprehensive peace, based on the future, and not just the past.
If the Palestinians stop doing damage to themselves through their violent actions they actually have a great chance of success. Despite the overwhelming military superiority, Israel's position is not without weakness. The Palestinians, as the underdog in the conflict, are sure to attract the sympathy from even the American public, provided the damaging headlines stop now. The Palestinian can also count on the hard liners on the Israeli side to give them a boost through their own misguided actions, like increased settlement activities, unflattering images of Palestinian under occupation, etc.
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| Photo Source: Csmonitor, Peace.maripo.com, imemc.org, Strydr.com |
Stop the misguided alliances with the black sheep of the world
The Palestinian leadership, and public, needs to stop being a tool in the hand of their "allies". They need to learn from their 65 years history of struggle that no one can really help the Palestinians except the Palestinians. They should remember what happened when Yasser Arafat sided with Saddam for short term promises to the Palestinian cause, like offering financing for Palestinian terrorism and firing rockets on Israel during the first gulf war. The long term consequence was increased Western animosity, the loss of financial support from the gulf states, and most importantly the arbitrary expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees from Kuwait (13). The alliance with Saddam proved to be a strategic mistake by Arafat.
The Iranians alliance with Hamas and Islamic jihad may have short term benefits, such as giving the Palestinians the rocket capabilities to reach Tel Aviv, or the eventual development of Palestinian made SAMs, but they should consider the long term disadvantages of this alliance. For starters, Hamas can not expect US recognition while they ally themselves with its enemy, Iran. The Palestinians are less likely to complete a peace deal with Israel because the alliance with Iran is conditional on continued hostilities towards Israel. At the end of the day, the Palestinian are the ones who suffer from the Iranian doctrine of violent resistance at all cost to the Palestinians.
The only interest Tehran has in Palestine is to use the Palestinians as a thorn in the back of its it's enemy Israel. In fact it is not in Iran's interest for the Palestinian issue to be resolved at this point. Tehran is only too happy to remind the Palestinians of their suffering and incite them to violence which ultimately damages their cause. If the Iranian regime is interested in fighting Israel it should be told to go ahead and declare war, not use the Palestinians as proxy worriers at the expense of losing more of their lands, lives, and freedoms.
All the Arab leaders who champion the Palestinian cause have also proven unreliable and will not be of true benefit to Palestine when push comes to shove. The examples of this facts are too numerous to include here.
The most important country in the final solution of the Palestinian issue is the USA and the Palestinians should find a way to build relations and stop presenting themselves as a terrorist threat.
Financial independence
The Palestinians may come to understand the need to emphasize financial independence from both the west, and the Arab and Islamic world, in order to stop the undue political pressure on them.
There is no reason, for instance, for the Palestinians to have their taxes collected by the Israelis at the border crossings, as is the case now. Granted, they would lose 50% of the money to Palestinian corruption if they collect the taxes themselves, but it would still be politically worth it. A tax based economy might be a great place to start, as they have no natural resources of their own, save perhaps some future gas reserves in the Mediterranean off the shores of Gaza.
Culture not war
The Palestinians are yet to make any serious effort to expose the west to the Palestine cause through culture and art.
Consider this, almost every Palestinian refugee family outside the 1948 borders of Palestine has a large front door key to the house they left behind in the 1948 and 1967 wars, yet there is not a single museum or work or art in the west that uses this uniquely Palestinian theme. The Palestinians would be surprised to find that they could do whatever they want, culturally, on private property in the USA, or any other western country. The world needs to know more about Palestine, beyond what they see on the news, which is often just senseless violence and anger.
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Photo source:Aljazeera, Israelmatzav.com, sonabangladesh.com, ronitlentin.net
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Stop denying the Holocaust
The Palestinian may feel compelled to deny the holocaust because the Israelis are their enemies, but they really don't benefit from that denial. In fact the holocaust, as a symbol of Jewish suffering, can provide the Palestinians with a bridge to address their own suffering with the average Israelis. Granted, the Palestinians are not being gassed and burnt, but still they can make an argument that they have somethings in common with the ancestors of present day Israelis, such as the ghettos, the fences, the security walls, the check points etc. Instead of denying the holocaust, the Palestinians should loud it and ask the Israelis not to subject them to what their ancestors went through.
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Photo source: Holocaust-forum.blogspot, isurgived.org,Kyivpost.com
una-okc.org
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Absent terrorism and antisemitism, the Palestinians have a great chance of appealing to the better nature of their fellow humans on the other side of the separation wall. The image of Palestinians can be changed in Israel too, from anti-Semitic terrorists to fellow human beings who happen to be suffering for the past 65 years, just like the Jews suffered in Nazi Germany. The world stood silent when the holocaust happened, the Israelis know that too well, and they should be the first nation to care about the Palestinians. "Never again" in not meant to be exclusive to Jews.
Instead of firing in the air during demonstrations, the Palestinians may want to consider using symbolic gestures that can appeal to both societies, like using the tag shown below on their clothes, just like the German Jews were made to wear an identifying label on their cloths.
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| Original art made for this article by "SI", a talented young Iraqi refugee from NYC. Can be reproduced with mention of the source. |
To say that this subject is controversial is probably an understatement, but we have to remind ourselves that sometimes the only way forward is to start fresh despite the bloody past.
I can't help but imagine a rosy future for the region as a whole, with nations so interconnected by commerce and culture that borders become administrative lines on the map.
Most Israelis must know by now that a settlement that gives the Palestinians the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza is going to be acceptable to most Palestinians. The millions of refugees and their offsprings are likely to be left in limbo or housed in high-rises in the new Palestinian state, but no one can turn back time to fix that problem. The defensible Israeli border and enduring security will be that which is based on justice and not strategic hills; there should be no excuse for land grabs in the name of short term and short lived security. President Eisenhower once said "The Peace we seek and need means much more than mere absence of war, it means the acceptance of law and the fostering of justice".
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| Photo source: BBC, southernminn.com, Akiva Eldar |
The Israelis need to understand that the world is watching, and if the Palestinians drop the violence they will likely have the majority of the world on their side, just like in the UN vote last week. Today's summoning of Israeli ambassadors in London, Paris, and Stockholm to complain about the new settlement building in "Palestine" is a sign of things to come (15), unless of course, the Palestinians take Israel off the hook by blowing up another cafe or firing more rockets. The Slate magazine (USA) had an article today about Israel which makes for interesting reading. It was titled: Get Real, Israel! Want to stop losing friends in the United Nations? Stop insulting our intelligence (14).
Palestinian leaders at every level should ask themselves which is more brave, to blow up a bus full of civilians and hurt the Palestinian cause, or help the cause by taking a controversial stance against indiscriminate violence and tell the people what they need to hear? Obviously such individuals risk being labeled traitors and marked for assassination by their fellow countrymen. It's easy for me to say, but I think that would be better than being killed by a drone strike for no apparent purpose except to send a message.
Let's hope that such brave Palestinian are as readily available as suicide bombers.
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| Photo source:vetranstoday.com, theuglytruth.worldpress, life |
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