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November 16, 2012

My thinking on Israel has changed a lot over the years. I’ve spent a few
weeks there while in my early 20’s serving in the military, and at the time
I was quite conservative (?) in my stance on the country.

As I’ve grown older, talked to more people, and read more books, I’ve come
away with what I believe to be an elegant and rational view on the country
and its global politics. I’ll share it here.

What Israel is doing to Palestine is criminal. It is only due to
herculean feats of Israeli PR that this is even debatable. Carter had it
right when he called it apartheid. That’s what it is.
Israel is being attacked, and they have a right to defend
themselves. This should absolutely include taking out known terrorists,
removing rockets and other long-range weapons that such terrorists could
use to attack Israeli civilians, etc. While Israel is responsible for a
lot of the hate that exists, 1) it isn’t responsible for all of it, and
2) the reasons don’t matter when they’re being attacked with rockets.
Israel doesn’t want a two-state solution, but they toss that ball around
because it keeps the discussion off the real conversation, i.e. a
one-state solution. The issue for Israel is that if Palestinians were to
become full citizens they could participate in their democracy. And
because their birth rates are so much higher than Jews, they would take
over the country in a few generations. This is why Israel refuses to
incorporate them into their society–it would mean the end of Israel as
they know it.
Israelis, on the whole, are rather exceptional. It sucks that they act
like they’re better than everyone else, but damn…they’re kind of better
than everyone else. Both things agitate people: the fact that they’re
superior and the fact that they act like it.
So I see a small group of people with many things to offer the world,
surrounded by enemies, and so obsessed with clinging to the words in a
primitive, man-made book that they’re willing to do horrible things to
their Semitic brothers. It’s a travesty.
The current situation can best be captured by the analogy of an older
brother and younger brother in the back seat of a car on a long trip.
The older brother pinches the younger one so that the parents cannot
see, and when the younger one retaliates the older one makes a show of
it. And the younger one gets called a troublemaker. Palestine is a
fourth-world nation at the direct hands of Israel, and this is producing
such despair that violence is inevitable. That violence then enables
Israel to continue its reprehensible treatment. It’s an obvious
strategy, but it keeps working.
Israel isn’t doing this because it’s evil. It wants to keep its
identity. It wants to survive as a nation of Jewish people, and it
doesn’t want to share it with people who don’t share their religion or
stock. Ok, perhaps that’s a little evil, but it’s understandable given
their history of being oppressed at every turn. They value unity and
tradition and identity above all else because it helped them through
many troubles.
The most possible, non-horrible option for a solution has the
international community forcing a two-state solution with most
Palestinians moving to the new state. Israel is told to back off and the
world pours tons of resources into building their education system,
infrastructure, etc.
The problem with this track is evident in the rest of the Arab world.
What then? What evidence do we have that any people steeped in the
culture of centuries past can move on to thrive like the West? Precious
little. So we’d end up with a country dependent on external aid, high
unemployment, a weak economy, and a crap-ton of religious idiots of
various sects attempting to gain control of the country. Several of
these would be all about disputing the border with Israel, advocating
its downfall, etc., etc. We know that tune.
But I think that might be the best we’re going to get. Apartheid cannot
continue. It’s not moral. It’s not just. It’s a black eye not just on
Israel, but on everyone for watching it happen. And Israel isn’t going
to just open up the gates, take everyone in with full citizenship, and
embrace their brothers. That’s not going to happen. It won’t happen
because of valid concerns of attack, but also because they fear what
their country would look like in 50 years. Besides, they think God gave
them that land for their people, and despite it being utterly
fictional it’s pretty compelling to people who believe it. The two-state
solution, forced by external pressure, is the only path forward.
Israel needs to stop the abuse of the Palestinians, give the
Palestinians a state, and let them (and everyone else in the region) get
started with the Islamic reformation that is many centuries overdue.
Only then will true education flourish and lay ground for equality and
prosperity in the region. A few decades after that point the religion
and tradition will mean much less to everyone there, and true
discussions will commence based on shared interests.

Review:

There are atrocities on both sides. It’s not a story of good and evil
where there’s a good guy and bad guy. It’s complex. Each of them is the
antagonist and the victim.
Even though both are guilty and worthy of sympathy, Israel is more to
blame because it is in control. Its policies are causing much of the
hatred that is spawning the violence.
Separate them. There is too much hate right now to benefit from forced
integration.
The region needs an Islamic reformation. The Jews had one, Christians
had one, and we’re still waiting for the Islamic one.
During and after the Arab/Palestinian renaissance the international
community needs to help them rebuild and become equal players in the
world.
Then, and only then, can the Islamic world and Israel come to the table
and discuss history and property rights. At that point they’ll just be
fellow humans with common interests and a desire to move forward.