The Fault Lies Not in Israel

ARICINI article on this page in accurately describes Israel's domestic situation and its regional international relations. The article commits the unfortunate error of blaming the victim for his plight and points to Israel as the source of much of the instability in the Middle Fast today.

Alits end, the article notes that "If Israel took the trouble to try to understand its Moslem neighbors rather than blindly hate them, it could learn an important lesson." On many levels, Israel knows its Moslem neighbors only too well it has met them on the battlefield in four bloody wars, all, with the possible exception of the 1956 Suez conflict, unhated by the Arabs. In addition, over 60 per cent of Israel's Jewish citizens, many of them fluent in Arabic, immigrated, often at gunpoint, or are the descendants of immigrants from Arab lands where they were subjected to centuries of discrimination and sometimes outright persecution unmatched even by Israel's treatment of the West Bank Arabs. If Israel does in fact hale its neighbors, such antipathy certainly cannot be labelled blind. There are still far too many who echo the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser's infamous pledge to drive the state of Israel into the Mediterranean Sea, a vehemence unmatched by any Israeli head of state of state past of present.

Recent confrontations between Israeli soldiers and civilians with Arabs on the West Bank lead some to denounce Israeli mistreatment of its Arab neighbors. Many of the incidents have indeed been tragic, most notably the killing of an Arab schoolgirl and the maiming of her sister by an Israeli soldier. This and similar incidents, along with the continued expropriation of Arab land for Israeli settlement, only exacerbate the already dangerous tensions in the area. The military administration in the West Bank too has been criticized so in some cases, for the use of arbitrary arrest under the pretext of safely precautions. In many instances, however, Israeli counts have overturned. These imprisomoents pointing to the health of that country's judicial process.

Most informed critics world agree that these instances represent not the rule but rather the exceptions in Israel's dealings with its Arab population. Israeli Arabs not only enjoy full political rights they have representatives in the Knessel but also unrestricted religious practice. The Israeli Government safe guards the holy shrines of Islam and every year helps in the chartering of buses for Arab pilgrims wishing to travel to Mecca and Medina for holidays. Thousands of Arab children attend free Israeli public schools and have access to institutions of higher education. Furthermore, many Arabs over the years have benefited from social programs stretching from the Galilee to the Negev, including low-cost housing, government subsidized food and free medical care.

Such treatment, unfortunately, was never accorded to Jewish communities living in Arab lands. Mild examples of Moslem discrimination against Jews included legislation forbidding a Jew from riding a horse lest he appear higher than a Moslem and laws mandating that synagogues not be visible from the street and be built lower than other city buildings. Step into the Intercontinental Hotel outside of Jerusalem and see the bathrooms paved with Jewish tombstones from the days of Jordanian occupation.

And only a few years ago it took intense political pressure by the United States government, most notably on the part of Rep. Stephen Solarz (D-N.Y) to persuade the Syrian government to allow a group of 20 Jewish women, remnants of a dying of a dying community, to emigrate so they could find spouses of their faith.

No Moslem living in Israel ever lost his hand as punishment for stealing. No Moslem drug dealer, prostitute, or Communist has ever been executed within Israel's boundaries. In fact, no Moslem has ever been sentenced to capital punishment in that country. Furthermore, Arab women can wear what they like where they like and Arabs may drink alcohol should they so choose.

But few stand up and accuse the Arabs for mistreatment of their own populations. Hardly anyone seems to remember or even know that three years ago the armed forces of Syrian President Assad sealed off the city of Aleppo and massacered upwards of 10,000 people protesting against the government. The world displays a curious amnesia when it comes to the atrocities of Israel's neighbors.

But the assertion of some that Israel's isolation in the international arena is a result of obstinacy not any global anti Semitism bolds the least water. The condition of Arab states and third World nations, bullied by the former's oil, plus the members of the Eastern bloc can steamroll any anti-Israel bill through the United Nations General Assembly and many affiliated organizations such as UNESCO.

Eastern bloc states and Moscow oppose Israel, not because of Israel's obstinacy, but because of its close ties to the United States, in addition to the fact that the Arabs are more pliable allies aiding Moscow in furthering its regional interest. None of the Communist states are true champions of the Palestinian cause and their diplomatic hostility to Israel predates the conflicts over a Palestinian homeland.

A more unfortunate and unnecessary case of global isolation is the ostracism of Israel by Black Africa. In the 1960s hundreds of Israeli development specialists, scientists and engineers flocked to the newly independent nations of Africa seeking to contribute to the infant states some of the know-how that helped fuel Israel's agricultural miracle. Succumbing to Arab pressure due to their dependence on oil the African states ultimately expelled the Israeli advisors during the late 60's and early '70s. The oil-producing Arab states repaid their African friends by raising oil prices by 1000 per cent during the Yom Kippur War, thus unleashing havoc on most Third World economies Money originally allocated for agricultural and industrial projects had to be suddenly diverted to meet soaring energy bills. The consequence of OPEC's banditry is the setback of the development process by at least a decade. The world refused to blame the Arab dominated OPEC for much of the Third World's plight and African countries have only recently begun to encourage Israeli brainpower and investment in their attempt to rescue their ravaged economies.

Without a doubt, peace comes slowly in the Middle East, but a confusion of the basic facts promises only to hinder, not help, the urgent progress.