What Holocaust denial among 'Palestinians' and other Arabs means for peace prospects
In Wednesday's Washington Post, Michael Gerson does a survey of the prevalence of Holocaust denial among the 'Palestinians' and in the Arab world generally, and then reaches a conclusion regarding the prospects for 'peace' that appears to be spot on. The politics of conspiracy and victimhood makes it infinitely more difficult to confront the real sources of social, economic and political dysfunction in the broader Middle East.Given President Obama's adoption of the 'Palestinian' narrative that claims that the Holocaust is the sole justification for Israel's existence, I doubt he's even considered the paragraph and a half that I just quoted.
But the pervasiveness of Holocaust denial also points to a flaw in Obama's rhetorical and diplomatic approach. Perhaps one side of these debates is motivated not only by grievances but also by hatreds. Perhaps those hatreds are unappeasable by concessions from Israel or the West. Perhaps the assumption of rationality and splittable differences, in some cases, is mistaken. Perhaps some don't merely wish to deny the Holocaust but to finish it.
But read the whole thing.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:23 AM
4 Comments:
Carl, you assume that Obama's intentions towards Israel, and towards jews in general, are misguided, but good. That is, you assume he means jews no harm.
I don't make this assumption, given who his friends, acquaintances, and teachers are.
I assume that he wants to harm Israel, and harm jews. This explains his actions, his stances, his seemingly naive narratives. It explains them far better than assuming that he is simply naive and being misled.
I do not believe that he has anyone's interests but his and his friends, the 'palis' at heart when he does what he does.
I suspect that the same things that drive his animosity towards Israel are driving his animosity towards Europe. I don't know what his motivation is.
But he is doing a good job of pissing on, and off, all of the US's allies. And re-aligning US foreign policy and orientation.
Lots of people here are questioning why. Not just jews.
Jew hatred is mainstream in the Arab World and near universal majorities of Arabs hate Jews. The peace between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan exists only on paper. Arabs see themselves as victims of the Jews and not as in reality as the aggressors who have sought and still seek to destroy them. In short, due to anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and the belief the Arabs are held because Israel exists, peace is not going to happen in our lifetime and for the next few generations. And that's a realistic reading of the bleak situation in Israel's very dangerous neighborhood.
WHY THE PEACE PROCESS CAN'T WORK AND SHOULD BE ABANDONNED
http://www.think-israel.org/locke.endRM.html
Kranky,
No, I don't assume he has good intentions. If he did, he would not surround himself with the advisers with whom he has surrounded himself.
But you can't write that in the MSM (and not in much of the blogosphere), and so Michael Gerson and others like him can only raise the possibility that Obama is 'mistaken' and not that he has malicious intent.
Look at some of the reactions to Frank Gaffney's piece earlier this week in which he suggested that Obumbler is sympathetic to Muslims even if he isn't one himself. Even some of the conservative blogs slammed Gaffney.
Post a Comment
<< Home