Palestinians wrongly fed by Arab world

By Jakob Zakaria and Benjamin
Nabati

Fadi Amer’s submission (“U.S.
support for Israel stalls peace progress,” Daily Bruin,
Viewpoint, March 7) presents a valid theory ““ that foreign
intervention within the “Palestinian-Israeli conflict”
hinders the peace process. He points out that “without the
unwavering support of the United States, Israel would have
compromised and ended its occupation a long time ago.”

However, Amer leaves out a far greater point. The fact is, other
Arab states’ support for the Palestinians not only hinders
the peace process today, but their “support” is what
brought about Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the first place.

At one point, Palestinians owned what they kill for today
““ the “occupied territories.” It was the
Palestinian people who joined Egypt, Jordan and Syria in waging a
second war on Israel, in 1967, a move which backfired in their
face.

Today, the war continues with only minor changes. The Arab
states still continue their vendetta against Israel. But while the
Palestinians continue to fight along the front lines with Israel,
their Arab “supporters” now supply arms.

Last month Iran sent 50 tons of weapons to the Palestinian
Authority, but the ship carrying the arms was intercepted by
Israel. This attempt was aborted, but many others that have helped
to sabotage the Middle East peace process have not been. America
has conservatively placed Iran in an “axis of evil,”
(“State of the Union Address,” Jan. 29) but left out
many other countries that have earned a place alongside North Korea
and Iraq.

In light of this fact, I would like to point out the greatest
misconception to this day ““ the term
“Palestinian-Israeli conflict.” This situation is
repeatedly taken out of context. The Palestinian-Israeli issue is
not one-dimensional. The world media needs to take an objective,
holistic view. When this happens, we will quickly find that the
current conflict is not one restricted to Palestinians and
Israelis. Rather, it is one between Israel and the entire Arab
world.

If America’s support for Israel is intended to prevent any
more harm from other Arab countries, we must take another step back
and completely widen our lenses. The people, who perpetrated the
attacks of Sept. 11, are the same people who support the
Palestinian people. Therefore, we must realize it is not only
Israel who is subject to attacks, it is us Americans as well. The
United States’ support for Israel is not only morally just,
but it is also just in the interest of America and the American
people who have been attacked.

Additionally, Arab support for the Palestinians is, and
continues to be, a façade, a sham. The Palestinians have not
bore any fruit from this connection. In contrast, the Arab support
has led the Palestinian people astray resulting in a death toll
that continues to rise. The Palestinians have just been the means
by which the Arab world can eradicate Israel wholesale.

If not, then why do the Saudis have $10 million dollars to offer
New York after Sept. 11, but shy away from helping build the
economy of their Palestinian brethren? Such characters contributed
to the destruction of any possibility for peace and
constructiveness.

Palestinians must work hard to dissociate themselves with their
“supporters” and prove themselves different from
before. Palestinian suicide attacks will get them attention from
the world for now, but will prove more harmful in the long run. If
America opposes all states who “harbor terrorism,” it
can not support the creation of a Palestinian state under the
current conditions.

Excluding the radical viewpoints of extremists who believe that
Israel does not even have the right to exist, we all realize the
destructiveness of the Arab states that claim to care for the
Palestinian people. I can’t imagine how Amer could explain
such an accurate theory in his submission but manage to forget to
mention its most accurate application.