Justin Levi Warning: the following
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All right, enough is enough. I wasn’t planning on writing
a column about the conflict in the Middle East, but the recent rash
of media bias has given me no choice. Unfortunately, I am forced to
present something that many UCLA students find objectionable: cold,
hard facts. And to all you Israeli zealots, don’t think
you’re off the hook either.
I recently had the good fortune of participating in a video
teleconference with students from Tel Aviv University. This
extraordinary event featured nine of the most dedicated Israelis,
pursuing the great cause of peace. It was interesting, however,
that all of these ultra-peaceniks are the first to admit that the
recent violence in Israel has been instigated by Palestinians, and
the Israelis are, in fact, not responding with “excessive
force,” as has been claimed. Having all served in the
army, these students informed our group in Los Angeles of the
danger posed to Israeli soldiers in the midst of this crisis.
With regard to the Israeli Defense Force not having an adequate
riot control policy, they are, indeed, guilty as charged. This does
not, however, change the fact that Palestinian rioters did initiate
the recent violence, and the Israelis have yet to fire real
ammunition into a crowd composed solely of rock-throwers.
Try to remember that the 40,000 strong Palestinian “Police
Force,” armed with automatic weapons, has almost unilaterally
turned on the Israelis. This defection has also included the
release of virtually every prisoner identified with the terrorist
organization Hamas, a group associated with numerous and horrific
acts of terror within the last 20 years. Given this, it is easy to
understand the frustration felt by many Israelis at the ever
present media bias that has so distorted this situation.
And now a message for the ultra-Zionist out there who believes
the Israelis are blameless. Not quite. I take umbrage with the view
that all Palestinians are terrorists bent on destroying Israel. The
fact is, the average Palestinian is a decent, hard-working
individual who is more concerned with his own family than fighting
a holy war against a phantom oppressor. As with any issue, it is
the extreme reactionaries, much like our own Muslim Students
Association, that manage to destroy any hope for a peaceful
solution. Sadly, it looks as though this will be the case for years
to come.
So that all being said, who is really at fault? The obvious
demon is Yasser Arafat (here begins the hate mail). Those that
listen to American media for Middle Eastern information have
unfortunately been deprived of the truth about the suffering
brought on the Palestinians, which is due not to Israel, but to
Arafat’s Palestinian Authority, the political successor to
the PLO. In fact, according to major news publications such as
Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times and the New Republic, a large
majority of Palestinians agree that life under an Israeli flag is
fairer and more democratic than under Palestinian rule.
Although you may think it is impossible that Arafat, who is
seeking a national home for the Palestinians, would never cause
such suffering, think again. This is the same man that saps massive
American funding in order to enhance his own fortune, as well as
the strength of the Palestinian Authority, as the Los Angeles Times
reported several months ago. If truth be told, the PA currently has
enough autonomy in the West Bank to affect the state of the economy
more than the State of Israel.
Arafat is a typical dictator bent on surviving through the
manipulation of his own people. Thankfully, that manipulation
hasn’t worked that well. He has deliberately sabotaged the
peace process in order to maintain his image as a freedom fighter.
Freedom from what, I’m not sure.
Real peace is not made with the stroke of a pen, but between
people and leaders truly dedicated to that ideal. Arafat,
unfortunately, does not qualify. As such, hoping for peace while he
is still alive is a futile attempt at the unattainable.
Among the strongest critics to this statement would be the U.S.
government, particularly the Clinton foreign policy team. Since the
Madrid Conference in 1991, both the Bush and Clinton
administrations have been working tirelessly to attain peace in the
Middle East.
Or have they? Indeed, a closer analysis would show that the true
pursuit was a comprehensive peace agreement, rather than a true
compromise and understanding between both parties. This can be seen
in the failed Oslo Accords, the “breakthrough”
agreement of 1993 which was praised for its vagueness and
incompleteness.
Such an agreement, however, proves the true goal of the
negotiators: leave the important issues for a later date, just so
we can say we reached an official settlement. What nonsense! In
fact, the negotiations were kept so secret that not even Yitzhak
Rabin himself knew of them until the major details had already been
hashed out. How can peace ever be achieved without the full
knowledge and negotiation of a given nation’s leader?
Simply put, the “peace process” began in the wake of
the Intifada, the period in the late 1980s in which the
Palestinians attempted to “free” themselves from
Israel’s control. What was needed in order to achieve real
peace was a cooling-off period, a time for the people of each side
to recover and re-evaluate the necessity of peace. Only then could
the truly fundamental psychological issues of this conflict be
addressed.
My message to America is this: stick around, but retreat to the
background and let the two sides work this out on their own. Only
then can real peace be achieved.
So what’s the answer? As a Jew and proud Zionist, I am
able to recognize the hypocrisy in not understanding the benefit of
the establishment of an independent Palestine in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip. To take this step now, however, we, as Americans would
be supporting the creation of what would be one of the harshest
dictatorships in the entire world, in a region full of
autocracies.
But shouldn’t the people of that region decide for
themselves? Answer: absolutely. But, the very nature of
dictatorship is to deny that ability. Indeed, most Palestinians do
not favor the creation of a state under Arafat’s control, as
implied earlier. Indeed, the people have spoken.
The prevailing question, however, remains, “Is peace
possible?” Of course, if you let it happen naturally. Rather
than forcibly dictating a settlement to the Israelis and
Palestinians, it is quite crucial to allow the people of these two
sides to come together and address the fundamental issues
surrounding peace, and to let them do it alone, without the magic
wand of the United States. This process will, inevitably, end with
the creation of a Palestinian state, and perhaps rightly so.
The peace process now depends on the ability of the Palestinian
people to bid a fond farewell to Mr. Arafat and his goons, and
replace them with a fully functioning democratic system. Then,
we’ll talk peace.