Khalil Matar

The events in the Middle East are both hurting and benefiting Israel and the United States’ policy on the peace process, in the short term. They are hurting the peace process because anti-occupation feelings will not be controlled anymore and benefiting it because chaos in the region has kept people from talking about Israel. That was thought to be the case until the attacks on the Israeli embassy in Cairo a few weeks ago.

Eventually, reality is going to hit home. On the policy level, Israelis do not seem to realize, or publicly acknowledge, there is only one way out of this quagmire: actively striving for real peace rather than just talking about it. They continue to think from the perspective of a pre-changing Middle East; blaming Palestinians – mostly Hamas – for Israel’s inability to grasp the fact that they need to stop building settlements and withdraw from Arab occupied lands.

They either know that the whole Arab population, and especially the revolting youth, will never accept their continued policy of occupation, or they are ignorant of the real facts and feelings on the ground that were mischaracterized in the Western media as not relating to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the United States’ support of Israel. The youth’s revolt in the region exposed a generation that does not ignore the occupation. It is a generation that is looking at Israel’s continued intransigence towards the Palestinian people either from a pure ideal human view, or another that is so ideologically Islamist it considers fighting the Israelis to be a holy cause.

This revolt is ideologically strengthening occupation resistance although it may be politically weakening such groups as Hezbollah. Hamas, on the other hand, seems to be gaining on both levels as many of its Islamic allies are gaining ground in some countries of the region, such as Egypt.

The United States seems to ignore this turn of events as well. Naivety, apparently, is not limited to ideal youths taking to the streets in the Arab world. It was predominant in the western media for the past six months. Not burning American and Israeli flags, by itself, is not a sign of changing feelings toward the core issue of the Arabs. Neither is raising American and European flags in countries benefiting from NATO intervention. Contrary to what American officials may hear from some Arab rulers, the “Arab Street” continues to feel for their brothers suffering in Israel.
The leaders of Arab countries that support changing some regimes while embracing others are not really reflecting the positions of their people. While Qatar and Oman are small countries with populations that have little influence beyond preserving their wealth, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE are much different. They have a politically motivated population that still considers the Palestinian issue the core of the region’s grievances. They have a minority that is relatively wealthy and a majority that is either middle class or poor. The minority may not be vehemently anti-Israel but the majority is. Yet, many figures in this minority supported and financed Islamists and terrorists, which is much more dangerous than being anti-Israel on the grounds of its treatment of Palestinians and occupation of Arab Lands.

Other Arab countries, including those allied with the United States, have populations with feelings similar to those of most Egyptians. It is only the regimes that are keeping those feelings concealed.

Washington needs to realize is that it cannot continue to publicly ignore those feelings. The “Arab street” finally revolted. Of course, they did not do so because they were planning to “destroy” Israel. They did so because they considered their rulers to be puppets of the United States and Israel. They do have their economic, social and political grievances,. Yet, we should remember those that justified their participation in the revolts by saying “Mubarak is an Israeli agent”, or “Qaddafi’s mother is a Jew”… and so on. We should not ignore some of their demands while accepting what suits us. This will backfire.

The Israelis also have to realize that Arab regimes can control public feelings to an extent. They can’t eliminate negative sentiments entirely, but they can suppress them. Chaos has the same effect. It is causing citizens to turn their attention to their domestic issues, yet not erasing Palestine from their memories. The Israelis have to accept the fact that only withdrawal from occupied lands will bring peace regardless of how much time they can buy with public statements and chaotic events. The parameters president Barrack Obama outlined have to be used as a starting point.

The Israelis have to realize that the Palestinian people are bound to follow the same path as the revolting Arab Youths. They were supposed to be the ones igniting this “freedom” fervor. They will not be far behind, especially when the Israelis themselves accuse the Palestinian leadership of corruption and ineptitude; the same accusations the revolting youths used as justification against their rulers.

The United States has to realize that a friend is one who confronts you with the truth, not just blindly agrees with you. As politicians in the Arab world are proving themselves incapable of being leaders, the peace process is awaiting an American leader that can take the heat and give it.

September 30 2011