Tough Love For Israel?

(CBS)  Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal. This piece originally ran on GLORIA. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader, The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East,and The Truth About Syria.>.

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One remarkable thing about watching the Middle East is how what's celebrated as brilliant in Europe or America is errant nonsense.

Writing such stuff makes people successful and gives them an audience of millions. What they say is so ridiculous that one wants to laugh, yet so totally accepted as true in Washington and European capitals that the laugher would be laughed at.

The article to which I refer is by Jacob Weisberg in the June 22 Newsweek, entitled, "A Friend in Need: Barack gets tough on Bibi." It is far more terrible because Weisberg is neither leftist nor anti-Israel but has simply imbibed what "everyone says."

Let me quickly add that while I don't know Weisberg personally, I'm confident in saying he has no serious training in the Middle East, speaks neither Arabic nor Hebrew, spends little time researching the region, and has no real qualification for making the judgments he does.

Here's the theme: Israelis are so stupid about their country, situation, and region on the life-and-death issues which they have been dealing with for decades that they must be saved in spite of themselves by people who have no knowledge or experience on any of these things. No other country in the world is so frequently told this kind of thing which I hear all the time from Europeans, too.

Is it so hard to comprehend that our views and behavior are based on years of experience and study? That we know best how to save ourselves and have been doing a far better job of it, against tremendous odds and unhelpful kibbitzers,than many others? That heeding their prescriptions would be disastrous, in fact have already proven so? After all, the tragic history of the last 20 years has largely resulted from listening to the same advice he gives now,

When one tries to explain these things in conversations, however, you can see their eyes go blank and their ears close up.

Weisberg's article follows this pattern. The United States, he says (and these are main elements in the rhetoric among supporters of the Obama administration and several European governments) must show Israel "tough love," lean "harder on Jews and the Arabs to get serious about a deal," and stop "fostering Israeli illusions that there [is] an alternative to trading land for peace."

All three of these arguments are based on false premises.

Tough love: This derives from the late 1980s and early 1990s when the left side of the Israeli spectrum was pushing the land-for-peace and negotiate with the PLO arguments against their rivals on the right. A little U.S. pressure, they argued, would help get talks going.

A lot has happened since then, however, notably the 1992-2000 Oslo process. This proved to the vast majority of Israelis that the Palestinian leadership (and Syria, too, for that matter) wasn't ready or interested in peace. Disillusioned, a lot of these people supported Ariel Sharon and the disengagement from the Gaza Strip, the results of which (Hamas takeover, rocket fire) made them even more disenchanted.

That's why the Labour party-which invented the land-for-peace argument in the first place and made the Oslo agreement and offered a two-state solution in 2000-is now in a coalition government with the Likud party. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not a "right-wing" or "hard-line" leader but someone who speaks for the national consensus, a consensus based on education through painful, bloody experience.

Israel also faces a more hostile Europe, an Iran racing toward nuclear weapons, an intransigent and incompetent Palestinian Authority, plus Hamas and Hizballah.

Today the last thing Israelis need or want is pressure to make more concessions to the Palestinians. They've already made a lot; these didn't lead anywhere good. What Israel needs today is not "tough love" but real support.

Push "harder on Jews and the Arabs to get serious about a deal": The false assumption here is that getting an agreement, any agreement, is a desperate need of the two sides and of the region as a whole.

In fact, Israel is doing very well without any comprehensive peace agreement. The economy is doing fine; morale is high; security improved. Moreover, this concept pays no attention to the idea that a deal can be a bad one, inherently instable and leading to more violence.

It never enters the minds of these people that a "peace" agreement that was broken or had dangerous provisions (giving up strategic territory; east Jerusalem; empowering a radical regime in a next-door Palestinian state; opening the door to foreign Arab or Iranian armies entering; bringing in millions of Palestinian Arabs to Israel) could leave Israel far worse off.

As for the Palestinian leadership, far from being desperate for a deal it is desperate to avoid one on anything other than its own unrealistic terms.

Stop "fostering Israeli illusions that there [is] an alternative to trading land for peace." This one makes me laugh. Everyone in Israel knows that there can be no comprehensive agreement without trading land for peace. The question is, however, whether any comprehensive agreement on decent terms is possible at this time.

In addition, the question is also which land. Israel has focused on three to five percent of the West Bank that is strategically important and has large concentrations of Israeli population.

Finally, if someone doesn't understand that the barrier to peace is the Palestinians and not Israel, any advice they give Israel is going to be worthless.

As for those giving advice, here's what we've seen in the last six months from those who want to "save" others by imposing their own vision:

--The idea that stopping construction on Jewish settlements would bring some Arab concession has already proven wrong.

--The idea that engagement with Iran would work has already proven wrong.

--The idea that the United States could successfully engage Syria in a set of mutual compromises has already proven wrong.

--The idea that an Obama charm offensive would bring higher levels of Arab support has already proven wrong. And that's just in six months!

Let's have a little humility and readiness to listen, please, from those who would play with the lives of other people.

By Barry Rubin
Special to CBSNews.com

[HughAreWrong]

Oh, but closet-case fascists are going to lose anyway. Their tiny brains can't handle this truth, but it stands before them just the same.

[kikomanson]

Ur two Wrong Again, Was your representative not just indicted for corruption. I consider those that can not back up their points with valid facts, Witless.
The US and Europe should have given the Zionist State Of Isreal a country carve out of Germany!
They too wanted you out of Europe, No matter how much your new PM begs Russia not to arm Iran with missiles. The balance of power is Changing.
Good Luck with your perversion!

[hungry1968-16]

by Ur2Wrong September 12, 2009 12:21 PM EDT

Because that is the Israeli view of things, but they have not targeted civilians for the sake of targeting civilians, unlike their enemies who want to instill fear throughout the Near East and among the simpleminded in America.







They haven't targeted civilians?!?!?

That's ALL that Israel attacks is refugee camps, residential neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, stores, etc, etc because they claim "that's where the terrorists are hiding - among the civilian population".

So Israel's answer is to attack EVERYONE - civilians and terrorists alike!

And don't even get me started on how Israel REGULARLY cuts off food, water, electricity, medical supplies, etc, etc, etc.


"Haven't targeted civilians"... what a sad and pathetic joke that is.

[hungry1968-16]

by Observer1504 September 12, 2009 9:08 AM EDT
So its OK for terrorists to blow up Jewish buses, kill innocent people, launch swarms of rockets on Jewish cities ... and it's not OK for Israel to strike back ?







If someone stole your house and land, and they were supported by the US military in their land stealing campaign, wouldn't you resort to terrorism / guerrilla tactics as well?

[Observer1504]

So its OK for terrorists to blow up Jewish buses, kill innocent people, launch swarms of rockets on Jewish cities ... and it's not OK for Israel to strike back ?

[kikomanson]

In 1948, I was a firm believer in the State of Isreal, In 2009 I believe that Isreal is the biggest Terrorist State in the world.
The wars the U.S. is fighting today are a result of its backing of Isreal.Now Isreal after having violated the Non Proliferation treaty by producing a nuclear bomb, are trying to get the U.S. to take on Iran for doing the same actions that Isreal did.
Israel's military lives off the teat of U.S. taxpayer funded military aid of $3 billion dollars per year. The U.S. Fundamental Christian Right wing and the Israeli lobby have been behind that backing. It is time for Isreal to under take it terror path alone. The U.S. needs to withdraw its military aid to Isreal, and crease supplying them with our state of the art weapons,period!
No more U.S. troops should die in fighting Israel's wars!
Why is the holocaust so important,What was so special about 5.7 million Jews dying. Why are the 4 million other non-Jews that died in the ovens and concentration camps not also remembered, such as the Gypsies that are still discriminated against in Europe today, as they were when they died in the ovens. As evidenced lately by the jeers at the Madonna concert, when she defended them.Why are 5.6 million Poles and 20 million Russians and the untold million of others worldwide that died in WW II no remember as Zionist demand the world remember the holocaust.

Isreal today is the Nazi Germany of the 1930-40s, they deserve not the backing of any Civilized nation in the world. Their genocide and crimes should be dealt with as the same crimes of Germany at the time of WW II.

My Christian God was not accepted by the Israeli, as I do not accept the Zionist.

[formrusmcsgt]

Geez, you think Rubin is a Zionist or what?

[cbs_tom]

''Ham Israel Hay''

[bciss]

Opinion is exactly what this article should be under. An opinion with skewed facts and twisted logic. Do not even attempt to to accuse me of anti-semitism or any other fail safe knee jerk reaction to just criticism of Israel and it's campaign of terror. Which is wrapped in propaganda and media friendly fact skewing BS without fail. As a point of fact it is a favorite tactic of Zionists and their supporters to scream anti-semitism at anything they do not like. Especially if it points out negative and truthful facts. Being critical of Israel and her zionist regime is not anti-semitism. Though they do work hard to automatically connect the two. How handy to have such an automatic recoil and guilt reaction built in to the psyche of world, to deflect any close inspection or reasoned consideration of what is going on.

The irony is almost beyond imagine that what the zionists do is so very close to the actions of Nazi Germany. With that in mind. Does one automatically hate all German people or become a horrid person for speaking the truth about Nazi's? Of course not, that is absurd beyond measure. Likewise one does not hate all jewish people or wish them ill in any way shape or form, when pointing out the psychopathic bend of the Zionist regime which controls Israel. I do hope the majority of intelligent and good souls within the Jewish community realize what that means.

The fact is Israel has a strangle hold on the Palestinians. The fact is they launched a horrific attack last winter (just as a recent example). Viciously killing civilians at will. Doing things so horrific and as policy, several of their own soldiers blew the whistle. Which has of course been mostly buried. Fact is there is at this very moment though not covered much in America, a massive scandal revealing Israel's wholesale harvesting of vital organs from those they slaughter at will. As well as ample evidence of strong arm tactics exploiting the weak for their organs around the world.

While the flat out crazy Zionist regime continues to spit and sputter all over itself that any western media outlet had the nerve to report the truth. Meaning the well researched and backed up story out of Sweden. Which the Zionist government of Israel tried to bully Sweden into defying the laws of a democracy and make them condemn and repress the actions of a free press. Even pressing other European powers to try to pressure Sweden. Which by some miracle did not seem to work, yet did not stop Italy from announcing an agreement by Sweden to condemn the story,etc. Which was promptly and embarrassingly refuted by Sweden. As no such agreement exists and they had no plans to interfere with freedom of the press. You know like in a democracy.

The bullying and insto guilt trip because of what the Nazi's did has given a free pass for so long for zionist Israel to commit crime after crime. It is understandable they would be furious truth was spoken. Which has of course worked in so many places time and time again, it is as I said understandable. Though not excusable.

The mafia that trades in these human body parts is far reaching and is in fact well known to many governments who have taken actions to arrest and bring to justice some of these people. America of course for the most part has ignored evidence. That is until recently when they arrested a whole slew of Rabbi's and politicians in America with connections to the harvesting and trafficking of vital organs. Though it has still remained relatively ignored on these shores.

The point is Israel is a flawed entity. Not because of being jewish. But because psychopaths are running the show. The truth of her actions though sadly watered down in most major media is fact, not fiction. People need to educate themselves and keep a sane point of view. It is not jewish people that are the problem. It is the bad seeds. Just like any other people they have them and just like any other, a large group can be led astray by a small minority when they minority has unreasonable control and influence. It is indeed a mad mad world and Israel and America sadly seem to be the mad hatter. Yes, my dear american's our beacon of light is not what we thought either. Wake up people. Things are really,,really wrong. On a number of levels.

[cbs_tom]

Ham Israel Hay