Doomed to repeat
Greetings from French Hill does us all a service with The forgotten Palestine. She reminds us that it wasn’t even one hundred years ago that the world’s perception of Palestine was much different than it is now. History, or the lack of historical knowledge, is the Palestinians most potent weapon against Israel. (via a hostile commenter I found The Myth of Palestine I & II at All things Beautiful.)
It’s because of this that I consider Elder of Ziyon so important. Take, for example, his article from last week 70 Years Ago - Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose in which he shows that news from 70 years ago sounds awfully similar to what a contemporary news report. Appeasement then as now was the prescribed solution. And it worked just as well then as it does now.
I see that Ocean Guy has now taken a page from Elder of Ziyon and has started a History Friday feature. The latest is History Friday — Refugees.
This is important stuff. The Israeli Palestinian conflict didn’t start in 1948. And it isn’t about the disenfranchisement of the Palestinians. It is about the existence of Israel, which is viewed as an interloper in the Muslim Middle East. No matter what Israel cedes to the Palestinians there will be no peace. Not until the Arab mindset changes. Israel’s reticence to cede territory to its enemies should be understood as a lesson learned over years of experience.
Maybe the new Kadima government will go ahead with its much praised plan of withdrawals. But let there be no illusion that it will make Israel’s enemies any more favorably disposed to its existence than they were in the past. (And yes, the naysayers will condemn Israel for withdrawing too slowly or for doing it unilaterally as reasons that the land didn’t bring peace. After all since it’s a conflict over land there must be a good reason why the sacrifice of land won’t bring peace.)
Technorati tags: Israel, peace process, Israeli Palestinian history.
Related articles about Israel in Soccer Dad.
Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.
