New School Politics

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In the Wednesday Journal, Michael Oren, a senior fellow at the Shalem Center, pointed out an illuminating fact in his op-ed, “Fatah Isn’t the Answer”:

Since its creation…the Palestinian Athority has gotten more aid per capita than any entity in modern history–more than Europe under the Marshal Plan.

He continues:

The lion’s share of this fortune has been siphoned into the prevate accounts of Fatah leaders or used to pay off the commanders of some 16 semi-autonomous militias. The PA also maintains an estimated 60,000 uniformed gunmen on its payroll giving the West Bank the world’s highest percentage of policemen-to-population.

The Palestinian people, meanwhile, languish in ever-deepening poverty and unemployment, while lawlessness plagues the Palestinian streets.

If this is how they run an administration with a small range of responsibilities, not to mention that they get more financial help than any athority in modern world history, why should they be given their own country?! And, why should we expect anything different than the status quo from Palestine if they are given their own country?

Popularity: 55% [?]

“Allahu Akhbar” comes the cry almost simultaneously from dozens of buildings across the Gaza Strip. This isn’t, however, just any other call to prayer in the Palestinian territories. Instead, militants from Hamas are celebrating the “liberation” of Palestine. Hamas declared an almost immediate victory as their forces steamrolled over the Fatah, their more moderate political opponents. Claims Hamas, today is the”second liberation of the Gaza Strip, this time from the herds of collaborators.” Hamas, somewhat deluded, believes they vanquished Israeli forces in 2005 and will proceed to crush their Fatah opponents in 2007.

For Hamas, 2007 is the year of government. In early 2006, Hamas won a majority in some of the West Bank and Gaza’s first democratic elections (although the results and methods of polling were contested). The government was controlled partially by Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the PLO Executive Committee, and the leader of Fatah. In recent years, Abbas’ voice has spoken for moderate Palestians, those who seek to live with peace and tranquility instead of war and destruction. It seems as if, at last, the voice of moderation has been drowned out. This week’s onslaught against Fatah makes the organization seem almost saintly, at least in comparison to Hamas.

Hamas has finally removed the last bastion against an Islamic government, leading the way to a country based strictly on Sharia law. International news coverage, however, barely begins to scratch the surface. Hamas’ attacks aren’t just an attack on Fatah. Instead, they’re the final strokes in an operation that began years ago. With this victory, Hamas has the opportunity to turn the Palestinian territories into a state run with an iron fist, quieting dissent and punishing protesters.What the majority of individuals fail to notice is that Palestine has been this way for years. The territory, once a well-governed section of the prosperous nation of Israel, has seen significant deterioration in recent years. The region has erupted into civil unrest dozens of times since the Israeli withdrawal. The government, despite appearences, held no real power in the territory anyway. The government’s most important ability, that to negotiate with other countries, seems to have been squandered as key fights between Hamas and Fatah (politically, this time, not violently) bogged down the Palestinian legislative authority.

While the government was busy attempting to compromise, the violent thugs of Hamas and Islamist organizations scattered across the West Bank and Gaza gave the regions a constant feeling of chaos. Since Israel pulled out, Palestinian citizens have lived in constant fear, not quite sure who to support in the neverendnig war for power. Support Fatah when they’re popular, and you may fnid yourself executed as soon as Hamas rises to power. What’s more, the situation in the Palestinian territories truly shows how incapable the region is of properly governing itself. Since Israel’s withdrawal, the areas have been provided with constant Israeli and US aid in an effort to push the Palestians to greater world understanding and tolerance. When it was clear that these efforts were in vain, the US and Israel continued their policy, paying more attention to the people than their beliefs and politics.

Palestine has been given endless opportunities for growth. The country’s not an independent nation, but that may very well work to its benefit. As a part of Israel, citizens receive the opportunity to commute to major Israeli cities to work at jobs not available in Palestinian territories. Were the country independent, regional change, not just civil war, would result. Neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan would feel reprocussions as well. In this instance, however, Israel may end up being Palestine’s saving grace. Israel has an obligation to promote peace and equality in all territories, even if the territories they strive to protect often attack them (see the intifada, etc.).

Israel, argues Liz, should not piece together an international force to bring peace to the Palestinian territories. As Ryan so eloquently noted, Israel is not in the wrong here. Over the past fifty year, they have time and time again demonstrated their ability to effectively run a government. Currently, Israel stands as a world pioneer in numerous markets and boasts one of the most developed markets in the Middle East. Liz claims the intrusions of Israel into Palestine, an area of their own country, is preventing progress in the region. The fault, however, is not Israel’s. Palestine has been given dozens of opportunities to reform and exist peacefully with the rest of the world. Instead, they have chosen violence and destruction.

At this stage, it’s too early to tell if Hamas’ victory will be permanent. The violence in the Palestinian territories has brought a new meaning to political dissent. Palestinians loyal to Fatah are being executed in droves, and Hamas has begun targeting key Fatah leaders to dismantle the opposition from the top. Palestine clearly does not understand the concept of democracy. Hamas purports that they, finally, have given a voice to the Palestinian majority, but instead of ruling a government, they are smothering any chance for an equitable and fair governmental arrangement in Palestine.

Interesting Link: A Palestinian-written editorial in YNetNews provides an interesting perspective on Israeli-Palestinian relations in light of the current conflict

Popularity: 60% [?]

I must fundamentally disagree with Liz’s characterization of Israel:

Once again, Palestinians are dying. This time, however, they’re not actually being killed by the Israelis.

…

Israel is clearly in the wrong with its imperialistic attitude toward its Arab neighbours, but if the Palestinians want a nation of their own, they must prove that they can govern it without terrorizing their citizens.

Let us first observe that Israelis are so too always being killed, the difference is they’re always being killed by Palestinians! That’s just one example of the primitiveness of the culture surrounding Palestinians–they’re essentially engaged in tribal warfare. You cannot begin characterizing Israelis and Palestinians on equal moral grounds when Likud and Labor handle disagreements through elections and open debate while Hamas and Fatah handle them with TNT and roadside bombs. Do not ignore the distinctive moral nature of each side when examining the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians: Israel is a free and secular republic while a Palestinian state would resemble nothing more than another Arab dictatorship, ruled by Shari’ia and bent on complete destruction of Israel.

Second, it is completely backwards to smear Israel as imperialistic towards its Arab neighbors when its Arab neighbors initiated the years of perpetual conflict nearly six decades ago. Immediately after its founding in 1947, five surrounding Arab nations, not counting stateless forces such as the Arab Liberation Army, invaded Israel with the goal of destroying the UN Partition plan and obliterating Israel. Only after Israel single-handedly defeated the cohilition of five nations did they proceed to take the land that was designated for Palestine, in the same way that Israel invaded the Sinai Peninsula only after Egypt took control of the Straights of Tiran in 1967.

It is ironic that Palestinians today beg for an independant state when the origional partition plan was itself a two state solution. The Palestinians were the ones who invaded Israel and ultimately erradicated the partition.

The military force that Israel has used over its history has always been for the moral purpose of protecting its freedom against neighboring belligerents. Imagine for a moment that your nation, upon its conception, was invaded by five neighboring states and lived in a state of constant terror and constant hostility as you were surrounded by an entire region of people who wanted nothing short of its annihilation. How could that nation not be justified in fighting back? While the entire ”international community” of bleeding hearts weeps for Palestine, Israel has stood firm in recognition of the fact that freedom is not free, and that in order to defend the freedom of its people, the Israeli government must use unequivocal military force against its attacker, lest its freedom cease to exist. 

Popularity: 61% [?]