The self-Deception that fools no one else

Imagine you're an Arab or a Jew of any ethnic background, and you're interested in Middle Eastern affairs. Big shots in Arabia, America or Israel sound you out to see if you'd be interested to participate in the effort to resolve the issues separating the Arab and Israeli sides.

You respond in the affirmative, and even though you already know a great deal about the issues, you look for material that might add to your knowledge, thus make you even better prepared for the task. And you find an article that's written under the title: “Iran Is Pushing Israel and the Gulf Closer Together,” authored by Emily B. Landau and Shimon Stein. It was published on July 26, 2017 in the National Interest.

You read the article and become so discouraged, you wonder if you should get involved in this project if that's the Jewish mentality you'll encounter and will have to put up with. The history, the analysis and the advice given out in this piece look like a tall building that's standing on a pool of mud. It has not crashed yet because there has not been a serious push-back against it. But the moment there will be the slightest push by an opposing opinion, the thing will fly away like a soap bubble in the wind.

What follows is one of the many examples in the Landau and Stein article showing how fallacious is the foundation upon which the two authors have erected their presentation:

“When there are strong interests driving Arab states to cooperate with Israel, we have seen cooperation realized, without insisting on resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The most prominent example is when Egyptian president Anwar Sadat's interest in regaining control of Sinai encouraged him to forge a peace treaty with Israel. Although Sadat included the Palestinian issue as part of the treaty negotiations, the result was a far cry from resolution of the conflict”.

Do you know what this is like, my friend? It's like the Japanese saying they won World War II because they hit the American navy so badly at Pearl Harbor, the American brass realized it was in its interest to cooperate with Japan. And this is what encouraged the Americans to forge a peace treaty with the Japanese.

Pearl Harbor happened in 1941. Twenty six years later in 1967, Israel launched a sneak attack, not on Egypt's navy, but on its air force. This allowed the Israelis to occupy the Sinai. They called on Egypt to start negotiating, but Egypt gave the famous three nos, one of them being “no negotiation.” Instead of negotiating – which would have amounted to surrender – Egypt fought a behind-the-lines war of attrition while preparing its military to cross the Suez Canal in force, and kick the Israelis out.

When ready, Sadat gave Israel an ultimatum: “get out of the Sinai or we'll come after you,” he said. The Jews in Tel Aviv did not laugh but those in New York did, and they told the Israelis not to budge. To show how serious he was, Sadat staged a demonstration. He ordered the military to use the Nile in front of the Cairo Hilton Hotel (where the Americans usually stayed) and do a rehearsal there, mimicking the crossing of the Suez Canal. The Americans – Jews and others – could not have missed the show because it was a full dress rehearsal, complete with pontoon bridges, tanks, artillery and helicopters … the whole works. Still, the Jews of America were not impressed, and they told the Israelis not to worry about a thing.

The Egyptians attacked in 1973, blew away the Israeli Bar Lev line, and took control of the canal region. Sadat that had promised America's President Nixon he would not cross into Israel proper, kept his word. Kissinger got involved in what came to be known as shuttle diplomacy. He arranged for a ceasefire and worked out a timetable for Israel's orderly evacuation of its troops without further bloodshed.

While this was happening, the Egyptians cleaned up the canal and reopened it for navigation and for the stream of revenues they were missing so badly. When all was quiet except for the American diplomatic effort, Sadat extended a magnanimous hand of friendship to the Israelis. This happened in 1977, four years after the Egyptians had crossed the Canal, and ten years after uttering the three nos. Two more years after that – with the assistance of America's Jimmy Carter – the two sides signed a peace treaty in 1979 to take effect a year later.

Now, my friend ask yourself why it is that in the face of this chronology, Landau and Stein would characterize those events like this: “The most prominent example is when Egyptian president Anwar Sadat's interest in regaining control of Sinai encouraged him to forge a peace treaty with Israel”? There is only one answer to that question: Because they are Jews. And that's what is so depressing about our dear Planet.

What is at stake now is what's left of Palestine. The Jews who already gobbled up 80% of it wish to acquire the remaining 20%. For this to succeed, they plan to get rid of the millions of Palestinians who live there. Given that Israel never returned an inch of stolen land it did not lose in a fight, no negotiator will resolve that situation without the full use of the clout that America has over Israel.

Using its clout, America has the means to help Israel see that the time has come to evacuate the West Bank. If this happens – not only Israel – but America too will come out the pool of mud where Israel has erected its soap bubble. It's about time.