Israel & the Middle East @adriennezalien - Tumblr Blog

Reflection...

Pols 477 was over-all a very informative class. Going into detail what we would just skim over in other classes was so helpful. For me, the blogging assignment was a way of showing us that the conflict between Israel and Palestinians is ongoing, constantly changing as more people try to either come to a peaceful agreement or opt for a more violent approach. While I feel like I already understood how difficult the problem was between Palestinians and Israelis, current events would sometimes give me hope that a solution was near and other times blogging about them would kill any hopes that I had before.

I’m very interested in continuing to study and watch Israel. I am excited to see how the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel will grow or fail, how Israel handles it’s security, and the growth or distruction of Fattah, Hamas, and the PA. Maybe it is hopeful thinking, but I believe that we can solve this problem in my lifetime.

Saudi Embassy in Israel?

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Saudi-general-If-Netanyahu-accepts-the-Arab-Peace-initiative-well-open-an-embassy-in-Israel-452368

This article is on retired Major General, Anwar Eshki, of Saudi Arabia. He was asked how many year it would be until the world sees a Saudi Embassy in Israel. He said as soon as Israel accepts the Arab initiative and Palestinians get all their rights. When he is asked why Saudi Arabia does not help Palestinians, he answers sharply that they do help them by donating money. He makes the point that Iran gives Palestinians weapons that eventually causes Israel to retaliate violently. The money that Saudi Arabia gives the Palestinians help the live, instead of die.

Recently Benjamin Netanyahu did say that they need Arab nations in the region to be their partners to help in the Palestinian peace process (http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Netanyahu-Peace-will-come-through-Arab-world-447874). In recent posts, I have talked about Saudi Arabia and Israel’s relationship potentially improving (so that they might actually have a formal relationship). Iran seems to be the main concern that brings both countries together. While I’m not sure if Netanyahu has actually come around to the Arab Initiative itself or if he can get the rest of his more conservative constituency on board with any time soon, I think continued subtle cooperation has the potential to help Israeli-Palestinian relations.

Israel Again Refusing to Leave Golan Heights

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-will-never-leave-golan-netanyahu-tells-putin/

This article is on talks between Israel and Russia, Israel clearly stating again that they will never give up the Golan Heights. Israel again stated that security is its main goal, that they need to make sure that they are not being attacked Hezbollah from the strategic high points. They also state that Israel has already settled the area. While Russia has been helping the Assad regime in Syria, they are drawing back now. They were doing a good job of coordinating with Israel and their Hezbollah targets. They see this as an opportunity to ask Russia not to sell Iran an air defense system. Russia still plans on delivering the system. I think that while it was good for Israel to try, I don’t think that they should have expected to get what they wanted. It seems like the relationship between Russia and Israel is getting better, but Russia is still keeping Israel’s concerns at arms length.

How Did the Bus Bombing Happen?

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Analysis-The-bomber-who-slipped-through-the-net-451738

The bombings yesterday were terrible. It is disheartening to hear this news. While there seems to always be a certain amount of random violence, it had been a while since Israel has seen bombings like this. This article speculates at how the bomber got around intelligence. Did the bomber work alone or with a group? It discussed the effectiveness of Israeli intelligence and security. Israel usually does a good job at preventing these events from happening. Still, while there is no peace between Israelis and Palestinians, I do not foresee events like these ending. As long as there is conflict, there are going to be attacks. Peace is the only real way to make sure violence like this stops. Of course it is a long, very difficult process, but I don’t know how much longer Israel can keep up the status quo.

These attacks to do not help Palestinians either. It seems the more violence there is the tighter Israel gets about security, understandably so. I don’t know how to convince these radicle people that violence will only hinder their goals, it seems many have tried. I have seen extreme articles claiming that this is the start of the Third Intifada. I hesitate to go that far quite yet, I could see more violence happening in the near future.

Arab Deputy Commissioner

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-appoints-first-ever-arab-police-officer-to-second-highest-rank-a6984046.html

After our first round of mock negotiations, I have security and peace on my mind. This article simply states that Jamal Hakrush is the first Arab police officer in Israel to rise to the rank of deputy commissioner. It is the second highest rank. While I know Israel wants to keep it’s Jewish identity, I think that they need to include more of their Arab citizens in the police force and public life in general. The article says that Israel wants to recruit 1,300 new officers and create new police stations in Arab-populated areas. I am hoping that many of these new recruits will be Arab-Israelis as well. While this potential increased inclusion is not going to fix many of Israel’s problems with violence, it would be a step in the right direction.

Islands in the Gulf of Aqaba

https://www.algemeiner.com/2016/04/13/israel-approves-egyptian-saudi-deal-on-red-sea-islands-defense-minister-says/

While on the surface this may not be a big deal, and maybe it really isn’t a big deal, but I think the power swap of these Islands is somewhat interesting. They were controlled by Egypt, but now they are under Saudi control. They were originally Saudi territory, but were given to Egypt to protect from Israel. Israel had to sign off on the agreement because of the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel that maintained Israel had the right to access the Straits of Tiran. I think that the transfer of power back might be in consequential. Still, there is anti-Israel sentiment in both countries. While the rulers of each maintain a semi-peaceful relationship with Israel, Israel might feel better about the Islands being under the control of Saudi Arabia again because they agree more on issues dealing with Iran. Even though they have a very limited relationship, both of the countries view Iran as a threat. Maybe they are taking baby-steps to a more public relationship? While I still think that the Palestinian issue will have to be solved before the two countries will really have a good relationship, Saudi Arabia did promise to honor the Egyptian agreements made involving the area that they now have control of again.

Israeli-Turkey Relations

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Israel-Turkey-hold-more-reconciliation-talks-but-still-no-white-smoke-from-chimney-450609

This article is on the reconciliation talks between Israel and Turkey. It sounds somewhat hopeful that in the end, the two countries will reconcile. Both countries want to have a good relationship with each other, but the two issues in the way are Turkey’s housing of some Hamas cells and Israel’s blockade of the Gaza. These are two important positions that I think they will have to realize the other will not completely back down. Turkey enjoys looking like they are fighting for Palestinians. On the other side, it is hard for Israel to connect with Turkey when they do not consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Both countries have Western allies and influence, so I’m sure that if they really want this relationship, they will come to an agreement. With the instability in the Middle East, the two countries having a formal relationship would be beneficial for each economy as well as security.

Cement Stealing in Gaza

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-suspends-cement-delivers-to-Gazas-private-sector-450234

This article was about Hamas taking cement that was supposedly supposed to be used for private projects in Gaza and using it to build tunnels for their own nefarious use. I honestly was not that shocked when I read about it. It was intended to rebuild homes and other structures to help regain stability and a sense of normalcy. Like the article mentioned, them doing this really hurts the other people living in Gaza because that cement could have been used for much needed housing or other projects. It is hard to constantly hear how some Palestinian groups and Palestinian leadership keeps undermining potential peace and harm the people they supposedly represent. The situation in Gaza seems very out of control and it will be hard for Israel to help “rehabilitate” it. It will take a lot more from both sides. Palestinian leadership, not just PLO leaders, will need to improve and better represent the people in order to really rehabilitate Gaza.

Israel Turning Off Power

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/210138#.Vv1W9vkrLIU

This article is on Israel cutting off power to Palestinian cities, particularly Jericho, because of massive electric debt owed by the Palestinians. They have cut off power to Palestinians before, but restored their power once the U.S. State Department criticized them on the move. Of course I do not think that this will improve Israeli-Palestine relations. I also do not think that the debt should be forgotten, but I can understand how it might be hard for some Palestinians to earn enough money to pay their debts. I think this is an important “little” issue in the bigger conflict that needs to be worked out for a gradual peace. I think that this is just a smaller problem in the bigger picture. A problem that will create even more resentment and perpetuate the conflict.

No Drilling, No Democracy?

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/262331/israels-democratic-collapse-caroline-glick

I picked this particular article on Israel’s Supreme Court’s decision to postpone drilling for natural gas mainly because it was a very dramatic opinion piece on the subject. While I’m sure drilling would help the Israeli economy, I do not think that not drilling will cause the collapse Democracy in Israel. The author blames NGO’s for interrupting the process and presenting petitions to delay drilling. While that might be true, he suggests that Netanyahu should do more to get the power back from the power-rich court system and give it to elected officials. While the claim that the Supreme Court holds a lot of power for being non-elected positions is not one that is unique to Israel. I also do not think that this is what is going to collapse democracy in Israel. There have been a lot of elected officials in Israel calling for different methods of censorship in journalism in Israel that I have blogged about previously, that I would be a bit more afraid of.

Israel Finding New Allies

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4778374,00.html

This article discussed how Israel is finding allies in different places that we would not expect. It discussed how American popular opinion has changed over the years and a lot of Americans are critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. The article seemed quite bitter. While I do think that American support for Israel has changed over the years, I think it is silly of the author to think that the change would not eventually happen. I don’t think that the overall American support has changed as much as he is describing though. The formal support is still very much there. He says that Israel is finding new partners, like Russia. He sites the recent coordination in Syria as an example of how they are working together. I do not think Russia will replace the US as Israel’s main supporter because of their economy and there is quite a bit of anti-Semitic rhetoric in the Russian populous (not saying that there are not also Americans who are anti-Semitic). I don’t see any of the other allies that he mentioned really taking the place of America anytime soon.

Should Israel Worry About the Russian Withdrawal?

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Russia-seeks-to-reassure-Israel-over-Syria-withdrawal-plan-447994

I think that it is an interesting move on the part of the Russians to start the withdrawal of many of their forces. Russia has had experience with conflicts in the Middle East and maybe they are worried about getting too involved in this one and being stuck there? Or maybe they really think the Syrian government can handle ISIS and their opposition? Maybe they are lacking their own resources? I think Russia’s involvement with the Syrian civil war has helped the Syrian government. They said that they would not fully leave the conflict, but I’m not sure if the Syrian government can continue in they way that they have been. I’m not sure if Russia pulling out forces right now is the best thing to do. I’m not military a strategist, but I feel like it is too early for them to pull a lot of forces out if they want their effort there to be successful.

I do not think that Israel is in too much trouble with the withdrawal of Russia. Again, I’m not a military strategist. Before Russia’s involvement, the conflict stayed pretty well confined within the Syrian boarders. While they have been in communications about planned attacks on Hezbollah, I don’t think Russia is what is keeping the conflict out of Israel. Communications about attacks on Hezbollah will most likely go way down, but that is not anything new. If anything would happen and Israel was attacked or invaded, I have confidence in Israel’s ability to protect itself and they would most likely have some help from their U.S. allies.

Will Another Wall Stop Violence?

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.707969

This article describes the proposal by the Movement to Save Jewish Jerusalem being supported by former Israeli defense officials to wall off Palestinian communities from the rest of Jerusalem. This recent push to limit the movement of Palestinians even more is coming after a recent increase in violence. While I totally understand the security concerns, I think that this action would cause more issues. Continuing to limit the movement of Palestinians is a vicious circle of violence. Once the Israeli officials punish the Palestinian community as a whole, it usually sparks more violence, and then the trend continues. One of the major criticisms of Israel made by the rest of the world is the Palestinians’ lack of movement in the country in which they live. If Israel has taught us anything, it is that good fences (or walls in this case) do not necessarily make good neighbors.

PLO has issued has statement that this is not a ‘separation plan’ but ‘an annexation plan’. They say that it would separate people from their property, schools, hospitals, jobs, and holy places. I do not think that Israel can keep going along in this fashion. While I do not think that violence (especially toward random people) is not the correct response, I think that Israel should learn from their past experiences with putting up walls and realize that it will most likely produce more violence and hate.

Textbook Maps

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/03/08/mcgraw-hill-education-withdraws-textbook-maps-viewed-anti-israel

This article describes why Mcgraw-Hill Education decided to destroy a line of textbooks because of some maps that depict “Palestinian loss of land from 1946 to 2000”. While I think that destroying a lot of already printed books is wasteful, I think it is important for publishers of books, especially text books on the matter, phrase things carefully. I am not anti-Palestinian, but I think the decision to rethink how the information in these books is a good one (even if I don’t think that they should destroy all of them because of a map). As we have talked about in class, there has never been a Palestine. The phrasing might be misleading, maybe looking like at one point there was a state of Palestine. I think we all can agree that many Palestinians have lost their homes and lands due to forced relocations, voluntarily leaving their homes, or being forced to evacuate by Israeli officials. I think it is hard to have an unbiased book on the matter, particularly because the conflict is so heated.

I also found the comment section very interesting. I think it further shows how divided people are on this subject and what they think is important for people to know about this conflict.

Current Egypt-Israeli Relations

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/world/middleeast/egypts-parliament-expels-lawmaker-who-dined-with-israels-ambassador.html?_r=0

This is an interesting development. Since the fall of Mubarak, the peace between Israel and Egypt has been questionable. They were enemies in the middle part of the 20th century and now it seems that peace is as fragile as everyone knew. A member of parliament getting expelled, is a pretty strong message. The article does say that those close to Sisi say the countries do have a good relationship, but I think this is showing how the public really feels about Israel, especially with continued Egyptian criticism over the treatment of Palestinians. I do not know how long the people of Egypt will stand this peace that is not supported by the people. Though, I’m sure Sisi will find a way...

Iran Diminishes Israeli Threat in an Odd Statement

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran-News/Irans-nuclear-chief-Israel-isnt-a-state-therefore-its-not-a-threat-446513

This article focused on a statement made by Iran’s nuclear chief. The statement that, “Israel is not a state, therefore Israel is not a threat,” has so many errors in the logic of the statement as well as it trying to diminish years and years of anti-Israel rhetoric. They were asked how they feel about Israel’s long range missile capabilities, when saying confidently, they do not view Israel as a threat. The statement that came out does not make any sense. The world does not recognize ISIS as a state, but we still recognize that they are a threat. I’m not saying that Israel is anything like ISIS, but there are stateless organizations that can be threatening. Iran still believes that Israel should be annihilated. If they did not believe that Israel is a threat, then why are they would they still want to destroy it? It is like a kid destroying an ant hill. While Iran has never really recognized Israel as a state, the logic of that statement makes them sound delusional. Iran is just using this rhetoric to diminish Israel even more, I do not think it works very well. I just found the statement a little funny.

Should Israel Be a ‘Good Neighbor’?

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Israel-asked-to-be-a-good-neighbor-446072

This opinion article points out many issues involved with Israel helping Syrian refugees. The writer argues that it is crazy to think that Israel is going to help the refugees as much as the rest of the world expects them to. Honest, when I read the title, I immediately thought, yeah, Israel should help more! While I might emotionally feel like Israelis should do more to help, I know that there are so many obstacles in the way of Israel to give as much help as we would like them to. The article pointed out the obvious ones, Syria is one of, if not the biggest enemy of Israel, Israel has its security to think about, where would the money to help come from, etc.

While this article does do a very good job at explaining the reasons Israel should not be held up to high standards when other countries in the area are not asked to do the equivalent, I still can’t help but think that Israel could do more… What they could do is really hard for me to come up with. Maybe it is because I just read the article and have all of the potential issues with helping refugees fresh in my head. I guess when I was reading this article, I thought about class and our discussions on how we hold Israel to very high standards and expect them to do what we do not expect a lot of other nations to do. Should we hold Israel to these high standards? In some ways, I think so. Maybe it is because I feel like Israel is similar to “Western” countries and should help the neighbor in distress (even though many “Western” countries are also having an issue helping Syrian refugees). I think we should hold every county to a high standard. I still cannot come up with a better reason other than; it is good for humanity, for Israel to help Syrian refugees. I think this rambling post has been my inner Realist and Liberal fighting.

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Israel & the Middle East