Written by Harrison Kelly   

During the acts of terror against Palestinians leading to the 1948 war, which forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes, Uri Avnery wrote the following. He is one of the founders of the Israeli organization Gush Shalom (translated The Peace Block) that advocates a just peace agreement with Palestinians.

“WHEN OUR Zionist fathers decided to set up a safe haven in Palestine, they had the choice between two options:

They could appear in West Asia as European conquerors, who see themselves as a bridgehead of the “white” man and as masters of the “natives”, like the Spanish conquistadores and the Anglo-Saxon colonialists in America. That is what the crusaders did in their time.

The second way was to see themselves as an Asian people returning to their homeland, the heirs to the political and cultural traditions of the Semitic world, ready to take part, with the other peoples of the region, in the war of liberation from European exploitation.”

Israelis chose the first, and ever since have been supported by the United States and other European “white masters”. The folly of that choice may soon become evident as Arab neighbors gain control of their government’s policies toward Israel through democracy. And US support for that choice may be questioned by its people. Here is why.

Egypt is Israel’s most populous Arab neighbor with a military establishment bolstered by years of US funding for military training and the purchase of modern weapons. The people of Gaza, since biblical times have been culturally aligned to Egypt. In fact throughout history all other Palestinian people have had a close and mostly peaceful relationship to that country. It is highly significant that 18 days of non-violent protest ended Mubarak’s brutal dictatorship. The people of Egypt may now be able to influence policies rather than having a dictator who chose to support America’s ineffective approach toward the Israeli occupation.

Jordan, also the recipient of US military aid, has acceded to its citizens peaceful demands by implementing moves toward more democratic governance. That nation also shares a border with Israel and is historically and culturally linked to Palestinians. About 70 percent of Jordan’s population are Palestinian refugees or their descendants.

Bahrain, Algeria and Libya are currently rife with non-violent protests against dictatorial rule. The people of those countries are demanding more popular influence in their governments’ policies. And there are signs of similar unrest in other Arab states.

US economic and political support for the anti-democratic regimes in Egypt, Jordan and other Arab countries was largely justified by concern for Israel’s security, not really to bring about a just settlement for Palestinians or to encourage democracy in those countries.

Virtually all Arabs consider the Israeli conquest and occupation a gross injustice against Palestinians, and by extension to all people of good will, that has festered for more than 40 years.

Already we may be seeing the subtle effects of democracy movements in Arab states. For many years a vast majority of member countries of the United Nations have favored stronger sanctions against the Israeli occupation and construction of settlements on Palestinian lands. The US and some of its closest European allies have essentially protected Israel, hoping for 40 years to convince the two parties to reach a peaceful solution without coercion. Consequently the US has used its veto in the UN Security Council to block any actions provocative to the Israelis. Last Friday the Council voted on a UN resolution condemning ongoing construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian soil. The significance of this vote was that all members of the Council voted yes to the resolution. On similar resolutions in the past America’s allies on the Council had abstained, implying passive support for Israel’s policies. That is one small but significant signal that circumstances are undermining the policies of the United States and its allies.

The movement of Arab countries toward democracy, coupled with the United States being left alone as the single supporter of Israeli policies, suggests that already the status quo in the Middle East is cracking. Today hundreds of Palestinians protested, denouncing the US veto. As time goes by we could see both Egypt and Jordan threatening to cancel their peace treaties, putting pressure on Israel and consequently the United States, to rethink their positions. We could also see other Arab countries hardening their attitudes toward both Israel and the US.

Israel and their supporters have countered by raising the specter of the Muslim brotherhood dominating the democratic scene in Arab countries or Iran creating a war against Israel. There is no credible evidence to suggest such an outcome.

Because Israel chose and the USA supported their choice to see themselves as a bridgehead of the “white” man and as masters of the “natives”, both are now facing a crisis as Arabs cast off dictators who sided with the USA in that choice. It is unlikely democratic Arab governments will continue peacefully tolerating that situation.