Observations of the Middle East
March 20, 2011
Observations of the Middle East from visit to Israel, February 2011
What I saw, discovered, and learned, with thoughts and conclusions.
1. Nuance
The biggest lesson about the seemingly endless Arab-Israeli conflict is how nuanced it is. There are infinite subtleties, and voices on both sides espousing every conceivable point of view.
Most of what we hear in the US and in Europe comes from our news media. But such media make their living by simplifying complex issues rather than addressing them, and by exacerbating conflict to keep attention. That’s why it’s so easy for media voices, new media as well as old, to vilify one side and openly sympathize with the other. The situation is one enormous puzzle, and no single view, let alone no single news story, can begin to do it justice.
2. The Disconnect
For much of the world, Israel’s existence is a fact. After 60+ years, despite continuing tension, Israel is an established reality. Like it or not, Israel will be there.
Many Israelis and Jews around the world don’t see it that way. They consider Israel’s existence precarious and constantly under threat. “The first war we lose will mark the end of the country,” they think. From this vantage point, security considerations mean everything to Israelis, though they may appear preposterously overblown to others.
3. Mythology
I went to Israel looking to learn about the relationship between mythology and reality. The identity of every nation and every religion is tied to its mythology and reflects its interpretation of history, values and heroic figures. (America’s mythology, for example, includes images of the old west, rugged individualism, the legacy of slavery and the “American dream”. It is embodied in characters as different as Ronald Reagan, whose message was “Get out of my way and let’s make a great country even greater,” and Barack Obama who rose from diverse ancestry and broke new ground previously considered impossible.)
Israel is the embodiment of the mythology of the Jewish people. That collective understanding is what led to its creation, from the dream of Theodore Herzl, and what sustains it today. To people unsympathetic to the myth, Israel’s existence as a Jewish nation is invalid.
Those who consider Israel illegitimate because it is the result of a mythology, rather than the cold facts of which population lived on this land in what numbers over what period of time, would deny the history of humanity. This is exactly how nations are built. People arrive at different times and create civilizations of different characters. America grew up this way, also Mexico, most of South America, Jordan (the Hashemites arrived only in the 1920’s), and others. Europeans, whose social history goes back much further, are less inclined to accept legitimacy based on a history of only 63 years, which may be why the likes of Britain and France are so vehemently anti-Israel.
In America, we are not giving New York back to the Iroquois, even though they were there first.
4. Israel and the land
What Israel has done with the land is nothing short of astonishing. Though Jews have lived there for thousands of years, they started coming in significant numbers in the 1880’s to escape the vicious anti-Semitism of Europe. They found a treeless, swampy, malaria infested land, and went to work. Today Israel is one of the most advanced countries on earth in many respects. Does good custodianship of resources legitimize the country’s existence?
5. Vitality and enfranchisement
Israel feels alive like no place else I’ve been. There is a quality of the presence of life that is palpable, as if humanity were somehow more engaged there than elsewhere. It’s very alluring, especially for those of us who live in “quiet” suburbs. Life feels both meaningful and intense. It’s not something measurable, but I’ve felt it before there.
Another remarkable thing is the sense of ownership that Israelis seem to have about their country. Even those doing ordinary jobs—I noticed it especially with waiters and taxi drivers—seem to be invested in the well-being of their country. One taxi driver said to me, “Pray for us.” Hard to imagine hearing that anywhere else.
6. The Security Fence
Nobody really likes the fence. It stretches for miles, separating Arab and Jewish populations. We heard from an avowed Israeli leftist and peacenik who told us, “I protested the construction of the fence and joined rallies against it. It cuts through villages, makes it hard for people to get to work, causes bitterness to grow and artificially carves up the land. Yet every morning I wake up and thank God for the fence.”
The fence was constructed for one purpose, to stop the bombers who were blowing up buses and cafes. It has been effective: the bombs have all but stopped. As awful as the fence is, it has worked.
“Walls can be torn down,” said one Israeli leader who was involved in building it. Most Israelis seem to look forward to the day when the fence will disappear and the two sides can live side by side without fear.
7. Zionism
A word that has come to be used as a cudgel against Israel, Zionism means one thing specifically: the desire for Jews to have their own state in their traditional homeland, based on the belief that Jews can only be safe in the world if they can determine their own destiny politically. Zionism makes no reference to the treatment of others. Jews who support the existence of the state of Israel are Zionists, whether or not they support most of Israel’s policies.
8. The Ultra religious
The ultra religious Jews make up around 10% of the population. Known as Haredi and largely in Jerusalem, they are distinguishable by their black clothes and hats. They do not serve in the army and are supported to various degrees by the government. They believe that they are serving the cause of the Jewish people by praying a lot.
The Haredi are important politically, since their parties are generally required to form a coalition government. That gives them more clout than many feel they deserve. Their extreme right wing politics, intolerance for alternative viewpoints, and tendency to have large families cause them to be seen as dangerous by the many who disagree with them, especially those on the political left. Many residents of the settlements are ultra orthodox.
While other Jews are not prepared to disown them, they engender more resentment than respect, at least among those I spoke to. They don’t care at all what others think.
9. The Bubble
An Israeli man who identifies himself as far left told me (quote paraphrased): “When we are in times of conflict, our leaders tell us now is not the time to negotiate seriously, because of the tension. When calm, as now, nobody puts the effort into it because we don’t feel the need. We are living in a bubble. If we don’t resolve these issues ourselves, history will resolve them for us, probably not in a way we favor.”
He also told me that the vast majority of issues leading to a Palestinian state have already been resolved in private negotiations. However, neither side can muster the political will to close the deal, fearing backlash from within. Rabin seemed almost there when he was murdered.
As we watch turmoil engulf the Middle East, can we afford to ignore the bubble? Even if democracy arrives in places like Egypt, recall that democracies tend to cater to the whims of the population, and the Egyptian population is overwhelmingly anti-Israel.
10. The Arabs
By far the most difficult subject to discuss responsibly.
There are Arab Israeli citizens who appreciate the rights of citizenship, such as health care and education, even though they feel like second class citizens. Many would rather count on the system they know than take a chance with unproven leadership of a Palestinian state, should one ever be formed. There are Palestinians in the occupied territories who bitterly resent Israel and always will, as well as some who find coexistence stable and acceptable if not ideal. There are Palestinians who have suffered mightily at Israeli hands and would love to see the Jewish state vanish tomorrow.
In addition to religious and political differences, we saw cultural divides that give pause to anyone who imagines the two peoples can ever live together as brethren. For example, Israeli towns are full of gardens while Palestinian towns are not. Public art displays are plentiful, but only in Israeli cities. One may not be inherently better than the other, but you can’t have both in the same place at the same time.
I heard from several sources that the current Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is taking many positive steps, especially about modernizing the economy. Israelis said this in a hopeful tone, as though these steps might diminish social and values differences and make it easier to find common ground.
Gaza is an entirely different story. The most densely populated area in the world, Gaza continues in limbo, with enough food and not much else. “Nobody is dying in Gaza,” it is said, “but nobody’s really living either.” Hamas remains militant, violent and in control.
11. Israelis and Palestinians
There are voices speaking out for working together and many efforts to create small bridges between the two peoples. But many more simply do not like or trust the other. I spoke to a young mother who identified herself as center-right politically. Her only comment about the Palestinians was, “How can those mothers send their children to blow people up?” Of all the issues she might have brought up, this was the one she spoke about. An Israeli man now in his 50’s who continues to serve in either a military or police capacity said that when military men are together and bored, they joke about “Let’s go out and shoot some Palestinians.”
Basic human empathy is absent, for the most part, on both sides. It is easy under the stress of conflict to focus exclusively on the misdeeds of the other side, and everyone can cite something bad the other side did to justify one’s stance. There are so many memories of violence and death, and plenty of guilt to go around. Israel has not been a shining light of morality against an implacable enemy. The Disconnect, mentioned above, is pervasive.
A prominent Jerusalem lawyer told me that the only path to peace he can imagine involves setting up the terms of permanent resolution, then waiting a generation to implement it so everyone has time to get used to the idea.
From what I could tell, and my exposure was not very diverse, most Israelis simply don’t want to think about the Palestinians (see The Bubble, above.) They have their lives to live. They have seen so many peace efforts come and go that it seems futile to devote any more of their time and energy to the endless haggling and detail such process requires.
Many talk about Palestinian society as being hopelessly backward compared to their own, but they say it uneasily. They know the situation can’t stay the way it is forever. Most would admit time is not on Israel’s side.
In my view, the pathway to resolution is entirely a matter of leadership. When might new leaders come forward who will rise above the cacophony and quiet the clamoring voices long enough to create a resolution? Will they ever?
12. Visiting Israel
Israel is a remarkable place. Jerusalem especially is like no place else on earth. If you feel any connection to the religious roots of Judaism or Christianity, you should go there at least once.
As a country that relies heavily on tourism, the guides are extremely well trained and professional. Security is the best in the world; Israel is remarkably safe, and the guides will steer you away from anything that is remotely dangerous.
The food was astonishingly good. It’s Middle Eastern cuisine, mostly kosher and delicious. Breakfast was outstanding, and salads were plentiful everywhere. I did not expect to be smitten with Israeli cuisine.
Tel Aviv is a lively contemporary city around which much of the population lives. Jerusalem is timeless. Best time to go is March or April, when the countryside is green following the winter rains and before the dry heat of summer sets in.
