Palestinian
Conflict Deserves a Vigorous Public Debate
My last column on former
president Jimmy Carter’s book Palestine:
Peace not Apartheid, elicited the
usual responses from familiar circles. The
questions raised by the book were left unanswered
by them. Instead, the letters to the editor
of the Blade and those sent to me
directly repeated the oft-repeated litany
of what has now become a familiar pattern
of response; just blame the victims for their
misfortunes.
The arguments put forward are circuitous and
ingenious. Some of them talked about Israel
being the only democracy in the reigion and
that it is such a tiny small country. It is
true but this line of reasoning somehow absolves
Israel from following international laws and
the United Nations Resolutions.
Israel and its supporters have also blamed
Palestinians for becoming refugees. They contend
that they were told by the Arab leaders to
leave their homes and all of them did that
voluntarily. It is true that some well-to-do
Palestinians left on their own accord but
the bulk of one million refugees were forced
out of their homes by militant Jewish groups
under a well-planned program.
A recent book based on declassified Israeli
government documents (The Ethnic Cleansing
of Palestinians by Ilan Peppe) puts that myth
to rest. Mr. Peppe, a senior lecturer at Haifa
University and other Jewish historians like
Simha Flapan, Tom Segev, Avi Schlaim Benny
Morris have written on the subject to the
discomfort and embarrassment of right wing
Jewish historians.
The recent inclusion of Yisrael Beitenu Party
into Israeli government and the appointment
of Avigdor Lieberman, an avowed supporter
of Palestinian ethnic cleansing, as deputy
prime minister should be of concern to every
one including the moderate Jews.
Another argument put forward by the proponents
of Israel is that Israel has no partner to
talk peace with. Yes, the Palestinian Authority
is in shambles. A good many of its leaders
and legislators are in Israeli jails and because
of a total economic and financial boycott
there is widespread unrest. A systematic destruction
and dismantling of the infrastructure of the
Palestinian Authority by Israel is responsible
for the current conditions. Hamas rose to
power in that vacuum.
Hamas was supported and nurtured by Israel
as a counterbalance to the intransigent Yasir
Arafat. According to Zeev Sternell, a historian
at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, "Israel
thought that it was a smart ploy to push the
Islamists against the Palestinian Liberation
Organization (PLO)". There have been
a lot of unintended consequences of that policy.
I also said that while there is a vigorous
and forceful debate about Palestinian issue
in Israel, no such public debate has been
possible in this country. The majority of
Jews in this country will not speak against
the policies of Israel. Any departure from
the straight and narrow earns them the wrath
of organized Jewry. Recently Joel Benin, a
professor at Stanford, found himself dis-invited
by Harbor School in San Jose where he was
scheduled to talk to the students about the
Middle East Policy. He blamed his fellow Jews
in silencing his voice.
And while many Jews and gentiles are trying
to talk openly about the Palestinian issue
in this country one wonders about the almost
total absence of Arab voices at the community
level. If the Arabs have a compelling story
to tell, and I think they do, why are the
Arab professional and the businessmen dead
on arrival? Can the wringing of hands in private
conversations replace the robust public discourse?
Is it that they would rather have others do
their bidding while they stay on the sidelines
under the radar? Is it the fear of economic
consequences that are at times inevitable
part of a public debate? Perhaps all of these
are true at some level.
And where are the self-appointed and self-anointed
custodians of the Islamic faith who while
good at preaching to the choir and brow beating
others to their restrictive religious viewpoints
are less than honest in their public discourse?
Ours is a pluralistic society where everyone
has the right (dare I say a duty) to pick
up the bullhorn and take part in public debate
on important issues. The fiasco in Iraq and
the ongoing conflict in Palestine are of interest
to the people in our country. It is time Arabs
and Muslims wake up and take their rightful
place in the public square. And while they
shuffle their way there, they should be grateful
to courageous Jews and gentiles who have been
speaking on their behalf.
(S. Amjad Hussain is an op-ed columnist for
the daily Toledo Blade. E-Mail: aghaji@bex.net)
