Israel Facing the Islamist Declaration of War - Part 1

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While some of the populace in the Middle East is cheering the actions of Hamas and Hezbollah and their kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, it has now become clear by Saturday, that the result has been almost a total destruction of the infrastructures of both Gaza and Lebanon. Misery has returned to haunt the daily lives of millions of these Mideasterners on both sides of the border. What was hoped to have been one of the best summers in the history of Lebanon, with tourists flocking from the Gulf and other parts of the world, has turned into a complete collapse of this vital Lebanese industry. Various Western governments are doing their utmost to evacuate their nationals from strife-torn Beirut.

As we are being bombarded by news about the war, it is helpful to read this realistic and objective analysis of the crisis by an Arab journalist. On Thursday, 13 July, he contributed this op-ed to the online daily Arabic language newspaper, Elaph, under this title: Hamas, Hezbollah, the Palestinian Cause, and the Destruction of Lebanon.  The following are excerpts from the article, followed by my analysis and comments.

“We know that Israel is not an angel. However, it’s quite evident that Hamas’ childish action in Gaza was intended to derail the peaceful solution of the Palestinian Problem, and to embarrass Abbas thus justifying the non-adherence to the previous agreements with Israel. Hamas could not have been ignorant of the fact that by kidnapping an Israeli soldier, it was not going to get back one inch of Palestine, or get the liberation of the many prisoners held by Israel. The only way to achieve their freedom was through negotiations, a process that was rejected by Hamas. So, the actions of Hamas and Hezbollah have resulted in Israel’s launching and intensifying its attacks on Gaza and Lebanon.

“Hezbollah’s action inside Israel will not be for the benefit of the Palestinian Cause or the Lebanese people. It has brought about new terrors upon Lebanon as we are now witnessing Israel’s air attacks on Beirut and other parts of the country. Lebanon is paying a very high price for Hezbollah’s actions. There is no doubt at all that the goal of both Hamas and Hezbollah is to serve the interests of Syria and Iran in the region, as these two organizations are but stooges of Syria and Iran. While Syria encourages Hezbollah in its attacks on Israel, it is at the same time powerless and unable to launch one rocket from the Golan Heights into Israel.

“The Lebanese government is responsible for the adventures of Hezbollah. After all, as it claims to be the legitimate government of Lebanon, and not Hezbollah, it must act as a responsible government. It should not have allowed Hezbollah to become a state within a state, and to form an army alongside the Lebanese Army. There is no doubt that the government of Lebanon and its head of state are completely responsible for the actions of Hezbollah. They should have thought about the consequences of an Israeli response, and its impact upon the Lebanese people.
 
“It was to be expected that the actions of Hamas and Hezbollah would receive the applause of the rabble and those who have been deceived by the Islamists. They have rushed to applaud the actions of these radical groups, and jumped to criticise anyone who disputes the value of those childish adventures against a powerful state that is one thousand times stronger than the combined forces of Hamas, Hezbollah, Lebanon, and Syria. Those Islamist Palestinians continue to reject any peaceful solution, preferring to continue the struggle against Israel while chanting their slogan, “Kull Filistine, wa-illa,
Fala!” (All of Palestine, otherwise, no solution.) This is an empty slogan that leads nowhere. The refusal of Hamas and Arafat of the best possible agreement that was reached in the late 1990s under the sponsorship of the United States, and the military actions of Hamas on the eve of the Israeli elections allowed Sharon to win the elections, rather than those Israelis of the Labor Party who were calling for a peaceful and just resolution to the Palestinian Problem.

“In the end, there was no raison d’etre for Hamas to exist unless it could keep the fires burning, and to exploit the feelings of the Palestinian and Arab streets, with their delusions to throw the Jews into the sea and a complete liberation of the Palestinian land.

“Alas, how miserable and tragic can politics be in the Middle East. And how tragic that the future of the Palestinian and Lebanese people has become intimately linked to such Islamist organizations that receive their orders and support from outside sources!”

Analysis

Since Israel was born in May 1948, it had to fight several wars: 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, and now in July 2006! While very little has changed in the Arab and Muslim worlds about Palestinian Problem or Cause, lately some Arab commentators are speaking with the voice of reason when dealing with this subject. This is quite a reassuring phenomenon. However, it still remains the voice of a minority. No sooner than such articles appear on the Internet, than negative responses pour in from all over the Arab world. Notwithstanding all the grief, losses, and sorrows that have come to the Middle East since 1948, many of its people still manifest their utter hatred of Israel. This is hard to believe, unless we take into account the fact that such an unfortunate attitude towards Jews and Christians finds its roots in the sacred text of Islam, the Qur’an and Hadith.

Comments

There is very little that I can add to this op-ed that I have shared with you in the previous paragraphs. The actions of Hamas and Hezbollah did not advance the cause of the Palestinians one inch; on the contrary, it has left all the previous “peaceful” agreements in shambles. The future will be darker than ever when the dust settles over the half-destroyed areas the Gaza Strip. The Arabs’ love for and fascination with slogans is legendary. The slogan, “Kull Filistine, wa-illa Fala!” (All of Palestine, otherwise, no solution,) sounds great as it is being chanted by the mobs in Gaza City or Ramallah, but its contents are Utopian. It has been the vain hope of Palestinians for more than half a century, and has brought them nothing but agony and despair.

As for Lebanon, it is too soon, as I write this article, to calculate the human, material, and financial costs of Hezbollah’s dangerous move. Sufficient to say that in a few days, the Israeli response has caused a much greater damage to this small country than what it had experienced during the civil war of 1975-1990! I can do no better than repeat the lamentation with which the op-ed ended:  “Alas, how miserable and tragic can politics be in the Middle East. And how tragic that the future of the Palestinian and Lebanese people has become intimately linked to such Islamist organizations that receive their orders and support from outside sources!”