bitterlemons-international.org
Middle East Roundtable / Edition 18/2008

An Israeli View:
What the Jews achieved and what the Arabs achieved

by Yisrael Harel

A heavy moral cloud hung over Israel's sixtieth Independence Day celebrations: a prime minister interrogated on the holiday eve on suspicion of taking bribes; a former president who will soon stand trial for severe moral crimes; a minister of finance already indicted for theft and fraud and a member of Knesset convicted just before the holiday for taking bribes. Yet no serious person taking stock of the situation with historical perspective and objectivity would say that because of high-level corruption the Jewish state is corrupt and has failed.

Quite the contrary: the moral decline of some circles in Israeli society, its academic institutions, the wealthy, the media and government is overshadowed by a beautiful, patriotic, just, courageous and industrious Israel--an Israel that, from its inception, was never allowed to lay down her sword yet still succeeded, without natural resources and without a moment of grace from its enemies, to build one of the few economies that has not been significantly hurt by a global economic crisis that has even affected giants like the United States and Europe. Israeli universities, despite their ceaseless complaints regarding lack of resources, hold a very respectful position internationally. In the natural sciences, the number of learned articles written in Israel and published in scientific journals is higher, per capita, than science giants like England and Germany, and the percentage of Israelis studying for a BA is the highest in the world.

According to the image they themselves like to project, the Palestinians are "the Jews of the Arab world", i.e., they are better educated and more industrious than their Arab brothers. Perhaps. Yet as far as competition with Israel over levels of education is concerned--after all, this is the only standard by which they can compete with Israel--they have wasted 60 years during which they enjoyed a certain advantage over Israelis: they received huge financial aid from the United Nations and many nations of the world and their children did not bear the burdens born by Israeli children, such as three years of military service, during which they could apply themselves to education.

Yet they did not do so sufficiently, for the same reason that they never eliminated the refugee camps: they have turned the status of victim, their own self-pity and the absolute desire for revenge against the Jews into, first, a political weapon and, over time, a way of life. Yet in a world of globalization and super-technology these weapons, while here and there they might disturb the world's conscience, have not brought the Palestinians closer to any of their goals. On the contrary, with every passing day the gap grows between Israel, as it presses ahead toward ever more achievements, and the Palestinians, who fortify themselves with ever more self-righteousness and backwardness. The goal of establishing a Palestinian state on the ruins of Israel (a position held by the majority of Palestinians) or on the 1967 lines (a position still adhered to by a minority composed of pragmatists who recognize that suicide terrorism will never defeat Israel) is receding.

The broader Arab world as well, including the oil-rich countries, finds itself lagging behind Israel. The hundreds of billions of dollars flowing into its treasuries are not properly exploited. Israel's per capita income, even without oil, is around $20,000, compared to less than $3,000 in the Palestinian Authority, Egypt or Syria. True, high income does not always correspond with national resilience or determination--indeed, in these realms Israel has regressed significantly in recent decades--yet the crisis, however serious, has not caused weakness at the national level. In this respect we are witness to vitality in all walks of Israeli life, including a cultural and literary flowering that reflects impressive capacities on the part of Israeli society.

In the forty-sixth year of Israeli independence, 1994, the Palestinians were given a one-time opportunity to prove they are the "Jews of the Arab world". The Oslo agreement granted them de facto independence and control over sufficient territory to lay an administrative, judicial and educational infrastructure and prepare all the other components that characterize a state--just as the Jews did under the British mandate. No one got in their way; indeed, the entire world, Israel included, encouraged them to move toward creating these infrastructures. But Yasser Arafat and his followers (from the moment that Israel, in one of its sorriest acts, allowed him along with more than 40,000 armed men to enter the territory of the Palestinian Authority) chose instead to wage a war of terror and attrition.

True, the attrition worked to some extent on Israel. Yet the Israelis rallied more economic, human and professional resources than the Palestinians and won this war too. And with the Palestinians worn down--even the limited and insufficient war Israel is waging, using a small portion of its technological and human capabilities, has dealt Hamas sufficient blows to bring it to sue for a ceasefire--Israel can allow itself to carry on business (almost) as usual.

In recent years, and particularly since their "vision documents" were published in Israel and the world, another important actor has joined the fray: the Israeli Palestinians. Their actions, declarations and publications, which negate Israel's existence as the national home of the Jewish people, generate growing suspicion among the Jewish public regarding Palestinian intentions. Not only do these Palestinians reject the existence of the state in which they are citizens but they also pressure the PA, for example on the eve of the Annapolis conference, not to dare recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people.

Here, then, is the balance we have drawn: while the Arabs invest their primary resources in an ongoing conflict with Israel the latter, in an effort unprecedented in the world, succeeds in mustering not only the heavy resources required for its defense, but also a large portion of its citizens' capabilities toward creativity and development in every field. Thus after 60 years Israel, despite frequent crises and its own societal ills, is on the path to progress, development, overcoming the many obstacles and failures in its way and enlarging the gaps that separate it from those who deny its right to exist. Throughout most of the Arab world, on the other hand, and particularly in the Palestinian camp, things are moving in the opposite direction: they are regressing.- Published 12/5/2008 © bitterlemons.org

Yisrael Harel heads the Institute for Zionist Strategy in Jerusalem and writes a weekly political column in Haaretz. He is former head of the Yesha Council (Council of Jewish Settlements in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza District) and former editor of its monthly Nekuda.

Bitterlemons-international.org is an internet forum for an array of world perspectives on the Middle East and its specific concerns. It aspires to engender greater understanding about the Middle East region and open a new common space for world thinkers and political leaders to present their viewpoints and initiatives on the region. Editors Ghassan Khatib and Yossi Alpher can be reached at ghassan@bitterlemons-international.org and yossi@bitterlemons-international.org, respectively.

hagalil.com 13-05-2008