Many profit from the lack of peace

Why do Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives face repeated failure? There are many answers to this simple question.

Here is one: unfortunately, many parties internationally are profiting from the Israeli-Palestinian problem to the tune of billions of dollars. The flames of the conflict are kept alive by stoking the fire of the conflict, when need be, with a mixed bag of historical myths and religious propaganda from all corners and, lately, spanning the Muslim world. The power of these groups is awesome and, so far, they have prevailed.

The glaring, tragic end of Middle Eastern leaders — to name a few, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Sadat of Egypt, Rabin of Israel and Arafat — cannot be disassociated from the Israeli-Palestinian problem if looked at in this light.

Citing the history of the Kennedy family is also quite relevant and telling, with regards to how influential lobbies put limits on the family members that went beyond accepted norms.

To think that Israeli and Palestinian leaders only have to agree for there to be peace manifests a superficial understanding of a highly complex international problem. Such a peace would not endure but would have the same fate as the peace signed between Israel and Lebanon after the invasion of Lebanon led by General Sharon, ending the political life of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and resulting in the assassination of president-elect Bashir Gemayel of Lebanon.

The fruit of peace is not yet ripe. Signs of ripeness will become apparent when all the profiting parties face moral, political, historical or financial bankruptcy in their own societies and internationally or when energy is depleted in the Middle East. In dollar terms, when the cost of subsidising Israel exceeds the gains realised by providers — meaning when Israel becomes a liability rather than an asset — all parties involved will be forced to change or abandon their present policies.

We started to see a glimpse of the beginning of such change in an article published on April 29 in Haaretz newspaper citing the Knesset Speaker Rivlin titled ‘Israel official: Accepting Palestinians into Israel better than two states'. Ten or 15 years ago, not in anyone's wildest dreams could a Knesset speaker admit that any wrong had been done to the Palestinians. Only when such views become more widespread and accepted will possible solutions be in sight. We hope this happens sooner rather than later, with the help of the internet and YouTube. In the meantime, we can wait and hope to be catalysts.

Since today's Jews are not genetically related and this fact has been proven scientifically, the claim of a nation dating back thousands of years is false. Unesco has published a series of booklets on ‘The Race Question in Modern Science'.

Modern problem

Therefore, the Israeli-Palestinian problem is a modern international problem revolving around energy in the Middle East and the American trade deficit. All historical and religious claims cited, including the Holocaust, are no more than an alibi, as used recently by the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon on commemorating the 62nd anniversary of Israeli independence and reported by the Israeli media network Arutz Sheva.

Neither the Palestinians nor the Muslims bear any responsibility for what happened to some Jews elsewhere. Middle Eastern history bears witness to the fact that Jews have never been prosecuted for their beliefs under Islamic rule. Instead, it clearly depicts the participation of Jews at high levels in Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq and other Arab countries.

By considering energy as a factor one can easily understand the Israeli-Palestinian problem, the Iraq war, the Afghanistan war and many others on the boil. There may be more in the pipeline, as described in detail in an article published in the January/February 2008 issue of The Atlantic magazine in an article titled ‘After Iraq' and subtitled ‘A report from the new Middle East — and a glimpse of its possible future' by Jeffrey Goldberg.

If the energy factor is excluded, all those wars and future ones are of no meaning and ridiculous — including the Israeli-Palestinian problem.

Another factor coming into play is demography, which is tipping in favour of the Palestinians. To eradicate its effect is to turn Israel into a State of Jews rather than a Jewish State. Of course a State of Jews will increase the agony of the Palestinians many fold.

The crucial question: Is a Jewish State or a State of Jews a valid concept worthy of surviving for years to come in a globalised world?

It is interesting to see how the outcome of the global financial crisis will affect the equilibrium of power with India, China and — not forgetting — resurgent Russia. How will that influence the Israeli-Palestinian problem?

Today, the Middle East is solely an American sphere of influence and any peace initiative regarding the Israeli-Palestinian problem has to have the American stamp of approval. Tomorrow a single stamp of approval may not suffice. Therefore, under prevailing circumstances a peace agreement is to the full advantage of Israel.

To make President Obama fit in squarely with the required policies, powerful lobbies started to raise questions about his birth certificate and religious beliefs so as to limit his ability to manoeuvre. This was meant to neutralise him or get him out in one way or the other if he erred and did not fulfil his expected role.

It is hoped that the world will not finally witness the creation of a semi-ghettoised or a ghettoised state that is no good to Palestinians, Jews, the Middle East or the rest of the world after the life-support system is removed, sympathy for Israel dries up and it is treated as a normal state with normal obligations and no special privileges.

Saqr Bin Zayed Bin Saqr Al Nahyan is a Dubai-based author.