It is clearer than 2 + 2 = 4 that Israel is receiving aid and ammunitions from western powers especially US or else it would have been wiped out from the map of the world in 1948, 1967 or 1973. As someone has said with palpable exaggeration though, “It is not Israel but America that Arabs are fighting; if it would have been Israel alone, the spit of all the Arabs was enough to flood Israel away.”
The materialistic mindset of westerners is itself enough to imply that they must have some interests and gains in Palestine. But first let’s observe the significance of the existence of such western interests in the Central Asian conflict, the extent to which these western powers could go in order to realise their interests and the price which they are ready to pay for the fulfilment of their interests.
From 1917 till 1948 British administration under the shadow of Balfour Declaration did not leave any stone unturned in serving Zionist interest in Palestine. Under their mandatory authority they made immigration laws, citizenship laws, and proprietary laws, laws giving Jews right to keep and use weapons, etc. In 1948 when Britain resigned from the responsibility of service of Zionism in Palestine (reasons will be discussed later) both the super powers of the bipolar world extended their full support to Israel by recognising the illegitimate Israel on the very first day of its formal declaration of formation of the Jewish home. Needless to add that the UN, which followed the path of its predecessor league, did not raise any voice against this clear violation of a state’s sovereignty. Since then the USA is the chief ally of Israel. The United Nations has passed hundreds of resolutions against Israel but the USA vetoed them all. It is worth mentioning that the USA had exercised its first veto in support of Israel. Besides the aids of Zionist capitalists all over the world, the USA provides Israel with 3 billion dollars of aid yearly. This burden of Israel on American budget has forced several Americans to conduct research works. Most recently a professor of Harvard John Walt and one of his colleagues have prepared a 83-page report on ‘Jewish lobby’. This report has brought astounding realities of Jewish (read Zionist) influences on American administration, economy and polity. According to the report despite the fact that the Jews are a microscopic minority in America in terms of population, they have overshadowed the American administration. They spend nearly 60% funds in the presidential campaign on both the candidates – head and tale of the coin are theirs. In simple parlance it means that whoever comes to the ‘throne’ is forced to be obliged to Jews. Jimmy Carter has also endorsed this fact in his book regarding Palestine in which he has discussed his haplessness against the Jewish lobby despite the willingness to solve the middle-east crisis. According to the above mentioned report of John Walt and Co. in addition to the civil assistance the USA magnanimously grants Israel $625 million to develop and deploy the arrow anti-missile Missile, $1.3 billion to develop Lavi aircraft, $200 million to develop Merkava tank, $130 million to develop high energy laser anti-missile system and other military projects every year. All this and much more, in the name of help maintain peace in the region. The point to be noted here is that, this is the condition of the ‘generosity’ of that country whose 12% population is forced to live below the poverty line.
Let’s now analyse the causes behind such persistent and ‘unconditional’ allegiance towards such an alien cause as Israel. The statement of the founder of the World Zionist Organisation, Theodre Herzl, could prove a guiding lamp in our endeavour to search for the truth – the truth of reciprocity of the relationship between Israel and other imperialistic superpowers of the world. He said, “The Zionist colony in Palestine would be of service to the whole of Europe, a real European outpost in Afro-Asian surroundings.” It must be noted that this statement was made when European powers were the world superpowers; one can better understand the statement today by replacing Europe with USA according to the contemporary environment and prevailing world order.
On another occasion the same Herzl spoke out in this fashion, “The English were the first to recognise the necessity of colonial expansion in modern world … and therefore I believe the Zionist idea, which is a colonial idea must be understood in England easily and quickly.” This statement was enough to point out the reciprocal relations which Britain – the then super power – enjoyed with the Israel. In fact British plan was to ensure the existence of Israel in heart of Arabia as an outpost of England and whole of Europe in Central Asia. Because Britain does not want to annex the Palestine directly and avenge Arabs or to bear the huge expenses of maintaining a colony. Again in Herzl’s word the plan was to establish “a rampart of Europe against Asia, an outpost of civilisation as opposed to barbarism”, but all the sinister designs of Britain were confounded when the equations of power changed not in favour of Britain after the World War II. In the new emerged world order Britain was not more than a strong USA ally. Still Britain played its last move in Suez Canal crisis when it intended to invade Egypt with France and Israel but again the lost status of superpower could not be reclaimed as Britain had to retreat with increasing pressure of USA which did not want to share the gains from middle-east with Britain. From then onwards the USA succeeded Britain not only as the superpower but also as the chief-patron of Israel.
Thus after 1948 the USA started reaping the fruits of noxious seed of Israel in Palestine sowed by Britain. Equivocally the USA has made Israel armed to the teeth against Arabs. On the other hand the USA has frightened the Arabs with the same hobgoblin of Israel and established its bases in nearly all strategic points of the Arab world. The USA has earned a magnificent amount of profit by trading outdated weapons to Arab countries. What is more egregious is the fact that nearly all the oil reserves of the Arab world are under the direct technical control and administered by the USA or one of its NATO allies.
Uri Avnery has rightly observed, “If Israel did not exist, American industrial complexes would have to invent it.”
Petroleum is a natural wealth hidden in the lands of Arabia but the tragedy lies in the helplessness of Arabs, who could not efficiently extract it out on their own. They do not bother either, with cheap (or is it free) petroleum at hand and technology of west for sale, their economy and wealth is wholly dependent on American and European economies. Israel in this scenario is ensuring that Arabs will never become self sufficient. In simple parlance Israel is the “scare crow” with which the USA and Co. are frightening the Arabs and Arabs are running foolishly for help in the lapse of America which wants the same to happen.
Elimination of Israel from Central Asia will not only bring the dawn of independence for Palestinians but will also be the end of the complete dominance of western (American) powers over West Asia.
And surely no imperialistic power is innocent enough to let this happen innocuously. But are we first to know these traps – certainly not. The truth is that many people even our preceding Arab rulers knew the hidden agenda of west behind the faithfulness to Israel. They also endeavoured to break open this shackle but alas! They simply (if not miserably) failed. Why?
CAUSES OF OUR INCESSANT FAILURE
· First cause could be the armed might of Israel. Undoubtedly Israel has an exorbitant amount of armour and artillery in which till 2002 there were 1 lakh 86 thousand troops, 4 lakh 45 thousand reserved troops, besides there are navy and air-forces equipped with latest destructive technology. There is also a large amount of illegitimate – i.e. undeclared – nuclear weapons (WMDs) which Israel first got by French assistance in 1964 and after all Israel has a loyal guardian in USA which is ready to stand by Israel even at the cost of international peace and hostility of public opinion.
· On the other hand Arabs do not have at all that much competent technologically. Their meagre weapons and artillery are mere crackers when compared to Israel’s armed might. With such scanty armament, combating Israel and check-mating it is next to impossible. They have no deterrent WMDs, and they cannot even think of acquiring one after fall of Iraq and intimidations to Iran under this pretext. The defences of these countries are so pathetic that to defend their own territories they need assistance from their sworn enemies. They pay exorbitant amount of money to get third class (20 years or so old technology) – weapons which are garbage for developed countries. All this is the natural corollary of forgetting the Divine Guidance which enjoined them to be ready to face the enemies.
· Not to say of lack of modern weaponry alone, the Arabs lacked on one more crucial front while confronting Israel i.e. “planning and organisation”. Many exponents have said about the Arab-Israel wars that in those wars the reason of Arabs’ defeat was not just the plundering assault of Israel but Arab forces’ own ignorance and disorganisation. In 1948 some Arab volunteers (not soldiers) fought valiantly but because of Arab underestimation of the Israeli might they lost 77% of the Palestine. In 1956 Israel’s strategy to fight in three instalments resulted in capitulation of the Egyptian army. In 1967 Israel’s unexpected air strikes paralysed the whole Egyptian defences. Their 99% of air forces were smashed up before taking off from the ground. With the loss of this air-cover they had to acknowledge Israel’s superiority in mere six days.
· Some sources go beyond to say about the Arab ‘preparations’ for those wars. According to these sources many Arab units of soldiers did not have even the map of the area of war and they only threw stones in dark till Israeli troopers – armed to the teeth – met them. On the other hand Israel’s Haganah (military organisation) was well aware of the topography of the area concerned. They planned perspicaciously, where to hide, where to run away if situation so arises, where to ensnare the opposite forces, etc.
· In one of his addresses in June 1967 after the debacle of the Arab forces in the six-day war Khurram Murad elaborated on the causes of the defeat of the Arabs. He rightly said that the real and fundamental cause of this fiasco is not in the lack of material preparations though it was also a prime difference between the two conflicting sides. In his views Muslims are repeatedly committing the same blunders that were committed by the Jews in history and Sunnah of Allah is also repeating itself. This is the reason why the scourge of shame and ignominy has thus been imposed upon them. He quoted a Hadith which goes like this, “If you receive some good, thank Allah; but if you receive some evil, blame only yourselves” because “it is only your deeds that have been returned to you.”
· Pointing out specific causes, he said that Muslims in war were aroused in the name of Arab nationalism or Arab socialism and not in the name of Islam then why people expected in the first place that Allah and angels will assist these forces. This comment was a very cogent remark and is verified by history. Those who fought for nation and socialism, the world has seen their plight in 1948, 1967 etc. but the Ikhwan who fought most valiantly in the path of Allah in 1948 halted the speed of Israel and forced them to change their strategy. Even recently we all have seen the helplessness of Israel’s latest destructive technology against the age old weapons of Hizbollah who waged a jihad against Israel.
· Khurram Murad also did not forget to mention the atrocities committed by the Egyptian Government on Ikhwan and other revivalist movements and said that the Government which can commit such heinous atrocities on the most pious section of its population can never be bestowed with the mercy and grace of God in any conflict. Murad remarked with pain, “God cannot support the Pharaohs just because it is amongst the people who are under the illusion of being Muslims”.
· Thus it is crystal clear that besides the lack of self sufficiency in armament there are other causes for the failure of the Palestinian cause. One of the foremost among them (as already have been pointed out) is the aggrandisement in the feeling of notorious Arab nationalism. This fatal and false realisation has isolated the Palestinian issue as only a “territorial dispute” between Palestine and Israel, and if one is open minded enough it is a conflict between Arab and Israel. No one dares to think beyond it.
· After 1973 when Arab countries chose to sit in the lapse of the USA, it proved not only lethal for the Palestinian liberation movement but Arabs were also intrigued economically and were entrapped (though willingly) in the web of American globalisation. It certainly though euphemistically meant that Arab Governments weighed their so-called economic interests and ostentatious way of living more than the blood of their own brothers in Palestine.
· Muslim and mainly Arab countries founded OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference) and Arab League but despite having more or less 57 “independent Islamic” countries, they failed rather miserably in causing any wide scale international impact. They failed to launch any successful movement against Israel in UN or in NAM. They did not adequately and properly oppose American vetoes in favour of Israel. They committed the heinous crime by establishing diplomatic ties with Israel and thereby euphemistically recognising it (though all the countries have not done so but the path is cleared for it after countries like Turkey, Egypt and Jordon).
Thus with such short comings all the endeavour to solve the Palestinian puzzle has left the world bewildered. All the options from war to peace conferences have been exhausted to no avail. Why? Because all these endeavours were slightly off the track – if not absolutely in the wrong direction.