Trying to Understand the Israel Question
By Khen Lim
PART THREE
Image source: telegraph.co.uk
Arab Spring reshapes the Middle East
The world since the death of Arafat had become dramatically
different. Of the many changes that had affected the way we live our lives,
it’s the ability to communicate anywhere, anytime and to anyone no matter what
that is the most life-transforming.
By combining computing power with virtual
communication technologies to tap into the Internet and then reducing its
packaging to something completely small and handholdable, we could engage a
force that makes the world smaller than ever possible. Everyone, regardless of
where they lived, suddenly seemed to only be next door. Everything we’d always
wanted to ask now had ready answers within an instance. Every little idea we
had could easily be harvested through finding the right resources no matter
where in the world.
Counting out the drug cartels and common criminals throughout
the world, the Internet had also become an indispensable tool for the Arab
world to not only choreograph attempts at the annihilation of Israel but to
destroy fellow Muslims who did not read from the same script. That also
included the many longstanding autocracies that gave shape to many of the Middle
East and North African countries. “Arab Spring” was one such example of the
power of the Internet.
For the first time, in 2011, these autocracies were being
threatened to the core. Dictators who once were safely cossetted and immune to
their troubling public were now feeling the wrath of their people. They could
rely on sheer brutality to stave off any attempts to challenge their rule.
However with the touch of a button, protests and demonstrations were now very
swiftly organised and like a flash flood, rioters could be upon the doors of
their palaces.
These were the people for whom the Arab dictatorships had long
ignored at their own peril. They were the forsaken lot. While the leaders lived
luxuriously, ate well and indulged in grandeur, much of the ordinary people grew
more desperate by the day. Along the way, their anger and frustration became
increasingly uncontrollable.
Complaints were not heard. Instead people were
beaten rather than helped with their grievances. Most of them lived without
even the most basic freedoms and rights because they were essentially taken
away from them. As Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel Prime Minister, pointed out in
2001 before the U.S. Congress, the only Arabs to live in comfort and enjoy
their freedoms, rights and privileges are the ones who are citizens of the
Jewish State.
Tunisia
Arab Spring, Tunisia, 2011 (Image source: socialcapital.wordpress.com)
Simmering public unrest had long been an issue in Tunisia but
in December 2010, they finally imploded when an unlicensed street vendor set
himself on fire on the streets of Sidi Bouzid following an alleged mistreatment
by a policewoman. The self-immolation rocked the whole country within a matter
of minutes. Even while the police cracked down on the protestors, they were
completely astounded by the quick build-up, filling the streets to the brim.
Before long, full-scale riots erupted and all of these were, for
the first time in the Arab world, seen live on Facebook and YouTube, courtesy
of American technologies. Hardly days after the riots had gone amok, Zine El
Abidine Ben Ali fled the country for Saudi Arabia where he successfully sought
refuge. Within a month, the Tunisian government was overthrown.
A total of 338 Tunisians died as a result. The ruling party
was dissolved together with the political police and its assets were
liquidated. Political prisoners were all released. In the federal elections,
Islamists through the hardline Ennahda Movement party muscled in and ruled the
government at least on an interim basis but public unrest forced a showdown
against them in 2013 before coming to an end following the adoption of a new
Constitution at the start of 2014.
Egypt
Arab Spring, Egypt, 2011 (Image source: europesworld.org)
Internet connectivity ensured that the public riots in Tunisia
spill over to the rest of the Arab Middle East faster than ever before. Before
we could come to grips with what had taken place in Tunis, Egypt became the
next in line. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year reign came to an
abrupt halt but not without massive public unrests and an unbelievable refusal
by his military to act on his commands. And with the inert army not budging, riots
broke loose in Cairo and then Alexandria and quickly fanning out to other
cities.
Just as it was with Tunisia, the apparent motive behind ending
Egyptian dictatorship was to restore state politics to democracy. Public
sentiments had called for the return of individual rights and the
reestablishment of personal freedoms more in line with modern society. But all
of these were nothing but a veneer. Hidden behind all of these were eddies of
fanatical Muslim undercurrents, looking to undermine a weakening government and
a naïve public. And it worked. With a guileless media having no idea what was
actually taking place at the Tahrir Square and trusting what they thought they
knew, the dictatorial government was toppled.
Mubarak together with his sons landed in jail while the rest
of his family beat a hasty retreat out of the country. Meanwhile, behind the
scenes, the Muslim Brotherhood was orchestrating the downfall of the secular
country and the way to do this was to infiltrate the government’s election
process with a candidate that couldn’t lose and one that would usher in the age
of the caliphate. Given that Egypt had the largest and most powerful military
of all Arab nations in the Middle East, this was a worrying turn of events for
Israel.
Having crippled Mubarak’s ruling government and deposed of
those who could hinder their progress, the Muslim Brotherhood walked away with
the elections, paving the way for their leader, Mohamed Morsi to seize power
“democratically” in June 2012. But then there was a remarkable turnaround
choreographed by the military because in a matter of a year, Morsi was deposed
in a coup, sent to jail and was recently tried and found guilty.
The change of fortune for Egypt couldn’t have come sooner.
Their relationship with Israel was in near tatters until a ray of hope shone
through with the multiple arrests of Morsi and key members of the Muslim
Brotherhood. Send scampering into hiding, the hardline Muslim party struggled
to regroup in the face of persecution by the military. Threats to the peace
treaty have now ebbed but it remains uncertain if Egypt would close its borders
to Gaza now that Morsi had reopened them for Hamas to seize the chance to
attack Israel.
In Israel, concerns were mounting every day in 2011. No one
knew what the Arab Spring revolution wound next spring up. It appeared as if
the Middle East was turning out to be a game of dominos; one falling after the
next. Having the dictators in place was already an explosive proposition for
Israel but now with fanatical Muslim leadership taking their place, it looked a
lot worse.
With Egypt, although it seems the worst was over, there is
still no certainty if the peace treaty would continually be honoured.
Syria
Arab Spring, Syria, 2011 (Image source: blogs.spectator.co.uk)
The world didn’t have to wait long for the next in line after
Tunisia and Egypt. Following the death of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in
2000, the top post went to his son Bashar who began his presidency by cracking
down hard on protestors. We read from the Internet that as many as 1,000 were
killed by loyalist soldiers upon Bashar’s orders. But all that did was to turn
the country inside out as the crackdowns spiralled out of control as quickly as
protests and demonstrations gathered momentum.
The arrival of the Arab Spring merely added fuel to fire,
giving protestors the perfect ammunition and clarity of intention. The mood for
change had come to Syria’s doorstep and Bashar could not ignore the impending
civil strife that was about to hit his government. Civil strife became a
serious backlash that eventually transformed itself into full-scale civil war.
However there was no clear-cut delineation between who were and weren’t the
good guys. Whatever the media said, no one could really tell which side
humanity ought to be on.
Is this Syria's interpretation of Arab Spring (Image source: dailyalternative.co.uk)
The Assad family had always been dictatorial and Bashar, the
latest in line, was no different. In the Middle East, dictatorship is a given.
It’s just a matter of what colour stripes he wears. But into the melting pot,
we also have complications to do with Muslim sectarianism and the rise of
fanatical fundamentalist Islamism. And all of these produced warring sides that
are not only in conflict with one another but the distinctions had by now
become so indistinguishable that it was just as difficult to take sides as it
was not to.
Nothing was clear. Bashar is hardly a nice guy to Israel. He
harbours Hezbollah and is pally with Iran’s Ayatollah regime but he wasn’t
tolerant of Muslim fanaticism especially when it threatens his rule. Therefore
he was not a sympathiser of the Islamic State (ISIS) or any faction that was
looking for opportunities to rid Syria of him and his family. No matter how we
sliced it, Israel was threatened but the nature of the outcome was going to be
very telling for the Jewish State – either it would be quite bad or it would be
extremely bad. Either way, nothing good could ever come out of this turmoil.
Bashar inherits a murderous legacy. His father alone, in 1982,
allegedly put to death as many as 80,000 people in Hama, Syria. This fact alone
incurred the wrath of the Muslim Brotherhood who used it as a springboard for
their own designs on fanatical Islamic power. Yet even so, Syria has also had
longstanding ties with Hezbollah, supplying them with logistics, intelligence
as well as training and military supplies. In 2005, Syria and Hezbollah
together had been widely co-complicit in the assassination of Lebanon’s Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri so that they could steer that country away from any
prospects of peace deals with Israel. Till today, none of them have been
indicted by the International War Crimes Tribunal.
We know that Hezbollah itself has been an antagonist and a
thorn of Israel. With tacit encouragement and support from the Syrian
government, they along with Iran had been raining misery across the Israeli
border and often with impunity. The world knew but, as we’ve all come to
expect, they closed a blind eye to it. While Egypt and Jordan had brokered
peace with Israel, Syria had made it a point to disavow themselves from such
initiatives. Instead it has been persistently demanding that the Golan Heights
be returned, knowing that Israel were to relent, that part of their border will
become deeply troublesome again.
Given the animosities between Syria and Israel, it is
interesting how politics makes odd bedfellows at the unlikeliest of times and
opportunities. Notwithstanding the deep hatred for the Jewish State, Syria has
so far refrained from being directly difficult with Israel. In seeking stable
political ties with the West, Bashar perhaps had thoughts of fighting the Jews
another day and in that sense, they might be less destructive at least for now.
Iran
Arab Spring, Iran, 2011 (Image source: carnegieendowment.org)
Before the 1979 turning point, Iran were friends with Israel.
They might not be the best of pals but they coexisted with all signs of
cordiality in the form of trade and cultural exchange. But the forced exile of
the Shah of Iran changed the entire complexion of their relationship and tipped
the Middle East’s balance of power.
Having said that, it is important to note that the Iranians,
much like the Egyptians – are not exactly Arabs. The Arabs themselves are weary
of the Iranians on that fact alone. Their Persian heritage, since Cyrus the
Great, has been a longstanding 2,500 years old. Today they stand poised as
Israel’s most determined and deadliest enemy with the biggest capability to
inflict the killer blow.
However the Arabs’ distrust of the Iranians could work in
Israel’s favour. In one particular instance, the Saudis remain partial to
Israel because both share the same common enemy. By doing so, the Saudis find
themselves in the capacity to work closely with the Jewish State despite the
known enmity between them. Practical politics suggests that the Arabs in this
case are able to set aside their differences only because of the simple
importance of survival against the rampaging Iranians.
It is true that every Arab nation wants to destroy Israel. The
Palestinian cause can attest to the Charter that clearly states such a desire
but no other country appears to want it more badly than Iran. Previous President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was especially infamous for his non-stop anti-Semitic
diatribes of which the most notorious was when he said he wanted to “wipe
Israel off the map.” He didn’t stop there either.
He was also extremely adamant that the Holocaust did not even
take place. He went further than Mahmoud Abbas in declaring it as fake history,
questioning the inerrancy of evidence in an interview conducted by Der Spiegel
magazine in May 2006. He went further again by making outlandish claims of
fabrication before an adoring crowd in the southern Iranian city of Zahedan.
There he said publicly that the Holocaust was nothing but a lie to safeguard
Israel and draw worldwide sympathy:
“They have fabricated a legend, under the name of the Massacre
of the Jews, and they hold it higher than God Himself, religion itself and the
prophets themselves… If somebody in their country questions God, nobody says
anything but if somebody denies the myth of the massacre of Jews, the Zionist
loudspeakers and the governments in the pay of Zionism will start to scream.”
Ahmadinejad then challenged Germany and Austria, saying that
if the Holocaust did happen, then both these countries should allow Israel to
be established on their soil instead. Just this remark alone means one doesn’t
have to be an expert to draw the conclusion that like every Arab, Ahmadinejad
was only interested in physically removing the Jewish State from the soils of
the Middle East.
(Image source: telegraph.co.uk)
To that end, Ahmadinejad’s successor and the entire Ayatollah
regime have remained entirely focused on building sufficiently deadly firepower
that is dedicated to destroying Israel and the “Great Satan,” a common Iranian derogatory epithet to describe
America that was first used by Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979. He
also branded Israel as the “Little Satan”
when addressing the Jewish State’s support of the deposed Shah, its close ties
with the U.S. and the abeyance of the Palestinian conflict, also in 1979.
It is this building of the ultimate firepower that has caused
great concern to Israel and at least some parts of the Western world. As Iran
stubbornly tells the world they were developing nuclear power for peaceful
purposes, there remains no doubt at all that this is nothing but a lie.
Deliberate delays and feet-dragging discussions and negotiations merely grant
Iran more time to get closer to completion of the nuclear warheads. Thus far
economic sanctions have been feeble – the people suffered more than the
government in this regard. Every bid to unfold the truth has been thwarted by
an uncooperative Iranian government who continues to stall for time. Meanwhile
the world remained deaf to Israel’s pleas to deny Iran.
As all eyes are trained on what Iran would do next, everyone
is becoming increasingly pensive about the nuclear question. The potential to
destabilise the entire Middle East now laid in the hands of the unpredictable
Persian state. It is unimaginable, therefore, that the American government
could end up doing deals with the Iranians, deals that do not look any tougher
than handing the whole lolly jar to a brazen and ungrateful kid. Israel would
stand to suffer these consequences, knowing all well that if they did not do
anything soon, the Iranians could unleash the worst in the region.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Image source: cnn.com)
Iran was also impacted by the 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
This was the catalyst for the public disgust at how Ahmadinejad was re-elected
two years earlier, in 2009. There were plentiful evidence of vote-tampering and
manipulation and the people were simply fed up. This was followed by outbreaks
of protests everywhere, beginning in Teheran. These protests turned ugly but
were quickly suppressed by the typical heavy crackdown. The influence of the
Arab Spring simply revived the protests and drove the public to try again. In
the end, it was all too much to do for the protestors and the calls for
democracy all came to nothing.
Israel’s worsening relationship with Iran was never like that.
In the days of the Shah of Iran, things were rosier. It was only after he was
deposed that the problems escalated dramatically. Under a new theocratic rule,
Iran grew close to Hamas and Hezbollah, developing a deadly alliance where the
Persian state played the role of the “big brother,” supply arms, equipment as
well as training to the two terrorist groups. The Iranians could have gone on supplying
heavily disguised military hardware to Gaza if not for a timely interception at
the Suez Canal but typically, such an incident was all but ignored by the U.N.
bar some muted theatrics condemning and wrist-slapping the perpetrators.
Whatever the overtures and sideshows, the world spotlight is
specifically – and worryingly – trained on Iran’s highly cloaked nuclear
program. With America’s inconsistent and unreliable support, Israel is
essentially left alone to face this ominous threat. But something unthinkable
happened in late 2010 – Iran’s nuclear program suffered a paralysis. The
centrifuges that were essential for enriching the uranium were rendered
inoperable by the systems that were developed, designed and built by the German
Siemens company. These systems were suddenly crippled and was later discovered
to be caused by a computer viral infection called Stuxnet. Although never
confirmed, it is said that the virus was the work of Israel and American
intelligence.
Stuxnet serves as a warning and that warning isn’t necessarily
directed at Iran. More so, the viral infection points to the U.N.’s lack of
will to do anything to rein in Iran. It was a clear demonstration that when the
world’s watchdog organisation does not have what it takes to level off a threat
this dangerous, then the disaffected country would need to act alone to
safeguard their own interests. With American help waning owing to the present
government, Israel did what others were unwilling to.
But it wasn’t enough. The Stuxnet virus was merely a temporary
measure. Once the systems were back online, the development continued. Today
we’re left to wonder how close Iran is at completing its entire nuclear
program. At the same time, we will also be asking what next Israel will
pre-emptively do to blunt Iran’s nuclear attack capabilities in order to
protect herself because that day has
to come soon.
Jordan
Arab Spring, Jordan, 2011 (Image source: timesofisrael.com)
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been Israel’s other longsuffering
peace partner. Since signing the treaty in 1994, they have been at the
receiving end of many terrorist attacks including attempted assassinations on
the previous King Hussein. Other than the PLO, al-Qaeda has also been actively
involved in various attacks and bombings within the borders of Jordan.
Widespread effects of Arab Spring had also reached the Jordanian
territory in 2011. Simmering just beneath the surface, Jordanian people were equally
inspired to now voice their discontent mainly at a failing economy and high-level
corruption within the government not to mention disgruntlement against the
country’s pro-Israel stance or at least, its decidedly muted anti-Semitism. In
a kingdom that is essentially Sunni Muslim, this would not have sit well with
the people but in carrying on his father’s legacy, King Abdullah II was
determined to stay the course and keep the peace.
In recent years, Jordan revoked the citizenship of thousands
of Palestinian refugees and in so doing, were at pains to convince their own
people that they were working to block Israel from using their country to
permanently resettle them. While that alone wasn’t entirely convincing but it
seemed it was enough to turn the people away from rioting against them.
Jordan continues to be a work in progress for Israel but at
least they remain their safest bet for longer-term peace. Yet their people are
not happy with this although judging by unhappy past experiences (warring with
Israel), they also knew that war wasn’t an acceptable option. At the same time,
Jordan had never been content with the Palestinian issue but it’s not clear
why. However what is interesting is that since the West Bank had been lost to
Israel in 1967, they have not today made any claims to take it back. Perhaps
now that they no longer have the West Bank, they also don’t see any
justification to have to accept the Palestinians and take on their unwinnable
problems.
Turkey
Arab Spring, Turkey, 2011 (Image source: stefanmikarlsson.blogspot.com)
Nestled between Europe and Asia, Turkey is the gateway between
two great continents and in so many ways, it has been the recipient of the best
of both worlds. When the Arab Spring ruptured in the Middle East, Turkey was
far away enough to be relatively buffeted from its effects but that is not to
say that this once-secular nation has been impervious to major political
shifts, the type that might not have endeared them to the Europeans or Israel
in particular.
In recent years, Turkey had weathered worrying ideological
transformations although it is fair to say that no one exactly knows what the real
outcome would be. Yet there is every reason for Israel to worry.
Modern Turkey’s recent history is best characterised by its
lending of tactical support in contribution to NATO’s efforts in neutralising
not only Soviet power but during the Bush era, the invasions of Kuwait and Iraq
that required the use of their airbase in Incirlik. Without this assistance, it
would have been extraordinarily difficult (though not impossible) for Western
and U.S. air power to be sustainable due to the huge coverage distances.
All of these now appear under threat as Turkey has shifted
from its founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s modern
secular vision to an increasingly dominant Islamic sectarianism. And suddenly
its alliance with the West could now be fraying at its seams. Importantly its
cordial relationship with Israel is undermined. Besides tourism opportunities,
both countries share trade and cultural exchanges. In fact Turkey had been
helpful to the Israelis in 2000 when they supplied water to the Jewish State in
a time of bad drought. Now all of this look like they may disappear.
Aid flotilla supported by Turkey, the Mavi Marmara (Image source: ibtimes.com)
Turkey’s political and ideological shift is best exemplified in
the country supporting the “aid flotillas” in defiance of the arms embargo
imposed by Israel on Gaza in May 2010. Despite requests not to join in, Turkey
assented and as the outcome later proved beyond any shadow of doubt, these
flotillas, organised by a seemingly fraudulent activist movement called “Gaza
Freedom Flotilla” including the “Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and
Humanitarian Relief,” were a media-staged provocation designed to challenge
Israeli authority. The idea was to call bluff on Israel and cause them to back
down thus breaking the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Concerned about suspicious cargo getting through the blockade,
Israeli naval commandos decided to board the Turkish ship MV Mavi Marmara to
inspect. On the ship, they encountered at least 40 passengers who wielded iron
bars and knives, ready for a violent and deadly confrontation. The outcome was
tragic – of the nine killed, eight were Turkish nationals and one, a Turkish
American. Many others were also wounded.
A report tabled to the U.N. General Assembly Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) in September 2010 suggested that, “the circumstances of the
killing of at least six of the passengers were in a manner consistent with the
extra-legal arbitrary and summary execution.” Coming from the United Nations
and also contributed by the U.K.’s liberal-minded Guardian newspaper, the
critical tone of the report should not come as a surprise. More to the point is
to ask the reason why many of the passengers were armed for violence if they
had nothing to hide insofar as the cargo they were carrying.
Deadly weapons found onboard the Mavi Marmara (Image source: dailymail.co.uk)
Inevitably all the ships were towed to Israel for inspection
and CBS reported in June 2010 that, all detained activists were eventually
deported. Interestingly, while the UNHRC report was critical and scathing of
Israel’s conduct, alleging “disproportionate actions” that “betrayed an
unacceptable level of brutality” with evidence of “wilful killing,”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon had also conducted his own investigation,
utilising a four-member team headed by Geoffrey Palmer. In the Palmer Report
released in September 2011, it was found that not only was the naval blockade
of Gaza legal, there were “serious questions about the conduct, true nature and
objectives of the flotilla organisers, particularly (the) IHH.”
In the aftermath of the event and given the world
condemnation, Israel was compelled to officially apologise to Turkey.
Eventually as well, a $20 million compensation for the raid was also offered
followed by a 30-minute phone exchange between Prime Ministers Benjamin
Netanyahu and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in which discussions had centred on maintaining
peace between the two nations.
Despite tensions from the above incident, there have not been
any aggressive posturing against Israel. However that doesn’t necessarily mean
it will stay that way in the future. There are factions within its population
that has been calling for Turkey to return to its Ottoman glory, which implies
Muslim supremacy and the desire for Islam to return to its dominant past. And
many of them remember the pain of defeat in the hands of the British and French
that ended their golden era in 1917.
(continued part 4, final)
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