Kids Corner

Images: details from illustration, courtesy - The Huffington Post.

Columnists

A Victory For Netanyahu,
A Defeat For Israel,
A Setback For The World

FATEHPAL SINGH TARNEY

 

 

 




I want to preface this column by saying something about my past. To ensure that no one jumps to any kneejerk conclusions and prima facie dismisses what I have to say by accusing me of a bias. 

My fondest memories of my teaching career are of my finest students: my Jewish as well as Punjabi and desi kids. They were my brightest, the most motivated, the most intellectually curious, the most respectful, and the most appreciative students. Did I have superb students from other racial, ethnic and religious persuasions? Of course, I did.

With my Jewish students I could have wonderful, objective discussions about the rise and fall of the civilizations of the ancient world; debates over how good or bad world leaders were and are. The one topic that could not be objectively discussed with them were Israeli government policies. Even though I taught in schools affiliated with Christian churches, the sensibilities of Jewish students were considered sacrosanct.

I maintain that people in Israel itself have more freedom to criticize its government's policies than any American politician has. Left-of-center Israeli politicians have said for years that Netanyahu never seriously accepted the idea of an independent Palestinian state and now in desperate need of ultra-right wing votes, he has finally told the truth about his strategy and intentions.

For years, he pretended he was willing to participate in a charade of negotiations with the United States and other parties, but obviously with no sincerity or integrity whatsoever.

Yet, the United States will not cut off or even curtail economic and military aid and Netanyahu knows this, which is a big impetus to his arrogance. It is not American support for Israel that has hurt both countries in terms of their standing in the world of nations; it is the fact that America has given a blind and unqualified support that has done the damage.

That is not what a really good and useful friend does. However, the relationship between the US and Israel is one of convenience and manipulation, not based on sincerity or ideological empathy.

In my view, Netanyahu, along with many Republicans in the US, want a war with Iran and they refuse to learn anything from our mistaken invasion of Iraq. Netanyahu is the guy who in 2002, said “If you take out Saddam’s regime, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations in the region.”

Iran is a much more formidable a country than Iraq and war with Iran will most likely require the use of nuclear weapons. Israel has them; some of its neighbours in all likelihood have access to them as well. All the parties are currently governed by hotheads.

No excuses, not even the recent atrocities of the ISIS/L and those of the Sunni and Shia-dominated governments – be they Arab or Farsi - absolve the Israelis from the brutal mistreatment of Palestinians by the Jewish settlers on the West Bank; or excuse continued encroachments by Jewish settlements designing solely to undermine and subvert the peace process.

You know, here in America, supporters of Palestinians often use the term “apartheid” to describe the situation in the occupied territories. Jewish-Americans and others deeply resent this. If there is a white South African term that I think applies to Israel, it is a “Boer laager” mentality. By this I mean the circling of the wagons and the self-perpetuation of the state of being under constant siege.

Are Israelis prepared to live this way in perpetuity?

Moreover, is everything to be blamed on the enemy? Is Israel totally free of blame when it comes to Palestinian, Muslim, and UN resentment, opposition, and resistance?

Any large scale, direct attack on Israel by Iran would result in the destruction of every major Iranian city and military installation by Israel and the U.S. within 48 hours and the Iranians know this and I don't believe that they are suicidal. To be sure, they continue their empty rhetoric that Israel must be destroyed, but they are not like the Romans calling for the destruction of Carthage that was already defeated by Rome in two previous Punic Wars.

I conclude this column by echoing a TV journalist who described the Israeli election as a Netanyahu victory, but a defeat for Israel.

Nor does it bode well for either the US or the rest of the world.



March 19, 2015
 

Conversation about this article

1: Kalyan Singh (Jaipur, Rajasthan, India), March 19, 2015, 10:42 AM.

In their otherwise legitimate desire and need to secure themselves against their enemies -- who are indeed legion -- the Israelis have now also acquired, through their arrogance and short-sightedness, the ability to do extensive damage to global peace and stability. Couple that with their new-found bedfellow in an equally disturbing entity, India, we have on our hands a potential global menace which is progressively going rogue on even its allies and friends.

2: Yuktanand Singh, MD (Michigan, USA), March 19, 2015, 12:39 PM.

You cannot blame Israel, which is surrounded by the suicide bomber mentality, for being paranoid. The blame, obviously, now lies on both sides: the Israelis and the Palestinians. But I blame America for adding fuel to the fire by supporting Israel at all costs. From the very beginning of this conflict, we should have acted as a fair mediator. Even when financially helping Israel establish itself, we could have diplomatically supported both sides to help resolve their conflict without violence. Escalation of violence is not surprising when our own support is biased.

3: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), March 19, 2015, 8:45 PM.

This whole fiasco is about money and superstition, nothing else! All land on Planet Earth is sacred and for all. The sectarian and religious hatred and violence in the Middle-East and wherever you find these ideologies, spells only darkness for humanity.

4: Dr Birinder Singh Ahluwalia (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), March 20, 2015, 9:40 AM.

All respectable, functioning democracies and their leaders should accept the results of the Israeli election and also accept Mr. Netanyahu as the legitimate political leader of that country. History is replete with almost all nations having had their fair share of great, good, fair, mediocre, poor, psychotic, deceptive, barbaric, unintelligent, unskilled, and fascist 'leaders' -- and pathetic liars too. Lest we forget, not in the distant past, leaders of a great nation waged terrible war(s) and blamed it on "their faulty intelligence". I believe President Obama's statement, "We have to reassess Israeli - USA relationship" is a profound statement, appropriately defining the electoral victory of Mr. Netanyahu and putting this event in proper perspective. I am certain in many capitals of the world similar sentiments have been stirred. I sincerely hope a two-state solution is worked out to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict so that Palestinians can live with dignity and their suffering ends, and Israel can also exist in peace and security. But it will take credible and intelligent leaders like President Obama and Angela Merkel and Holland to make it happen. I hope Canada also assists in this important and historic endeavor to make our world a safe and a better place for all of us, for our children and grandchildren.

Comment on "A Victory For Netanyahu,
A Defeat For Israel,
A Setback For The World"









To help us distinguish between comments submitted by individuals and those automatically entered by software robots, please complete the following.

Please note: your email address will not be shown on the site, this is for contact and follow-up purposes only. All information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Sikhchic reserves the right to edit or remove content at any time.