This blog has not thus far been one of Israel’s friends because it is opposed to the settlement policy pursued in the face of world opposition, UN censure and disregard foe international law. Teachings from Torah are articles of faith, but they are not a licence to go it alone internationally, against whomever, no matter what.
However as regular readers will know this blog is neither partisan nor ideological. It sees things as they are and proposes reactions or solutions. It is not on a mission to achieve a pre-conceived goal. It is here to make comment which can make sense. It does, with reason, change its opinion and thus its position. It is about to do so over Israel.
The reasons are quite straightforward. Western foreign policy is dysfunctional and ineffective. It is based on a range of misguided assumptions and upon ideals which no longer apply. It has failed in organising a really productive relationship with Russia post the cold war.It has failed in Iraq. It is failing with increasing momentum as it withdraws from Afghanistan; it is weak in Africa where China dominates increasingly; it has failed in Palestine; it is not succeeding with Iran and it is the worst of every world in Syria. It claims success in Libya, yet here all is not well, with no proper central government and a collection of quasi-independent localities ruled by militias.
The middle East remains the number one hot-spot of the world. The difference is that post the Arab Spring, Israel has been one step ahead of the West in its foreign policy and this means that Israel is no longer part of an entirely new set of problems. It may well end up part of the solution but meanwhile it is very much part of stopping things getting out of hand. It all changed with the Arab uprisings. Because instead of leading to a new era of democracy and secular inclusion, it has led to polarisation, tribal friction and government dysfunction. Egypt, where it all started has an economy in free-fall, a government which clearly does not speak for any kind of consensus and a population divided and getting more so.
It is still possible that the Arab Spring, which has turned to something nearing autumn, without any summer in between, may yet come good and the high summer days arrive. But until it does somebody has to stop things getting out of hand and that someone is the military super-power of the region and the only fully functioning established democracy – Israel. Israel knows that what matters first is effective government. Its style comes second and whether it is a democracy is neither here nor there.
Because what matters in the department of human suffering is whether there is a government which can provide security for its people and a functioning economy offering health care, eduction, housing and employment, even if at the price of demanding adherence to the party line and support of the regime, with dissent repressed by imprisonment and even death. Israel also knows that, unless there can be a smooth change from a bad regime to a good one, the alternative is the mayhem and human suffering which is Syria today.
To achieve that peaceful transition, or one with minimal violence and displacement, you have to work with parts of the old regime out of which the new regime is built, before it is possible to cast out all of the old. That is why, like Russia, Israel did not call for Assad’s end. Indeed they had a good working relationship with him. But they saw chaos in his aftermath in which all manner of wild cards would be in play. They determined to act to preserve the integrity of Israel and against any perceived strengthening of potential threats to Israel’s survival. Who can blame them? Not this blog. If it had been down to Russia and Israel there would have been no civil war in Syria.
Think about that and worry about the deaths of the innocent. Especially the little children.
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Israel: A New Perspective. « Malcolm Blair Robinson…