From Issue No. 3

The Arabs Will Never Make Peace With Reality

by Exilarch

In November 1947, the United Nations passed the Partition Resolution of Palestine, which was flatly rejected by the Arabs. Since then an important event happened in the region - namely, the emigration in the fifties of one million Jews from Arab countries, the great majority of whom went to Israel. Two important considerations arise from this event: 1) that the Jews who came to Israel from Arab countries and the Arabs who left Israel for Arab countries represent an exchange of populations similar to those that took place after the war in many parts of the world. 2) The Jews who emigrated from Arab countries brought with them ancient territorial rights in their countries of origin that must be satisfied in any final settlement of the regional conflict between Jews and Arabs. Both points have been overlooked or ignored by successive Israeli governments.

The only way such claims can be satisfied would be from what is termed Arab lands now occupied by Israel. In other words, this would make the whole of "Palestine" West of the River Jordan belonging to Israel.

The fact that most Arab countries took up arms against Israel and have been taking part in various forms against Israel puts on them the responsibility of assuming their role in a final settlement of the regional conflict between Jews and Arabs.

Immediately after the Six Day War many observers believed that the shock of defeat would bring the Arabs to their senses and force them to the conference table where a just and lasting peace might be negotiated for the benefit of the whole region.

But in September 1967 at the Khartoum Summit conference Arab leaders unanimously resolved that there can be "No peace, No recognition, No negotiations" with Israel. Instead, the Arabs have tried, through military, diplomatic and economic measures, to force Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 armistice lines. Those who support the Arab case ignore the fact that when Israel was confined to those lines, Arab attitude was exactly the same: they talked war and not peace.

THE ARABS WILL NEVER MAKE PEACE WITH ISRAEL - any pretence to the contrary is only meant to put pressure on Israel to evacuate occupied territories without achieving secure frontiers and a lasting peace - for a genuine peace would mean take and give, and Arab thinking, politics and strategy have always been based on the wonderful formula: all to take and nothing to give.

When Arab propaganda vaguely speaks of Israel having to withdraw from occupied Arab lands, they want people to believe that they mean land occupied in the Six-Day War. In fact however, the Arabs mean Israel’s withdrawal from the whole of "Palestine" and the total elimination of the Jewish State.

Recognising the natural desire of many Jews to re-establish their Middle Eastern home and realising the benefits that would accrue to the region which could be transformed in peace and prosperity into some of the leading countries of the world, Iraqi Premier, Nuri al-Saeed proposed in 1946 to admit two million Jews from Europe if the Jews would give up their plan of an independent State. His proposal was rejected by the Arabs and came too late to be accepted by the Jews. Later when the federal plan for Palestine was published some Arabs opted for Nuri’s proposal. After the UN decided on partition the Arabs came to favour the federal plan. And when the State of Israel emerged in 1948 and the Arabs failed to wipe it out of existence by war, they announced their acceptance of the U.N. partition plan. After the events of June 1967, they have been clamouring for the boundaries of 1948. They are always one step behind, for they cannot make peace with reality.

On the first day of the June war, Arthur Goldberg who was then United States representative at the U.N. proposed a ceasefire but this was rejected by the Russians and the Arabs. In his memoirs, President Lyndon Johnson continues the story: "June 7, the third day of the war, began with the Israelis announcing that they were willing to accept a crasefire [before Jordan entered the war and lost the West Bank] provided the Arabs agreed. But the Arabs did not respond. They apparently could not accept the reality of the situation in the field. The Israelis kept moving forward.

This refusal to accept reality results from a defect in the Arab character - they cannot live at peace with their neighbours. And while the Arabs on many occasions in history gained from calculated perfidy, the Jews often suffered as a result of their loyalties - to their faith, their neighbours and their allies.

Earlier this year Ehud Barak, surprisingly, offered Arafat everything; more than anyone expected but the Arabs still did not accept the offer.

 

Other selected articles from previous issues :

Abraham, Father of the Middle East
Iranian Jewry Celebrates Cyrus
The Cellar Club
In the Footsteps of Adam
The Arabs Will Never Make Peace with Reality

---

If you would like to make any comments or contribute to The Scribe please contact us.