From Kenneth Ellman, email:ke@kennethellman.com, Box 18, Newton, NJ 07860. September 18, 2011, In Club Med, Reality Is Better than Fantasy. Part One of Two. Copyright 2011, All rights Reserved. In connection with The Economist article “A problem with club Med ” .
It is a reasonable belief that keeping incompatible people separate from each other to the extent possible is better than just hoping for change and imagination. War is best avoided by accepting the truth of what is before your eyes.
The question is not whether the Muslim Arabs should have another Muslim Arab country in the Middle East. By the fact of the population it is clear that certain areas are as a practical matter totally separate from Israel and should be completely abandoned by Israel. In reality these areas are already a separate Muslim Arab nation and have no connection with Israel.
There may be very good reason for Israel and the United States to oppose the formation of another Arab Muslim state, adjacent to Israel. But if there are such reasons it is not clear to me.
Creation of a state of “Palestine”, is just another in the large number of Arab Muslim nations and is actually to the advantage of Israel. The issues would then be immediately clarified as to what land areas clearly are part of Israel and what are part of the Muslim Arab land. Those areas that Israel makes a part of its nation, such as Jerusalem and the West Bank Settlements, Israel will defend and protect. Those remaining areas abandoned by Israel will then be part of the new Arab Muslim Palestine, and be defended by those Arab people. There will of course be continuing disputes, but so what? At least the new Arab nation will be established and Israel will be freed of the burden of suzerainty over an Arab population. Further if “Palestine” as a foreign nation launches or allow to be launched an attack upon Israel, then Israel will be allowed under law to respond and to totally destroy their war making ability. Keep in mind that the so called “occupation” only occurred due to the previous Muslim attacks/war upon Israel. It is that Muslim war started by the Muslim that they lost and then resulted in the “occupation” by Israel.
The ONLY reason that I can think of as to why so much time and effort is concerned with the Arab Muslim world is due to the fact that it contains much oil. IF this area contained little or no oil I doubt that the United States and the rest of the world would be so preoccupied with the Arab nations. I think they would run from the stink. This anomaly of the importance of Middle Eastern Oil is temporary as there is no doubt whatsoever that from a technological point of view we can make the jump to a society that has little use for oil as a source of energy. We have the ability if we make the choice to sever the need for Oil and thereby terminate the transfer of our wealth to the Arab Muslim world. Such would free Western Civilization from this accident of geography and allow the Arab Muslim world to face itself and change into a constructive society or self destruct.
Israel is clearly a Middle Eastern nation that is far older than any of the Muslim nations. The Koran speaks of the Jews as they have been there long before the Koran existed. As the historical record of the wars with Rome show, Israel has fought for its right to exist as it is now still doing. But Israel is a Middle Eastern nation with a difference. It is founded upon a body of knowledge, culture and behavior that many call the Old Testament and a history of a Jewish people. While coming from the Middle East, Israel and the Jewish people are also part of the long quest of Western Civilization to create a world that protects and cares for its citizens, advances knowledge and protects the right to political and individual expression. It took untold centuries for this vast intellectual, political and social struggle to create a body of law and values that we now live under as a blessing. We do not live under the law and values of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt or the other areas that are fully repugnant to what we have made, created, fought for and turned into a reality after great suffering.
End of Part One, Continued as Part two below.
Kenneth Ellman, Email:ke@kenenthellman.com, Box 18, Newton, New Jersey 07860
From Kenneth Ellman, email:ke@kennethellman.com, Box 18, Newton, NJ 07860. September 18, 2011, In Club Med, Reality Is Better than Fantasy. Part Two of Two. Copyright 2011, All rights Reserved. In connection with The Economist article “A problem with club Med ”
Lebanon was truly an example of an attempt to have a Muslim political and religious community exist with another culture in the same state. The Muslim community attacked and severely injured the Christian community and now Lebanon which could have been an example to the world of a shared nation is instead an example of a failed attempt to co exist. It appears that the Christian community in Egypt is headed the same way. Unlike the Christians, the Jews will not accept such. We must not forget that lesson.
After the numerous wars by the Arab Muslims against the Jews, there was a vast population exchange similar to that which occurred during the independence of India and creation of Pakistan. The populations fled and went into the areas where they had a cultural and religious affinity and where they belonged. This separation of populations, while disappointing from a hoped for unification of humanity is clearly necessary at this stage of human evolution and development. So in that sense India and Pakistan have a lot to teach the world in that these two people, similar and yet different, then separated and two nations were born. For better or for worse it did solve to a certain extent a serious problem and it was what those people wanted.
It should be clear that those areas of Jewish population and national identity such as Jerusalem and the various settlements in the West Bank and Golan Heights must and will remain as part of the nation of Israel. Those areas that are under Muslim Arab control such as Gaza and those Muslim parts of the West Bank must be abandoned by Israel to the Arabs there to do as they wish. The population and land exchange must be completed and the natural separation of the different cultures, religions and values should be implemented as part of the boundary line between the nation of Israel and “Palestine”. Just as NONE of the Arab nations will allow equal rights for non MUSLIMS let alone allow them to live there as citizens, it is important that this Arab Muslim policy of separation be fully adopted by Israel so that the Arab Muslim population will live outside of Israel to the extent feasible. Then what would occur by plan is what will and must occur in spite of any other efforts to the contrary, which is a natural separation of cultures and population. Israel will continue to be the nation of the Jewish people with a unified Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank and Golan and those Arab Muslims who want to live in “Palestine” instead of Egypt or Syria or Jordan, etc. will now have another of the very many Arab Muslim nations in which to continue the Arab Muslim culture, hopefully completely separate from Israel. Certainly Israel must preserve to the extent it can and still survive the critical identity of individual rights for each of its citizens, which is a foundation of Western Civilization. But it must also cease pretending that it will allow it own destruction as happened in Lebanon. It will not. I do not understand why we pretend that the Arab Muslim people and the Jewish people should live together. There is little reason for this imagination, but it continues as an underpinning without any basis or purpose.
Let this group of Arab MUSLIMS who call themselves “Palestinians” have there own land and nation and let Israel escape from the burden of this self destructive population.
Perhaps I am wrong but I think reality will force itself upon us. It is sad but reality has a way of imposing itself upon us regardless of attempts to the contrary. Let the people live separately, let them live free.
Kenneth Ellman, email:ke@kenenthellman.com, Box 18, Newton, NJ 07860
http://www.jdsupra.com/profile/kennethellman
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