Perusing media coverage regarding the Middle East, a redundant media theme is Israeli aggression in the Middle East. One reads of the need for peace talks due to Israeli aggression, concern that Israel must not harm the region by striking Iran, and, as American intelligence sources leak to the media, Israel has seemingly conducted multiple strikes against Syria lately, which are concerning.
As CEO of a PR agency, it’s interesting to review headlines over the past week, which can tell us a lot about the situation in the Middle East. While peace talks have restarted between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs, as a sign of good-faith, Israel agreed to release more than 100 Palestinian murderers and terrorists. In response, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, proclaimed that “no Israeli citizens or military presence will remain in a future Palestinian state.” And Abbas is the so-called “moderate” Palestinian leader compared to Hamas, which is more extreme and openly calls for the destruction of Israel. Imagine if a moderate Israeli leader declared that no Arabs would be permitted in Israel after peace. When a third-rate Israeli politician gives an obscure press quote on a topic, it dominates world headlines. But when the head of the Palestinian Authority says he wants no Israelis in “Palestine” as a condition of peace, it isn’t cause for concern or condemnation.
On Saturday, the head of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, spoke publicly at a rally and said, “Israel poses a danger [to] all people of this region…including Lebanon, and removing it is a Lebanese national interest.” He continued:
We want to say to every enemy and every friend…we the Shi’ites of the world will not abandon Palestine, the Palestinian people or the sacred sites in Palestine. Some might think that the elimination of Israel is a Palestinian interest. Yes, it is a Palestinian interest, but not just that. It is in the interest of the entire Islamic world, it is in the interest of the entire Arab world and it is also in the national interest for every country in the region.
Surely, Israel is to blame for inciting the head of Hezbollah.
In Iran, the so-called moderate president-elect, Hassan Rouhani, participated in a march where Iranians shouted, “Death to Israel.” On Iranian State TV, he referred to Israel by saying “a sore has been sitting on the body of the Islamic world for many years.” Iran remains committed to threatening the peace and security of the region, yet as America and liberal media remind us, heaven forbid Israel takes action against Iran’s desire to complete their nuclear weapons.
This week, President Assad of Syria opened an Instagram account, which attracted more than 30,000 followers, and has pictures depicting him as a statesman at hospitals and the like. (Needless to say, there’s no depiction of the 100,000 Syrian citizens who have been butchered over the last two years.) Assad uses American technology regularly, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – and keeps killing his own people. While Israeli media report that Israel treats Syrian people who have been harmed (at Israeli taxpayer expense), both sides in the Syrian conflict are anti-Israel. Assad continues to maintain he will remain the ruler of his country – and oppose the campaign against him, which is being run by Washington and London and Tel Aviv.
In the Middle East, any Jew living in Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, and countless other nations was expelled – and virtually none live there today. They’d likely be lynched on site if they tried to visit. In the democratic state of Israel, Arabs live better than in nearly any other nation in the Middle East. Inside the Knesset (Parliament), an Arab member of Knesset made a speech from the podium where he said Israeli Jews are an “enemy of peace.” He went on to say, “You’re an enemy of peace. We were here before you, and we’ll be here after you.” As Prime Minister Netanyahu responded, “The first part is wrong – and the second part will not happen.” The Arab MK wasn’t lynched after his speech – nor was he sanctioned. Yet, Israel remains the terrible oppressor.
The Arab Spring created many new rulers and in many countries a new political environment. What hasn’t appeared is a single Arab country that says it wants a closer relationship with America. Not a single country where the West is welcomed as a partner and positive force. There remains only one country in the Middle East where the American flag is flown proudly and respectfully and not burnt, and that is Israel.
In only the past week, there have been calls for Israel’s destruction, threats and violence. Pressuring Israel will not create peace – it will create more anarchy, chaos and terror, which harms Israel and American interests. America and Israel must continue to stand together and recognize they have the same interests.
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