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Originally Posted by JoeRedskin
Yup. I think this is his point. It is such huge concession by Israel at this point, they have invested so much political capital in a unified Jerusalem and protection of the WB Settlements. Whereas, 20-30 years ago, you could say reasonably say that arab aggression and a determination to literally wipe Israel off the map was the real obstruction to peace, I think it is now Israel's dogged committment to Jerusalem and the WB Settlements that stands in the way of a lasting peace.
12th - Do you think the Arab world, as a whole, has come to accept the existence of Israel and, as a practical matter, no longer seeks its obliteration as a national entity? Is Arab factionalism over or is the Arab Spring just a replay/repackaging of Arab nationalism from the 50's and 60's? If not, what do you see as the main differences - how will the Arab world avoid the factionalism that destroyed the original "Arab Spring" (which created most of the regimes now being subject to popular protests)?
It's been two or three (four?) generations since the Jews essentially did a land grab (yes, yes, an incredible oversimplification, I know - but the Brits left 'cause they couldn't/wouldn't resolve the Arab/Jewish question in Palestine Mandate and, once they did, the Jews resolved it for them - with guns). Is that enough time for wounds to heal and reality to set in? Are the people behind the Arab Spring looking forward with an acceptance of Israel? Unlike the prior nationalistic movement of the 50's & 60's, I just don't see the Arab world rallying 'round the poor displaced Palestinians.
Ultimately, I think a corner has been turned in the Arab world. The question to me is whether or not Israel will get past its well earned paranoia/ skepticism about peaceful intentions from the Arabic world and find a way to w/draw from the West Bank entirely.
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I think it's a good question and an open question. No one really knows for sure and it places an already paranoid Israel in a precarious position. The situation completely has us formulating foreign policy on the fly too. The truth is we don't know how this is going to play out. It's one thing to deal with brutal dictators that use propaganda and repression to manipulate and control the masses, we know how to approach that. But it's another thing when you have organic revolutions from citizens in their 20s and 30s, educated lawyers and doctors that use facebook and twitter to organize; that want a voice and be able to choose their government and elect their leaders. If you look at the Arab spring they have been peaceful demonstrations, for that most part, absent of any real animosity towards the West or Israel.
Whether or not this new wave of democratic protesters will consider Israel as national entity or not, who really knows. My gut tells me they are less likely to be hostile towards Israel though. While they do have a deep sense of national pride, they don't harbor the same grievances as their forebearers from the 50s and 60s. But Israel, too, has to play their part. They have to be bold and make some forward looking and risky decisions and not be so reactionary to the world around them. They face a new Arab world and that's a new political reality.
I think Arabs will always remain inherently suspicious of the U.S. because of our relationship with Israel and the events since 9/11 (and before), but I'm hopeful they can separate those issues from their own pursuit of democracy and freedom.