Five Bogus Criticisms of Israel
By Professor Bradley Ruffle -- Beer Sheva, Israel
In the war between Israel and Hamas, the battle for the hearts and minds of the world ought to be a slam-dunk victory for Israel. A free, multicultural, liberal society is pitted against a radical Islamic terrorist group bent on the extermination of all those who oppose their jihadist vision. And yet, the world condemns the modern liberal democracy of Israel and embraces the terrorists' intolerance and death culture, much like it did when Israel fought the Hezbollah terrorist group in 2006.
So, why do the world's sympathies lie overwhelmingly with the Palestinians?
The "Israel as occupier" narrative became inapposite in 2005 when Israel uprooted its settlements in the Gaza Strip and turned over Gaza's keys to the Palestinians. Notwithstanding, within hours of Israel's complete withdrawal, Palestinian rocket fire resumed. Israel ignored the rockets. Not surprisingly, the rocket fire continued unabated until, more than 3,000 rockets later, the government decided that too many was enough, bringing us to the conflict at hand.
Demographics and the natural affinities they engender provide one clue for understanding the imbalance in world opinion. With 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide and a meager 14 million Jews, Muslims outnumber Jews by more than 100 to 1. In addition, Israel has no oil, while the Arab states possess more than their share.
Here I explore the Palestinians' success in injecting the public debate with slogans and concepts seemingly supportive of their cause. My purpose is to expose the erroneous reasoning that underlies five pervasive criticisms of Israel. To do so, I rely on straightforward logic and common sense.
1. "The Palestinians are the weaker side of the conflict and therefore deserve our sympathy and support"
In sports, cheering for the weaker team (the underdog) makes sense. A match in which the stronger team's victory is a foregone conclusion is without suspense and no fun to watch. Dirt poor lottery winners are a more satisfying outcome than a multi-millionaire who holds the winning ticket.
However, the weaker side of an international conflict is not inherently the more worthy, moral or deserving claimant. In fact, closer inspect leads to the opposite conclusion. It is not by chance that the weak region or country is weak, while the strong region or country became so. Successful countries achieve their status through well-functioning economic institutions like well-defined property and ownership rights and a legal system to champion such institutions. These institutions promote the development of technology, goods and services and encourage long-term investment in infrastructure like roads, a public transportation network and education. Poor countries, by contrast, fail to provide the basic conditions and certainty necessary to encourage private investment. Their governments are often corrupt, choosing to pocket funds rather than invest in their citizens.
This analysis is particularly pertinent for understanding the power imbalance between Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Israel has spent the past 60 years of its modern existence investing massively in construction, education, health services, transportation and, by necessity of its hostile neighbors, its military. Consequently, it has transformed what began as a subsistence agricultural economy into an advanced scientific and technological powerhouse at the forefront of numerous modern industries. For this, Israel deserves our congratulations for resources put to good use, not our scorn.
Corrupt Palestinian leaders, by contrast, have squandered their resources and opportunities to provide their citizens with better lives. The elite leadership lives like kings indifferent to their subjects' abject poverty. Although we may pity the Palestinian people for their plight and wish them a brighter future, supporting their leadership in a conflict against Israel dooms their fate to even greater desperation.
2. "The Israeli army has claimed many times more victims than Hamas has"
The number of victims on each side of the conflict is a simple enough statistic to fit into a headline that can be understood by all. Yet its simplicity masks more meaningful measures and, worse still, distorts incentives.
First, a total body count does not categorize the number of victims by terrorists, soldiers and civilians. The extermination of a terrorist about to launch a rocket aimed at an urban center would be considered a blessing in most folks' accounting.
Second, counting bodies encourages ruthless regimes that care little for their people to make no effort to protect them. More perverse still, the public's reliance on this misleading statistic encourages Hamas to place Palestinian children in the line of fire. Hamas and the Hezbollah are infamous for launching their missiles at Israel from local schools and crowded residential neighborhoods and placing children on rooftops of buildings in which terrorists hide.
By contrast, Israel has adopted numerous life-saving measures to minimize the number of casualties from hostile neighboring attacks. For instance, all Israeli villages and cities - Jewish and Arab alike - within range of Hamas or Hezbollah have air missile sirens that alert the population to impending missile attacks on their city. These sirens can also be heard on radio broadcasts. Civilians then make their way to the nearest bomb shelter either in their neighborhood, workplace, lobby of their apartment building or right in their home. Iraq's missile attacks on Israel during the First Gulf War in 1991 prompted the government to legislate that one room in each new home must be a hermitic bomb shelter. My family and I now sleep in our apartment's bomb shelter.
3. "Israel uses disproportionate force against the Palestinians"
I haven't the faintest idea how to deter terrorism without relying on "disproportionate force" either in the quality or quantity of the response.
Criminal law operates on the basis that to deter crime the punishment must exceed the criminal's benefit from the crime; otherwise, crime pays. Deterrence of terrorism is no different. To induce Hamas to end their attacks on Israel, the cost they incur must exceed the benefits from successful terrorist operations. To achieve this, the Israeli army makes use of its technological sophistication to conduct pinpoint assassinations from the air. This force is qualitatively disproportionate or superior to the less accurate rockets that Hamas fires.
Elsewhere, I've written about an alternative response to terrorism based on quantitative disproportionate force. The idea is that Israel builds an automatic rocket-launching system. Each time Hamas, Hezbollah or any other group or nation launches a rocket at Israel, this system detects the rocket and launches N rockets of the same variety back at the enemy. N needs to be a number greater than one to achieve deterrence.
I suspect the world would be equally outraged at my solution because the world doesn't appreciate the necessity of disproportionate force to deter terrorism. Instead, many suggest that Israel's response needs to be "balanced". A balanced response would be appropriate if the conflict was between two societies with similar values, intentions and regard for human life. However, Hamas' aspirations to kill as many civilians (while Israel takes every precaution to ensure the safety of Palestinians civilians) compel Israel to employ disproportionate force against Hamas operatives to put a stop to their wanton violence as soon as possible.
4. "Israel's military response perpetuates the cycle of violence"
Critics apparently anticipate Israel to take it on the chin. Against a terrorist organization whose charter calls for the "obliteration" of Israel, a non-response is not a viable long-term strategy.
The cycle of violence argument suggests that Israel is to blame for entering an interminable spiral of death and destruction anytime it defends itself. Yet Israel's peace with Jordan and Egypt shows that the cycle of violence can be broken. These two Muslim nations ended their wars against Israel when their leadership accepted Israel's existence and abandoned the Arab mantra of "pushing Israel into the sea". Only when the Palestinian people demand of their leadership to recognize and respect Israel will the cycle of violence stop.
5. "Israel is committing genocide in Gaza"
This charge is a red flag. Anyone who claims that Israel is or has in any of its previous conflicts attempted genocide is either ignorant of the meaning of the word - direct them to a dictionary and point out that Hamas' targeting of densely populated civilian centers aptly fits the definition - or hopelessly full of hate and a toxic ideology aimed at Israel. Don't waste your time trying to change this person's mind. No amount of logic, reasoning or historical facts will succeed.
My hope is that the above rebuttals to commonly heard criticisms of Israel will help replace the public's slogans and knee-jerk reactions with more thoughtful, reasoned arguments. Such progress will benefit Israel, its supporters and, ultimately, the Palestinians.
My own criticism of Israel is that this initiative comes nearly four years too late. Israel needed to respond to the very first rocket. A non-response encouraged the next 2,999-plus rockets. Terrorism, like any other bad behavior, exists because it is tolerated.
The author is an economics professor at Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva, Israel. Much of his research focuses on rational explanations for seemingly irrational behaviors, like gift giving, religious observance and terrorism.
Some said the Yugoslav army was the strongest military force in europe . evrey insurgent funded by outside powers . Europe always said the Yugoslavs over responded and used to much force against the little democtatic elected leaders of small areas . No electon was ever held with the whole coutry voting on dismemberment . In the Roman catholic Area the Roman catholic voted to disenfranchise the Eastern Orthadox and they were expelled . The Muslim Area united with the Roman catholics and again the eastern orthadox were expelled . always the Yugoslav Army merrily tried keep the peace between the rebels and loyalists ,never using disproportant force . I ask you where is Yugoslavia now . The only thing I can say about Yugoslavia is they are the only country in europe that in all of history never attack another country . Now I can add the Yugoslav army never used enough force to protect themselves against much weaker opponents too . Is this such a great accomplishment when now you nolonger have a country . Yugoslavia was talked into losing when I think the majority of their citisezens would have been happier if they would have won . But Germany has wanted to control the balkans for a 100 yrs and now they only have Serbia yet to derail . Disproportant response is a new term in war , Serbia and Yugoslavia were bambozeled by this new idea of gentle war . Russia was accused of this in Georgia too. Russia kinda told NATO to go to hell in Georgia .. I have evrey reason to believe the Russians meant it too .
This is my final comment on the professor's column. There is not any doubt in my mind that there can be no peace until the Palestinian people stop their abject hatred for Israel and Israelis and accept the fact that Israel is here to stay. Cessation of violence will be the beginning of a comprehensive rapproachement. Teaching Palestinian children that Jews are not Satan, Israel is not hell, and neighbors respect neighbors is also an integral component of any peace process. Mr. Schlomka asked me whether I believe that there can be a state for the Palestinians alongside Israel. At this juncture, I would have to say absolutely no. However, if the Palestinian leadership ever comes to grips that the undivided, unified, indivisible Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish State of Israel and such places as Ariel, Maaleh Addumim, Hevron, Tiveria, Tzfat, Tel Aviv, Netanyah, Sederot, Metullah, Ashkelon, Beer Sheva, Ashdod, Eilat, Haifa, Nahariyah, Gedera, are all part and parcel of the sovereign country of Israel, then there may be a way to speak of peace. Hamas is a terrorist group. It must never be considered a partner for Israel to negotiate with because Hamas wills the decimation of the Jewish State of Israel. The Palestinian Authority is also a terrorist group because members of its organization still do not recognize Israel as a sovereign state. Negotiating with any Palestinian organization is futile at this time. Any discussion with Mr. Schlomka is also futile at this time. He may live in Israel, yet his belief that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza is ridiculous. Israel has every right to defend its citizens. Mr. Schlomka's perspective that Jerusalem is negotiable according to international law is absurd: why would Israel negotiate any part of its capital with terrorists--Hamas and the Palestinian Authority? I hope that Israel completes the operation it started a month ago and extirpates the wherewithal that Hamas has to perpetuate terror on Israeli citizens once and for all. This operation would include eliminating the entire Hamas leadership either via capture or targeted killing. The Hebrew Bible is full of such fights to the finish. Now is the time to end the Hamas, extremist Fatah (Al-aska Brigades), Islamic Jihad, The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestinian, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian blight on the Jewish people.
One last point: Native American were never terrorists in North America. They were inhabiting North America thousands of years before the Europeans came here. As someone born, raised, and educated in the United States, I am positve that any reference to a Native American as a terrorist is ludicrous.
Native Americans don't commit terrorism wherever and whenever they want something. It's a bad analogy anyway, since Native Americans were here first, as opposed to the Muslims, who moved in after the Jews got conquered and displaced. It may be the politically correct trend to favor an independent Palestine, but I fear such an entity would soon devolve into another Somalia (worse, really - a Somalia that aggressively attacks its neighbor. Gaza has already started down that path. After Israel left Gaza, Hamas concentrated its resources and energy on acquiring offensive terror missiles (to provoke Israel's re-entry) and digging tunnels and booby traps (for when Israel would be forced to invade). Non-psychotic people would have concentrated on normalizing relations, trade and creating a civil society, not teaching hatred to even their five-year-old children. And you expect these people to run their own country? So what's more dangerous? My statement, or giving murderous fanatics their own country? Maybe Hezbollah should secede from Lebanon and form its own terrorist entity too.
I do like the idea of trying to improve the democracy in Israel. Israeli Arabs and Jews should endeavor to improve their relationships through open, honest, truthful, caring actions and deeds. Every democracy has plenty of room for improvement. Certainly, minorities should be treated better in Israel. The main concern is that Israel be identified as the only democracy in the Middle East. In addition, it is of central interest for every country to respect the rights of its own citizenry and as much as possible, the rights of the citizenry of its neighbors.
Mr. Nitzarim - Out of all the states in the world today virtually none of them existed 500 years ago, even two hundred years ago. To say that any state will exist in perpetuity is to fail to understand the cycles of history. Perhaps i can clarify my personal position: Israel can exist as a nation-state for the next 10,000 years as far as I am concerned. However i will continue to push for a more democratic society.
And garybkatz - All peoples of Russian descent have the right to claim Russian citizenship according to Russian Law. As for your dangerous statement "Self-determination is a dangerous right to give Muslims" - You could just as well argue the same thing for Native Americans who where the terrorists during the 'pioneer' era of North America.
What does Mr. Schlomka suggest by his statement of 9:12 AM on January 26: " Israel does ipso facto - exist, and will continue to exist for some time"? Is it like a woman can be half-pregnant? When will Israel cease to exist? Isn't that question implied in Mr. Schlomka's statement? His statement reminds me of the PLO Charter regarding Israel's right to exist after the Oslo Accords. What in practice has the PLO done regarding its stance on Israel? The PA and Hamas school curriculum is replete with hateful material concerning Israel and Jews; the PA and Hamas media show programs in which children sing about the Satanic Israel and Jews; the former president of the PA wrote his PhD dissertion denying the Holocaust; the Hamas leadership has consistently called for the eradication of Israel; a terrorist from East Jerusalem recently shot eight boys while they were studying and praying at Merkaz Harav Yeshiva; another terrorist from East Jerusalem murdered three Israelis by bulldozing them to death.
Mr. Schlomka wants to live in a society that recognizes full equality for all citizens. I guess he won't be moving to most countries in the Middle East. In fact, he won't be moving to Gaza, whether or not Gaza becomes part of an independent state (given the dismal human rights track record of both Hamas and Fatah). Self-determination is a dangerous right to give Muslims, since they commit terror for the cause of having their own states in numerous places like the Philippines, Southern Thailand and China; not just Palestine. Personally, I don't know what makes the Palestinians any different from other Muslims, or from other people who, over thousands of years, have been displaced by war. My grandparents fled Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution. If I go there and claim my "right of return," they'd probably lock me in an insane asylum.
Mr. Schlomka,
I take great offense at your remarks. Why wouldn't you respond to the quotation from the Jewish Virtual Library, a web site dedicated to explicating Jewish-Diaspora-Israeli relationships: "The Jewish Virtual Library's purpose is to provide information about all facets of Jewish life: Judaism, Jews in the Diaspora, the history of Anti-Semitism, the rise of Zionism and Zionist thought, biographies of prominent Zionists, The Holocaust, Israel and Jerusalem, Israel's Wars, and Jewish holidays, Who is a Jew?" It is very hard to face the truth, isn't it? Your original piece above is just as long as the quotation that I asked you to respond to. If you have read this One Jerusalem in this past year and a half, you would see that I have responded at length to numerous articles on the blog. I am definitely not reluctant to state my opinions regarding Israel. As a teacher, though, I often allude to authorities and experts on Israel. I teach my students to do so when they are asked to make an educated, rational point in their research papers. Credibility, accountability, responsibility, accuracy, and reliability are all requisites of a cogent argument.
First of all, I am a professor of English at a college in northern Illinois. I have been teaching rhetoric since 1996 in both colleges and universities. Moreover, I have been teaching English in high schools and colleges for 34 years. Your references to "crass" relative to your website is disingenuous.Consider the following excerpt in your "A Code of Conduct for Tourism in Palestine: The Context of Palestine": Despite the fact that Israel signed the Oslo Agreements with the PLO in the 1990s and recognised the establishment of the Palestinian Authority to administer some of the Palestinian territories, namely the West Bank and Gaza Strip, many areas of life in those areas are still under Israeli control. For example, Israel controls all access to Palestine (land and sea borders as well as access from the airport), most of the Palestinian water resources, and all movement of people and goods from, to and within Palestine. These facts have significant impacts on the development of tourism in the Palestinian territories and the dissemination of information to tourists. Jerusalem – the heart of tourism in the region – has been illegally annexed to Israel, filled with illegal settlements, besieged, surrounded by checkpoints, and encircled by the Apartheid Wall, all of which has resulted in the city’s isolation from its social and geographical surroundings." There are two concepts which totally mislead the public in this direct quotation: "Israel controls all access to Palestine" and "Jerusalem...encircled by the Apartheid Wall." Since when is there a place called "Palestine" in 2009? There are Palestinian territories, but not an integral, sovereign Palestine. Whereas Israel is a sovereign country recognized by the United Nations and most countries in the world. Three and a half years ago, the Gaza Strip was fully evacuated after 38 years in Israeli hands in roder to show goodwill to the Palestinian people. Since the evacuation, the Gaza Strip has been a haven for terrorism, and its "democratically" elected government has held its civilian population in a military regime, a fact which has especially been witnessed by the world in this 22-day operation by Israel. The Hamas leaders hid from the people, and the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists hid behind the women, old people, and children as they fought the Israel armed forces. Secondly, your so-called "Apartheid Wall" is a necessity for those living in Jerusalem because it greatly diminishes the chance of suicide-homicide murders, such as the one which murdered Dr. Applebaum and his 20-year-old daughter Nava when they were eating in a cafe in West Jerusalem on September 9, 2003, the night before her expected wedding. This good doctor worked selflessly to save both Palestinian and Israeli lives in his emergency centers as well as at Haddasah Hospital.
Jerusalem was conquered during the June 1967 war. All conquered land during a war belongs to the victor. This is a worldwide rule of war. Since Israel has been in control of Jerusalem people of all faiths can openly pray there. When Jordan ruled part of Jerusalem, Jews were not allowed to pray even at the Western Wall. So what would the Palestinians do today if Israel were not responsible for the security on the Temple Mount, the Jewish people's holiest site? The Temple Mount has been desecrated by plating trees where the original two Temples stood and by excavating large areas illegally in order to construct underground huge mosques. The Waqf has acts irresponsibly and criminally in literally descrecrating ancient artifacts dating back thousands of years to the times of the First and Second Temples and hauled this mountain of sacred, ancient earth on the Temple Mount to trash areas. This behavior is both odious and reprehensible to the Jewish people, as it should be to the civilized world. Precious artifacts have been treated as garbage by so-called monotheists who practice Islam. Where is the respect for what is sacred to people who practice a religion different from Islam? The Waqf does not recognize the fact that the Temple Mount is sacred to the Jewish people. Neither do Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.
Israel is not an apartheid state: it is a lie to state it is so! I am an Israel-American citizen. I have lived in Israel for more than four years of my life. I have taught for two years in such places as Rogosin High School in Migdal Haemek and The ORT Vocational High School in Osefia, a Druze-Christian village near Haifa. I have studied and written five plays for more than a year in Jerusalem. Moreover, I have taught about apartheid and its effects on the citizenry in South Africa for years. When terroism abounds in a civilized, democratic country, such as Israel, draconian measures must be taken to protect the people living in the country. No matter how desperate Palestinians might be, there is absolutely no justification to commit suicide and murder others both from the shrapnel and ball-bearings in the bomb-belts worn by suicide-homocide murderers. In addition, there is absolutely no justification to desecrate Joseph's Tomb in Schechem/Nablus.
Regarding genocide, I aver that Hamas is 100% responsible for the deaths of some 500 or more innocent civilians in Gaza--men, women, and children. When innocents are forced to act as human shields in schools, mosques, hospitals and in their own apartments, this is a war crime. How many apartments with women and children in them were booby-trapped by Hamas? According to Israel's President Shimon Peres, more than 1600 Israeli citizens have been murdered by terrorism in recent years. Furthermore, more than 3,000 missiles, rockets, and mortars have been fired at Israel from Gaza in the last eight years. Such weaponry have reached major Israeli cities, such as Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Beersheva. Sederot has become the most terrifying place to live for Israeli civilians. Some of these missiles, rockets, and mortars have hit kindergartens in various cities and villages. Many have wounded and murdered innocent Israeli civilians in the villages, towns, and cities within 15-20 kilometers from Gaza. President Obama asserted that if he and his family were living in Sederot under the present conditions at the time in July, 2008, he would do everything possible to protect his family.
Mr. Nitzarim has not asked a question. He has asked me to read and respond to some material he found on the internet rather than his own reasoned opinions. He has not provided new content for this thread. I would much rather he take issue with my original post, to which I can then respond. Thank you
Also a small correction. Contrary to Mr. Nitzarim;s assertion, my company's web site does not take issue with Israel's right to exist, as I do not. Israel does ipso facto - exist, and will continue to exist for some time. I do however want to live in a society that recognizes full equality for all citizens within clearly defined borders. Israel has not yet met either of these criteria.
As my web site's mission statement clearly states:
"The information and analysis provided on the tours are based on human rights considerations, the rights of self-determination, and the rights of all peoples to live in safety and political freedom."
No-one attending my tours is 'unknowing' as claimed by Mr. Nitzarim since the tour descriptions are clear and unambiguous.
I welcome political critique but please don't be so crass as to imply that the web site text is somehow misleading.
I agree with Salomon that trying to change each other's mind on these matters is a futile exercise since differences in fundamental ideology precludes this. However exchanging views in a civilized manner is always useful.
Thank you Mr. Schlomka for your response. It is exactly what I thought it would be: a fallacious turnabout called "begging the question" or a "circular argument." When someone asks a question, it is polite to offer a reasonable response. Your response is a no response. Since you are very directly involved in the art of persuasion, as evidenced by the work that you do, I do not have any words to "enlighten" you and your evident approach to Israel. I just hope that those thousands of readers who read this blog take note that Mr. Schlomka's "alternative touring" business in The Palestinian Authority and Israel is run and owned by a person who does not recognize Israel's right to exist and is bent on encouraging unknowing others who take his tours to acquiesce to his perspective through revisionist sophistry.
The good professor makes many good and indeed logical arguments, but I would suggest another reason for the imbalance of world opinion between Israel and the Arabs. Very simply Bible prophecy is being fulfilled right before our eyes. And evil has always railed against God and His people and in the current times it is the same. So I say pray for the peace of Jerusalem and know that God will have the final word.
Terror is evil, terrorists do evil. How can you allow evil to exist, and then try to reason with it?
The only answer to Fred Schlomka is contained in point #5 of Prof. Ruffle's article: "Don't waste your time trying to change this person's mind. No amount of logic, reasoning or historical facts will succeed."
Perhaps Mr. Nitzarim can enlighten us with his own analysis and opinions instead of lengthy quotes by others and obscure referrals.
Fred makes the point that Hamas is the duly elected government of Gaza (except, I guess for the power they acquired by their brutal coup against Fatah). Thus, the government of Gaza declared war on Israel, and attacked Israel repeatedly. Therefore, according to Fred, Gaza, through its government, started a war. Israel fought back. By the end of the conflict, parts of Gaza looked like, gasp, a war zone! The moral of the story is, when the idiots in charge get you into a war, you better be prepared for the inevitable counter-offensive. True, Gaza is dense, and doesn't lend itself to traditional warfare involving battlefields. But Hamas knew that, and put their civilians at risk anyway. Israel needn't apologize for wrecking parts of Gaza any more than the U.S. need to apologize for bombing Tokyo in WWII. The terrorists need to understand "if you mess with Israel, you're going to lose." Otherwise, why would they ever stop?
I would strongly recommend that Mr. Schlomka read the January 17 edition of the Jerusalem Watchdog blog in response to his assertion that Israel committed genocide against the Gazan population in the recent war.
Would Mr. Schlomka please respond to the following information found online in The Jewish Virtual Library:
"U.S. aid in the Middle East has always been one-sided, with the Arabs getting practically nothing.”
FACT
"After Israel's victory in its War of Independence, the U.S. responded to an appeal for economic aid to help absorb immigrants by approving a $135 million Export-Import Bank loan and the sale of surplus commodities. In those early years of Israel's statehood (also today), U.S. aid was seen as a means of promoting peace.
In 1951, Congress voted to help Israel cope with the economic burdens imposed by the influx of Jewish refugees from the displaced persons camps in Europe and from the ghettos of the Arab countries. Arabs then complained the U.S. was neglecting them, though they had no interest in or use for American aid then. In 1951, Syria rejected offers of U.S. aid. Oil-rich Iraq and Saudi Arabia did not need U.S. economic assistance, and Jordan was, until the late 1950s, the ward of Great Britain. After 1957, when the United States assumed responsibility for supporting Jordan and resumed economic aid to Egypt, assistance to the Arab states soared. Also, the United States was by far the biggest contributor of aid to the Palestinians through UNRWA, a status that continues to the present.
Israel has received more direct aid from the United States since World War II than any other country, but the amounts for the first half of this period were relatively small. Between 1949 and 1973, the U.S. provided Israel with an average of about $122 million a year, a total of $3.1 billion (and actually more than $1 billion of that was loans for military equipment in 1971-73) . Prior to 1971, Israel received a total of only $277 million in military aid, all in the form of loans as credit sales. The bulk of the economic aid was also lent to Israel. By comparison, the Arab states received nearly three times as much aid before 1971, $4.4 billion, or $170 million per year. Moreover, unlike Israel, which receives nearly all its aid from the United States, Arab nations have gotten assistance from Asia, Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and the European Community.
“It is my responsibility to see that our policy in Israel fits in with our policy throughout the world; second, it is my desire to help build in Palestine a strong, prosperous, free and independent democratic state. It must be large enough, free enough, and strong enough to make its people self-supporting and secure.”
— President Truman, October 28, 1948, campaign speech at Madison Square Garden
Israel did not begin to receive large amounts of assistance until 1974, following the 1973 war, and the sums increased dramatically after the Camp David agreements. Altogether, since 1949, Israel has received more than $90 billion in assistance. Though the totals are impressive, the value of assistance to Israel has been eroded by inflation.
Arab states that have signed agreements with Israel have also been rewarded. Since signing the peace treaty with Israel, Egypt has been the second largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid ($2 billion in 2002, Israel received $2.8 billion). Jordan has also been the beneficiary of higher levels of aid since it signed a treaty with Israel (increasing from less than $40 million to more than $225 million). The multibillion dollar debts to the U.S. of both Arab nations were also forgiven.
After the Oslo agreements, the United States also began providing funding to the Palestinians. It now provides $80 million in humanitarian assistance via the U.S. Agency for International Development. It provides no direct aid to the Palestinian Authority because it is viewed as corrupt. President Bush specifically warned the Palestinians that they must change their leadership and embrace reform to obtain future assistance. "I can assure you," Bush said, "we won't be putting money into a society which is not transparent and [is] corrupt."9a
1. To compare the nation state of Israel to the Palestinian Authority is ludicrous. Israel is a country subsidized by 4 billion dollars per year from the US and has benefited from over 60 years of such subsidies. The PA, on the other hand, is a captive entity, little more than a county government with no control over it's borders, imports, exports, electromagnetic spectrum, population registry etc. Israel completely controls all these aspects and more, including the movement of people and goods within the West Bank though a network of hundreds of checkpoints, and Israeli-only and Arab-only roads. Gaza, of course is almost completely cut off from the world by Israel, and the duly elected Palestinian government has not been recognized. Keep in mind that most of the vaunted agriculture and technology in Israel that Prof. Ruffle applauds is located on land that was confiscated from people who fled to Gaza and the West Bank and never allowed to return.
2. The Israeli disregard for non-Jewish life is well documented whether in war or controlling demonstrations and riots. One need only look at the weekly non-violent Biilin demonstrations against the separation barrier. Rubber bullets and live fire are used, despite the fact that the IDF sits on the other side of the fence from the protesters. However not one bullet was fired by police or the IDF during the recent Hebron riots by Jewish settlers.
Israel publishes a body count of terror murders each year. However the most bizarre thing about the recent Gaza 'war' is that it was conducted against a captive population, completely imprisoned within the strip, and fired on by F16s and other high tech military hardware against which they had no defense. These are the facts. Imagine if a fence had been thrown up around the greater Tel Aviv area before the scud missiles rained down in 1991, or if the residents of Northern Galilee were restrained from traveling south during the last Lebanon war.
3. See last paragraph above.
4. Israel doesn't need to take it on the chin. But it does need to either permit a viable and sovereign state to emerge on the lands occupied since 1967, or prepare itself for demands for one state and a South Africa-like solution. We are almost past the point of no return with the West Bank settlements.
5. Dictionary definitions aside, Genocide as defined by the UN and international law is multi-faceted. As adopted by Resolution 260 (III) A of the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948:
Article 2
In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
* (a) Killing members of the group;
* (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
* (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
* (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
* (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
I would say that Israel is in violation of article 2a, b, and c