The Right Side of History

Something I've heard from pro-Palestine (usually) young people: "I know I will be on the right side of history” (or conversely, “I know you will be on the wrong side of history.”) I have to laugh at how ironic that statement is coming from people who have experienced the least amount of history, and are generally uninformed about it. Still, it's something I always feel I need to address in a thoughtful way.

They are saying it, because they have been convinced that the founding of the State of Israel was a catastrophic injustice done against the Palestinians. They believe the displacement of Arab residents, who they claim are indigenous, renders the State of Israel illegitimate. Everything they believe flows from that premise. This is questionable on a variety of grounds, chiefly whether the resident Arabs were more 'indigenous' than the Jews who can concretely trace their presence to that region from about 1500 BCE. 'Palestinian' actually only became a widely accepted political identity around the time of the establishment of the State of Israel. 

Still, the matter of 'conquest' is problematic (or as some call it 'settler-colonialism'). There were Arab communities that existed in Mandate Palestine (pre-State of Israel) that were either liquidated, displaced or absorbed when the State of Israel won its independence during the war. The same process, more or less, as happened in the United States, Canada, every country in Central and South America, Africa and most of Asia. In other words, if you have a problem with Israel, you should have a problem with most, if not all, of the modern global map, which I believe renders the argument absurd or moot. If not, you have to admit to having a double-standard bias against Israel.

But let's say we agree with the principle that every self-identifying 'People' has a 'right' to self-determination, and let's say the Palestinian People qualify. Certainly the Jewish People do too. So why don't people see it that way? Do the Palestinian people have 'more' of a right to self-determination than the Jewish people? Or again, is a double standard at work?  

They typically answer, sure the Jewish People deserve the right of self-determination, just not there, on Palestinian land. Ok, then where? Surely, displacement or occupation of territory belonging to someone else is inevitable anywhere you choose for the Jews (except maybe Antarctica). In this case, what's really meant is nowhere.

Double-standards toward Israel abound on a variety of subjects - in the past year it's concerning what Israel may or may not do in the course of self-defence. Israel is expected to adhere to standards of war time behaviour that no other country has ever been expected to comply with. Do all these double standards constitute anti-Semitism? Perhaps. I don't want to get into questions of psychology, and I think anti-Semitism is largely a socio-psychological phenomenon. Let's stick to the question of the 'legitimacy' of the State of Israel, inasmuch as any state can be said to have 'legitimacy'. 

Israel has been fighting for its existence for 76 years now, since it won a War of Independence in 1948. Actually, 76 years is not a very long time. You might say that the country is still in its turbulent adolescent stage of finding an identity. But so far, I would argue, despite efforts to brand it as an 'apartheid state' and a 'racist state', what we have seen is actually the steady march toward global acceptance. As its Arab neighbours have modernized and wanted to join the international community, they have either made peace treaties with Israel (Jordan, Egypt), recognized Israel and established diplomatic relations with it (UAE, Bahrain, Morocco) or are on the road in that direction (Saudi Arabia). The trend is clear. The countries that continue to oppose Israel are the most dysfunctional and backward Muslim countries, in particular Syria and Iran, because it serves the political interests of their autocratic leaders. Especially the theocracy of Iran, which considers Israel to be the pebble in the sandal of its project to establish a Muslim Caliphate throughout the Middle-East.

What this indicates is what is at stake in the fight for Israel's legitimacy and existence. Israel is the frontline of the battle to maintain progress and modernity in the Middle-East, a place where modernity clashes with tribalism and ethno-religious loyalties and hatreds. Israel's fight is literally the fight against a worldview that promotes intolerance, strict adherence to Islamic Law and the abrogation of individual human rights. In other words, it's opposition to turning the clock back on 1000 years of social and political progress. 

Israel is the vanguard of the West. It represents western values and acts internationally in accordance with western standards and the rule of law. The Israeli leadership engages in conflict, not out of 'hatred' and pledges to 'annihilate' a 'Great-Satan' as the mullahs of Iran declare. It does not claim to act according the will of God. Israel does not wage war via proxies, it has no imperialist ambitions, and does not engage in terrorism abroad, as Iran does. While Israel's rivals seek its extinction, Israel has only ever sought to live in peace and security with its neighbours. Every military action Israel has ever undertaken has been defensive in nature, even when it's been preemptive it has been to stop an imminent attack. Or as with Gaza and Lebanon conflicts currently, it has been in response to a direct attack(s) against its sovereignty and citizens. 

Which brings us back to the question of Palestinian self-determination, the cause celebre of university students and Islamic studies professors in the west. One thing of which I am certain, Israel is not going anywhere and time is not on the side of the Palestinians, contrary to popular opinion. Israel will emerge from the current conflict stronger than ever, and the anti-Israel coalition will be weaker. The opportunities for a negotiated political solution - a process in which Israel repeatedly engaged in good faith for decades - are becoming fewer and farther between. The next round, which will involve the rebuilding of Gaza, may well be the last. The right side of history and the future is clear.