The Middle East is undergoing a rapid transformation as massive protests, some very violent, demand change, government by the people and an end to dictatorial power. But in the state of Israel nothing ever changes. Now, as the Arab Spring comes to the fore, Israel can't seem to face the reality of the situation.
But it's not only the Middle East that poses great problems for the future of Israel; it's the entire world community of nations. These nations have been witnessing Israel's oppression of Palestine and the people of the city of Gaza, and its belligerent actions against its neighboring countries, for decades. They have concluded that its government has no intention of changing its policies and tactics.
Israel is digging itself into a deep hole. In recent times it has managed to lose the few allies it once had, primarily Turkey and Egypt. Worse than that, it has lost the respect of the world. The only ally that Israel has left is the U.S. and, while that has benefited it greatly, that is not enough. Because of its severely damaged reputation in the world, a growing number of nations are boycotting imports from and exports to Israel, just as they did during the period of South Africa's system of apartheid.
There are more and more signs that the Israeli people are becoming more open to change, to adopt a less aggressive stance with their neighbors, and to enter into serious discussions over Palestinian independence and statehood. But that view is not shared by the stubborn Israeli government that continues to live in the past and refuses to give an inch on any issue that even slightly involves its security concerns.
This government uses belligerence rather than diplomacy, confrontations instead of negotiations, and maintains an attitude of "It's our way or no way." But that is no longer going to work in the new Middle East. The dictators are largely gone and the people have far more control and voice in government. When things are changing all around Israel and Israel refuses to change with the times, then its future promises to be dismal indeed.
America , this president, and the Congress are doing the people of Israel and Palestine both a great disservice by strongly backing the Israeli government's oppressive actions in Gaza and the non-stop building of settlements in Palestinian territory. By allowing this situation to fester they are, collectively, contributing to the misery of both the Palestinians, and the people of Israel who live in fear of rocket attacks.
The image at the top of this article says it best; the dark portion of the leftmost picture shows that the land was largely controlled by the Palestinians in 1946 before Israel became a state. Then you can see the changes and almost complete reversal that occurred over decades, to the point that Israel now controls almost all of the country. And as Mr. Netanyahu continues to build settlements and stall the peace process it becomes clear that Israel wants more territory yet; it wants it all.
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