The Perpetual US-Israeli-Arab Regimes "Holy War" By Abbas J. Ali

The Perpetual US-Israeli-Arab Regimes "Holy War"

By Abbas J. Ali

Al-Jazeerah, July 24, 2006

In her special briefing on the Middle East (July 21), Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, asserted that the Israeli attack on Lebanon should be seen as “the birth pangs of a new Middle East.” Critics, however, see this new savage attack on Lebanese civilian and infrastructure as a menace to civilization. This is not only because innocent people are proudly slaughtered but also because of the rise of a new partnership that makes this brutal war possible.

The New York Times (July 23) quoted a senior White House officer saying, “They [Saudis] want to see Hezbollah wiped out.” Similarly, the Jewish Forward reported (July 21) Saudi representatives in the U.S. met with Jewish leaders to discuss the attack on Lebanon. The Forward quoted an influential Jewish leader, Abraham Foxman, after his meeting with the Saudi Ambassador to Washington saying, "We told the ambassador that this could be a new moment in the relationship, that the neighborhood is changing because the threats that face the Jewish people are also facing moderate Arab states."

This unfolding cooperation along with the successful attempt by the Saudi Arabia to prevent the Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo from taking any stand to protect Lebanon and its people from the Israeli brutality represent a significant change in the political landscape in the Middle East where patriotism, pride, and independent thinking are prohibited by the dominate power.

Faced with a wide spread of popular resentment to its design for the Middle East Washington seems to reach the conclusion that the Arab Street and ordinary Arab citizens , in general, represent a threat to the safety of Arab dictators and to the Israeli political- military domination of the region. Furthermore, for a long time, the neoconservatives have been successful in promoting a notion that enlightened, free, and open minded Arabs are a threat to American interest. And, that the occupation of Iraq has not resulted yet, as it was planned, in demoralizing the Arab people.

In deed, political analysts indicate that the debacle in Iraq and the failure to produce “peace” between Israelis and Palestinians have enraged and radicalized the Arab Street making it impossible for the Arab dictators to govern their restless subjects. The Washington Post reported (July 17) that “Whatever the outrage on the Arab streets, Washington believes it has strong behind-the-scenes support among key Arab leaders also nervous about the populist militants -- with a tacit agreement that the timing is right to strike.”

Quoting a senior Bush administration officer, the Post reported that Arab dictators “want to find a way to navigate unease on their streets and deal with the strategic threats to take down Hezbollah and Hamas, to come out of the crisis where they are not as ascendant." This very reason may explain Israel’s disproportionate and cruel action against Lebanon.

Critics indicate that for several years there have been almost monthly boarder skirmishes between the Israeli army and the Lebanese militias. Both suffered casualties, but the Lebanese suffered the most, and Israel was effective in kidnapping more than 1,000 Lebanese civilian. These kidnapped individuals are still held in Israel. Sadly, the international community has failed either to demand their release or defend Lebanon.

While the efforts to build an alliance among Washington, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh has been in the making for a long time, the onslaught on Lebanon and its civic and political organizations constitutes the beginning of the most serious steps in the holy war to silence the Arab people and to make the region safe for dictators. The onslaught may take different forms. Nevertheless, military attacks, forceful suppression, incitement of sectarian and ethnic discords, and aggressive cultural defamation campaign against Muslims are the most common.

Even though Israel utilizes the Hezbollah’s capturing of two of its soldiers as a pretext to attack Lebanon, the San Francisco Chronicle (July 21) documented that more than a year ago Israel began briefing U.S. officers on its war plan. Furthermore, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz (July 19) reported that in its attack on Lebanon, Israel wants to demonstrate that it is the “America’s deadly messenger” in the region.

The Israeli immediate declared objective is to mold Lebanon according to its image. The real objectives, however, must be seen in the context of the new "holy war" against the Arab people and their desire for freedom and liberty. That is the ultimate goal is to ensure the total submission of the Arab and Muslim people.

The emerging partnership among the U.S., Israel, and Arab regimes, and their declared "holy war" against the Arab people and their popular organizations, in the short-term, may make the region safe for Arab dictators. Eventually, this new emerging "holy war" will generate tragedies and grief, and threaten the safety and security of people around the world.

Abbas J. Ali is professor of management and director, School of International Management, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

Apartheid Wall


The Israeli Land-Grab Apartheid Wall built inside the Palestinian territories, here separating Abu Dis from occupied East Jerusalem. (IPC, 7/4/04).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03).

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