Forty years on
Forty years ago this week, Israel swept to an historic victory in just six days in a war against an alliance of Arab nations. Victory was a result of its excellent equipment and generous US support. It was also based on a powerful national myth, injected with strong moral and ideological elements: the survivors of the holocaust and their children with the pioneer spirit of the kibbutz, the inheritors of the European enlightenment and socialism defending the right of the Jews to establish their own state in a hostile environment. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. The subsequent occupation of Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese territory has turned David into Goliath. Israel’s combined offensive against Gaza and Lebanon last summer caused an international uproar against Israel. It also marked the collapse of its national mythology. Its military superiority proved of little help against the asymmetrical tactics of Hezbollah and the Palestinians. The national shock made the Israelis take a different look at their state. And they did not like what they saw. Inept leaders, corrupt politicians, waning solidarity, the rise of racist or religious parties. The Bush administration is not without blame. All previous presidents supported Israel. But they all kept a balance with Arab interests. The Bush administration was the first to fall 100 percent behind Israel. Mired in the self-imposed Iraq quagmire, they forgot to look at the mother of all Mideast problems, the Palestinian dispute. As for the major European powers, which bear most of the responsibility for the troubles dogging the Jews and Arabs, everything comes down to priorities: Kosovo’s independence cannot wait. It would appear that the Palestinans, who have already been kept on hold for 40 years, can be put on hold for some years more. They should know better when picking leaders and allies.
