Al-Jazeerah: Cross-Cultural Understanding

 

Opinion Editorials, February 2010

 
www.ccun.org

www.aljazeerah.info

Al-Jazeerah History

Archives 

Mission & Name  

Conflict Terminology  

Editorials

Gaza Holocaust  

Gulf War  

Isdood 

Islam  

News  

News Photos  

Opinion Editorials

US Foreign Policy (Dr. El-Najjar's Articles)  

 

 

 

 

Arab Rulers Vs. Israel:

Of Mice and Men

By Mohamed Khodr

Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org, February 22, 2010

 

“As for those who take the deniers of the truth for their allies in preference to the believers - do they hope to be honored by them when, behold, all honor belongs to God [alone]”   (Quran: 4:139).

 “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.”            --Abraham Lincoln

These are the times that try Arab souls, souls blessed by God with the faith of Islam, the wealth of oil, vital strategic geography; but alas, they are cursed with the corrupt intellectually-deficient inhumanity of rulers devoid of courage and independence from powerful nations, such as America and Israel.    

Robert Fisk, a British journalist for the British newspaper, “The Independent”, and the world’s most experienced and knowledgeable journalist on Middle East issues most aptly and accurately described the Arab world in an article titled:  “The Arabs are Like Mice”,  (Independent, February 18, 2003). 

Such rulers are in fact and practice the third member of the anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian “axis of evil”, along with their masters---NATO and Israel. 

For over 100 years they have staked and invested their souls and Arab wealth in foreign imperialistic powers, first in Europe, then in America, to gain the protection of these western powers to remain as Faustian rulers upon their hapless populations having sold the future and destiny of the Arab masses to their protectors.   

When the Palestinians were being massacred and driven out of their homes and villages in 1947-1948 by the Israeli Army and Jewish terrorist groups, the Palestinians begged and sought help from their Arab brethren to fight their Zionist enemy, only to be rejected and denied arms to fight the thieves of Palestine.      

When Israel declared its “independence” on May 15, 1948 a few Arab nations sent a small number of ragtag ill equipped soldiers to fight the larger, World War II tested, highly equipped Israeli army with modern weaponry that included fighter planes.  The Arab armies didn’t have an air force nor did they even have communication equipment to speak to each other.  It’s estimated that there were 16,000 Arab soldiers fighting a Jewish army estimated at 60,000 soldiers.  The Arab armies never entered the Israeli territory illegally gifted to Jews by the U.N., while the King of Jordan betrayed the Palestinians by agreeing with Israel that his army won’t join the fight in return for the West Bank. 

By the end of the 1948 war Israel had added another 22% of Palestinian land to its already U.N. allocated 56% of land thereby owning 78% of historical Palestine.   

Israel has convinced the world that peace could’ve been achieved between them and the Palestinians if only they accepted the status quo in 1949 whereby Israel now occupies 78% of Palestine, has destroyed 450 Palestinian villages, ethnically cleansed 750,000 Palestinians, killed tens of thousands and launched a campaign of rape against Palestinian women as occurred in the Deir Yassin village massacre.   This propaganda, like all of Israel’s preemptive lies, myths, and public relations campaigns, has never been repudiated by the Arab rulers in a worldwide public relations campaign.   Instead, their modus operandi is to keep silent while giving lip service to the Palestinian cause for domestic consumption along with the usual boastful lies that they will never surrender Palestine.     

Would any people on earth accept such a catastrophe and onslaught upon their land, farms, families, children, houses of worship and become refugees in their own land and in neighboring unwelcoming Arab nations?   Would anyone give up 78% (now 100%) of their home to foreign intruders and thieves without a fight?  Yet Israel has shackled western governments and media to declare such resisters fighting for their own lives, homes, and land as “terrorists”, obviously forgetting the Jewish terrorist gangs that massacred and expelled Palestinian civilians.   Those with power own the power of labels and adjectives. 

No rational person or people would ever accept such a catastrophe “Nakba” in their lives, but according to Israel, the Palestinians should have and thus their rejection of European Jews forcefully stealing their land meant they forfeited the opportunity for peace with the thieves of Palestine. 

Ironically in 1949 at the Lausanne Conference in Switzerland convened by President Truman, the U.N., Arab nations (no Palestinian representation was allowed), and Israel; the Arabs accepted U.N. General Assembly Resolution 181 that partitioned Palestine into 56% of Palestine for Jews (they were only one third of Palestine’s population) and 44% to the indigenous Palestinians.   They also accepted U.N. Resolution 194 which allowed for the “right of return” of expelled Palestinian refugees or their compensation.   

Truman and the conference attendees demanded Israel return the additional 22% of Palestine it militarily conquered.    Israel rejected President Truman’s demands at the conference and seeing there were no consequences for its behavior developed the chutzpah, arrogance, and confidence that it’s above all international resolutions, laws, human rights conventions and world opinion.  It’s been getting away with murder for over 60 years relying on a subservient American Congress, Jewish dominance of the media, financial institutions, and powerful Israeli lobbies.  America soon discovered its impotence in dealing with the very nation it helped create and continues to subsidize with hundreds of billions of dollars.  Obama recently learned that what Israel wants, Israel gets.     When Israel says no, the world’s sole superpower retreats. 

Compared to Israel’s superpower status in Washington D.C., Arab rulers run to the White House for the sole privilege of a photo op to showcase their self importance to their ignorant populace, all the while hiding their ignorance and illiteracy by never appearing in the U.S. media, with one exception.  King Abdullah II of Jordan, the darling of the American media, with his English fluency and articulate and intelligent Palestinian wife, does frequently appear on American television.   He’s the only current Arab ruler, besides the late Anwar Sadat, to ever speak to a joint session of the U.S. Congress.   It’s a reward for Jordan and Egypt for signing peace treaties with Israel.    Like his father before him King Abdullah even received a Peace Prize from the Zionist entity, the Simon Wiesenthal Center.     

Thus Arabs and the rest of the world know that the gateway to American favor is through Israel’s approval. 

Arabs have been betrayed by western duplicitous and hypocritical promises for over a century, yet they keep coming back to the west for more humiliation and unadulterated acceptance of western hegemony upon their lands and resources. 

Arab rulers know that all their communications are bugged, that some of their bodyguards, military and intelligence officers, some Cabinet and Parliamentary members, and media and academic stooges are bought and paid for by Mossad and/or the CIA as spies.   Many fear being blackmailed and exposed as traitors, playboys, and western stooges, or losing their dictatorial status through assassinations (King Faisal of Saudi Arabia), overthrow by western powers (Saddam Hussein), a military coup, or being dragged to the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses and genocide (Al-Bashir of Sudan). 

Thus to hold on to their own authoritarian power they sell their faith, their soul, their people, resources, and above all, Palestine and Jerusalem to appease Israel’s America. 

All Arab rulers are either Hereditary Monarchs or Military officers.  Military Rulers establish their brand of “dictatorial democracies” where upon they win every election by at least 95%, although lately they’ve been embarrassed enough to lower the margin to 86%.     These military rulers usually groom their sons as future rulers while handing the majority of industries to their family members and cronies.   They rule by force utilizing their intelligence services, police, and military to subdue any protest and opposition which often results in the massacre or imprisonment of citizens without charges or judicial review.   They rule by decrees and often under emergency rule much like Israel’s military occupation or the U.S. in through its “Patriot Act”.   They consider the national economy as private wealth and use bribes to buy and silent potential critics and enemies.  Every governmental institution is under their command.    To quiet any dissent these dictators always blame and fire the prime minister du jour and his cabinet thereby showing their leadership while buying more time for their rule.  The cycle of firing and replacing governments is their weapon of mass deception.   

Their massive insecurity is demonstrated by their need to have their pictures plastered over every building and vehicle, with a statue in every square lest the people forget their benevolent beloved dictators.  Their only demonstration of power is against their own people while cowardice in foreign policy is their staple.  Their owned media constantly sing their praises, even declaring the Kings and Emirs as worthy of human sacrifice.  Their daily “wise” pronouncements in the media, written by cronies, are meant to guide and promise their people a better future.   These illiterate egotistical dictators are speaking to a similarly illiterate populace. 

The Emir of Bahrain, the smallest Arab nation and a spec in the Persian Gulf, wasn’t satisfied to be simply an Emir/Prince so he changed the constitution to make Bahrain a monarchy and declare himself King. 

These rulers are the best gift Israel, America, and Europe could ever hope for, manipulate, and have as allies for their imperialistic colonial policies in the region.   They pay through the nose with their people’s money and treasures to provide Israel and America with the oil for their weapons to massacre Palestinians, Iraqis, Lebanese, and Afghans.  Financially they shore up western economies, banks, financial institutions, and serve as allies as the west and Israel attack Muslims with total impunity.   They took the side of Israel when it attacked Lebanon and Gaza blaming Hezbollah and Hamas for forcing Israel to invade and slaughter their civilians.

How long have these rulers served?   The Table only shows 15 of the 23 Arab Rulers.

Country

Head of State

Starting Rule

Duration (Years)

Algeria

President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika

April 28, 1999

11

Bahrain

King Hamad bin Isa AlKhalifa (Heir: Son)

March 6, 1999

(Family Monarchy)

11

Egypt

President Hosni Mubarak (Her: Son?)

October 14, 1981

(Military Officer)

29

Jordan

King Abdallah II (Heir: Son)

February 7, 1999

(Family Monarchy)

11

Kuwait

Prince Sabah al-Jabir al-Sabah (Heir: Son)

January 29, 2006

(Family Monarchy)

4

Libya

Col. Muammar Al –Qadhaffi (Heir: Son?)

Sept. 1, 1969

(Military Officer)

41

Morocco

King Mohammed VI  (Heir: Son)

July 30, 1999

(Family Monarchy)

11

Oman

Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said

July 23, 1970

(Family Monarchy)

31

Qatar

Prince Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani

(Heir: Son)

June 27, 1995

(Family Monarchy)

15

Saudi Arabia

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud

Aug. , 2005

(Family Monarchy)

5

Sudan

President Umar Al-Bashir

(Military Officer)

Oct.16, 1993

17

Syria

Pres. Bashar Al-Asad

(Inherited Rule from Military Father)

July 17, 2000

10

Tunisia

Pres. Zine el Abidine Ben Ali

Nov. 7, 1987

23

United Arab Emirates

Pres. Khalifa bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan

Nov. 3, 2004

(Family Monarchy)

6

Republic of Yemen

Pres. Ali Abdullah Salah (Heir: Son?)

(Military Officer)

July 18, 1978

32

How long will these rulers serve?   Until Death or Coup Ends their rule and sons or officers replace them. 

The Arab League which holds an annual tragic-comedic conference is a spectacle of foolish egos in a political fashion show who make boastful hypocritical speeches ending in the same annual communiqué first adopted in the 1950’s.     The Arab masses understand that this annual gathering of “Arab brethren” is a meaningless farce where face kissing and hand shakes belie personal animosity and disdain for each other. 

Oil and lies are plentiful in the Arab world while Israel is constantly and brilliantly planning to devour these mice and launch another war upon the hapless Lebanese and Palestinians, and perhaps the Iranians before they launch their nuclear attack on Israel and annihilate 4 million Muslim and Christian Palestinians, destroy Jerusalem and release radiation upon all neighboring Arab nations. 

Allow me to highlight one example of Arab callousness and egotistical greed.    

Dubai, currently facing potential bankruptcy, built the world’s tallest tower, 160 stories costing $1.5 Billion.    

Why would a small desert city need to construct such an expensive monstrosity?  God only knows.   One can only imagine the insecurity, need for attention, and unconscionable and utter callousness and disregard on how such monies can be better spent for the greater Muslim good.    The competition between Saudi Arabia and the Gulf nations to build the tallest tower, the biggest man made island cities, the most luxurious outrageously expensive hotels in the middle of the desert, exquisite malls, the greatest sporting venues for golf (in a deserts without water), roof top tennis courts, speedway racing tracks, millions of dollars worth of racing camels and horses, the latest toys of planes, cars, and yachts, and the import of American Universities for populations that don’t value education or hard work; only highlights the lack of true faith, intellectual vigor, rationality, lack of a humanitarian conscience, and a total disregard for millions of hungry, thirsty, sick, unsheltered Muslims living as refugees in and out of their homelands.    Saudi Arabia and the Gulf nations paid and supported Bush-Blair’s illegal war and devastation of Iraq that resulted in close to 4 million Iraqi refugees, many in Jordan and Syria, yet not one of these nations spent monies in caring for these refugees, the very refugees they helped create. 

So what can Dubai’s $1.5 Billion tower do for 1.5 million Gazans living under siege and facing a massive humanitarian crisis? 

Such monies would translate into each Gazan woman, man, and child receiving $1000.    Families could rebuild their homes rather than living in freezing tents in the open air without electricity, clean water, or a sewage system.   They could feed their families, buy clothes, blankets, rebuild their schools and buy school supplies for their children.   They can afford the medicines that may be available and much much more. 

UNRWA which is the U.N. agency specifically created to deal with Palestinian refugees has 4.7 million Palestine refugees registered with roughly one-third (1.3 million) living in 58 recognized refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.   This agency which wholly depends on voluntary contributions annually runs a budget deficit due to unmet financial commitments by several nations.   Such deficits can easily be paid for by a contribution from a single Saudi or Gulf prince.    

UNRWA’s total annual budget, including its projects budget, covering infrastructure and such non-recurrent expenditures as the introduction of new vocational training courses for 2008-2009 was $1.21 billion, which is less than the cost of building Dubai’s tower.  

One would assume that the Arab nations, especially the oil rich ones, would be the primary donors to UNRWA.    

Wrong: 

In 2008, 19 of the top 20 donors to UNRWA's general fund were from the West, with the EU contributing over $116 million. and the US more than $94 million.   Others, such as Sweden and the UK, each gave over $35m.

In 2008 among Arab nations only Kuwait appeared among the top 20 donors, coming in 20th with just $2.5 million, this after the Arab oil rich nations earned hundreds of billions of dollars from increased oil prices.  Ironically it is western nations that are providing the bulk of UNWRA’s budget, not the Arab “brethren” nations.

The USA was the largest donor in 2009 with a total contribution of around US $268 million, followed by the European Commission with $232.7 million.   In February 2010, the U.S. donated an additional $40 million to UNWRA---call it guilt money for Israel’s 22 day war crimes genocide of Gaza in 2008-2009 that killed over 1,400 Palestinians, mainly women and children.   

It is not just Palestinian or worldwide Muslim refugees that are deprived of oil wealth, the entire Arab world is a total failure in all human development areas.   The paradox of so much wealth yet so much poverty, the gap between the rich and the poor, the corrupt disconnect, callousness and ruthlessness of Arab rulers toward their own people’s lives and welfare is the world’s most shameful inhumanity of man to man or Muslim to Muslim.   The readiness of these dictators to appease and bow to Israel’s America is a stain on their consciousness that only God can judge, and He will. 

But they’re not totally to blame for the misery, poverty, illiteracy, and ignorance of the people.   The people themselves deserve these rulers due to their cowardly subservience and worship-like acceptance of these dictators.     

They accept the devil they know rather than risk the unknown.   People throughout history and the world have rejected such regimes, some through violence, some through peaceful protests and civil disobedience.   But not in the Arab world where the populace is likely to display a greater appreciation for American culture then for Islam. 

Thus, Arabs are worthy of subjugation, shedding tears for the mass murders of Palestinian children while their rulers are busy flaunting their wealth and feeding their passions in western capitals and vacation resorts. 

Not only are Arab rulers not helping Palestinian refugees living in utter poverty and squalor conditions in their camps, shockingly, they are actually aiding Israel in inflicting more pain, humiliations, and loss of livelihood for the besieged Palestinians. 

Egypt is building a steel wall on the southern border of Gaza to complete Israel’s total siege, it blocks Rafah, the only gateway left for Gazans to escape the siege for humanitarian or medical reasons, it prevents international aid convoys from entering Gaza to deliver emergency food and medical supplies, along with Israel ,it’s blowing up tunnels that provide the only lifeline to Gaza for emergency supplies, and it sides with Israel against Hamas which it views as an Islamic threat to its corrupt regime.

            -- “Tense Relations with Egypt Threaten Hamas’s Gaza Lifeline, Jan. 13, 2010, UK Telegraph” 

Jordan stripped close to 3,000 Palestinians of their citizenship without explanation or just cause stating that it fears the rapidly growing Palestinian population which it perceives as a political threat to its monarchy.

            -- Jordan strips Palestinians’ citizenship”, AP Feb. 1, 2010  

The Gulf nations frequently expel Palestinians without explanation or judicial review.   Last year the United Arab Emirates deported hundreds of Palestinians without reason or justification.  In addition, the U.A.E.  deported dozens of Lebanese Shiite citizens.   Forty-five Lebanese businessmen and clerks have already been expelled.    

            -- “Report: U.A.E. to deport Hundreds of Palestinians by month’s end”, Haaretz, 9/5/09 

However in total hypocrisy and bowing to U.S. pressure, the U.A.E. did allow an Israeli athlete to enter Dubai to participate in a tennis tournament and promised to allow future Israeli athletes to enter the country under “special permits”.    Shockingly this decision was taken after Israel’s 22 day genocide on Gaza.

            --“Israel's Ram given visa to play in Dubai”, Reuters, Feb 19, 2009 

Yet publicly these nations express their undying support for Palestinian freedom.    It’s not enough that Palestinians live under decades of Israel’s brutal military occupation; they also endure the animosity of the treacherous traitors of Arab rulers, yet, the greatest tragedy of all is their own internal often murderous divide and hatred between the incompetent corrupt Fatah and Hamas factions.    They too are Israel’s best gift to continue the occupation, siege, and further annexation of Palestinian land. 

The Arab world is drowning in its own incompetence and corruption aboard a ship kept deliberately lost at sea led by an overt American captain under the direction of a covert Israeli Mossad agent.  

“So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people - greedy, barbarous, and cruel”.

            -- T. E. Lawrence, in the film “Lawrence of Arabia”, 1962 

Islam demands justice from rulers but does true Islam exist in the Arab and Muslim worlds?   Tragically, no.   The young Arab generation is addicted to video games, iPods, Cell phone rings, morally corrupt texting, computer screen savers, sports, or the Video Clips of sexually provocative music videos that overwhelm Arab satellite channels only to be followed by readings from the Quran. 

“What is the life of this world but play and amusement? But best is the home in the Hereafter, for those who are righteous. Will you not then understand?   (Quran: 6: 32) 

Will the Arab masses awaken to reclaim their faith, their freedom, and their destiny based on justice for all?


 

 

 

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org.

ed[email protected] & [email protected]