We must not praise Israel blindly and it is not another arm of the West

Column by Andrew Waldner

I don’t know how common it is in my generation, but I’ve always been conflicted about Israel. Growing up, before I really cared about the news, I had a vague idea of how I was supposed to feel, but it wasn’t exactly a top priority. Gleaned from bits of news I saw and overheard conversations between adults, the impression I got was of some bastion of freedom and goodness in the quagmire of the Middle East.

As I matured, I began to see the grey areas and understand the political undercurrents in any discussion of Israel. I noticed political labels like “conservative” and “liberal” or racial labels like “anti-Semitic” were central parts of any conversation about Israel, usually illogically. It was never discussed as just another country, or even as just an ally of the United States; there was always an uncomfortable undertone to it.

There’s a general opinion among older generations that Israel is “good” and “special” and that we should be unquestioning allies. They point to their position as one of the few democratically elected governments in that area of the world or to the Jewish peoples’ long history of persecution, which culminated in the murder of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. It’s hard to fault these generations for feeling that way.

But in light of the inspiring (naïve?) “post-partisan” tone our new administration espouses, I think it’s time for a more rational discussion of Israel and our relationship with it.

A little back-story: Israel was created after World War II as a home for the Jewish people after thousands of years of being persecuted and shuffled around by world powers. This was orchestrated almost entirely by Western nations. The opinions of the Arab world were mostly ignored during this process, but to say they were displeased with the outcome goes beyond understatement. Multiple political disputes, violent skirmishes and out-and-out wars followed, with Israel usually coming out on top and the Arab world seething with resentment.

The active conflicts that remain are over a couple of disputed territories that each side adamantly refuses to let go. These include the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, among others, and they have been zealously defended since then despite not being originally part of Israel’s given territory. The undercurrent of tense Muslim-Jewish relations further complicates the situation.

Throughout all of this, the West has been almost uncompromising in its solid support for Israel. This hasn’t always been a bad thing, a freely elected democratic state in the Middle East is rare and should be encouraged. Should history, past perceptions and common interests predispose us to prefer Israel over its neighbors? Sounds rational to me. But can we ignore pragmatism and the harsh realities of the state of the Middle East? Not anymore.

The recent fighting in Gaza has garnered a lot of controversy, but not the usual “Not again!” reactions everyone is used to. Reports of abuses on the part of the Israeli army, a growing aversion to compromise and a spike in radical Zionism are all reasons for alarm. Israel’s long quest to intimidate their neighbors has led to anger and resentment in the Arab world, not respect. Their situation, to paraphrase President Barack Obama, is absolutely unsustainable, especially if they maintain their current course.

I don’t mean to incite a racial discussion or imply that Israel is some radical state looking to destroy everything in its path. But we can no longer look at Israel as a perfect surrogate for our interests. This is simply because they are their own sovereign nation in another part of the world. To view them as just another arm of the West is not only harmful to our relations with the Arab world but disrespectful to Israel’s independence. They have their own agenda and we should support them when we agree and condemn them when we do not.

I don’t think Israel or most of its actions are evil. Far from it, actually. The desire to protect your country, especially one with such rich religious history, is perfectly human and understandable. But the United States cannot continue to blindly support them. We have to see the situation as outsiders looking in. This is especially true in the Middle East, which has enough political landmines as it is. Israel may be one of the more sympathetic landmines, and one that we can trust as an ally when push comes to shove, but we must respect their sovereignty as much as our own. Hopefully President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton will take lessons from the past on both what to do and what not to do.