The hostage deal negotiations are not what most people think.
“Random Thought Thursday” is a new feature we are experimenting with, a cluster of topics that are incredibly interesting but do not necessarily warrant an entire essay, each on their own.
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In this episode:
Let’s stop telling Israelis how to live their lives.
“This is Israel’s Vietnam War.” — No, no it is not. Not at all.
Why the West might be appeasing Iran
The hostage deal negotiations are not what most people think.
The psychology of “anti-Israel activists” and “anti-Zionist Jews”
You can also listen to the podcast version of this essay on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
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I have noticed that more and more people feel compelled to “tell Israel what to do” (and what not to do) — yet most of these people have never lived in Israel.
Hence, a lot of these folks are simply projecting their own “stuff” (i.e. fears, insecurities, illusions) onto Israel (and even the Jewish People).
The majority of us, myself included, project in one way or another; it is pretty normal human psychology. However, most of us are not aware of it. And that is where it can become baseless, misguided, and even dangerous.
My recommendation for those feeling so compelled to have so many strong opinions about Israel is simple: Israelis do not go around the world telling people how to live their lives, so you should not either.
And, just as you would want people in other countries to give your country the respect that you and your fellow citizens know what is best for your country, Israelis should be given this same respect, as should Americans, Canadians, Europeans, Mexicans, Brazilians, Japanese, Australians, and so forth.
I am not suggesting that people should refrain from having opinions about other countries; opinions are totally fine. But then have an opinion about every country doing “bad things” and every country to which your government is giving money and/or other resources — not just Israel.
Otherwise, you are holding Israel to a double standard, which is effectively a form of Jew hatred and/or antisemitism.
The latest (laughable) comparison in the current Israel-Hamas escapade is that “This is Israel’s Vietnam War.”
I am not going to dismantle this unbelievably intellectually lazy comparison, but I will say this: Let’s stop trying to compare everything to everything.
Yes, I know, it is psychologically and emotionally more convenient to levy comparisons to past events because it gives us peace of mind since we know how these past events commenced, unfolded, and concluded.
The other option is to accept that each event is unique in and of itself, and therefore the happenings taking place as we speak, no less the possible outcomes, are ultimately unknowns, which many people do not find pleasure in contemplating.
But comparisons are a fatal flaw, no less sloppy and manipulative. Susie Linfield, a social and cultural theorist at New York University, recently described it best:
“The problem with all analogies: They are almost always inaccurate; they almost immediately collapse on close (or even cursory) inspection; they are an evasion of specific, which is to say of political, thinking; they are lazy; and they are an attempt to shock [people] through provocation rather than trying to convince [them] through reasoned argument.”1
I have been wondering why the Democrats and Europeans are such appeasers of the Islamic Republic of Iran, one of the most oppressive regimes on this planet.
I think that I found an answer: Countries in economic turmoil tend to start wars, if they reasonably can, and Iran is well-positioned to start a war (not to be confused with winning a war).
Let’s recall: The sanctions that many countries put on Iran were working; they crippled the Iranian economy. My feeling is that Iran said to these countries, most notably the United States, that if you do not ease some of these sanctions, we will start a war in the Middle East (and possibly elsewhere).
Going back to U.S. President Barack Obama, his whole platform was (understandably) anti-war — since he succeeded the George W. Bush administrations that landed the U.S. in two dismal Middle Eastern wars. The last thing that Obama, many U.S. citizens, and other Westerners wanted was another war in the Middle East. I imagine the Biden administration is not much different.
What’s more, many Middle Eastern countries, like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, also generally oppose war, because they are run by “house of cards” governments that military conflicts would immediately destabilize. And Iran could easily threaten the entire Middle East’s airspace and shipping lanes, which would have serious effects on global commerce.
Still, it seems inevitable that the West will have to militarily confront Iran and its allies, and ultimately pursue regime change there (which is what the vast majority of Iranians want), or the Iranian regime will continue to bully its way through the Middle East and North Africa, which is consequential for every Western ally in the region — and ultimately the West.
The hostage deal negotiations are not what most people think: a table at which Israel and Hamas are joined by mediators.
There is a bigger, regional power play here, perhaps between the West-backed Saudis versus the Iranian and Qatari regimes, both of which support Hamas. It seems like the West-backed Saudis are trying to wrangle away control of the Palestinians from Iran and Qatar, whereas the latter two countries are trying to keep Hamas in power in Gaza.
If you are unfamiliar with Palestinian history, this is nothing new. For decades “the Palestinians” have been pawns in other countries’ geopolitical games. In this latest episode, here is how it might play out:
By “taking responsibility” for the Palestinians, the Saudis get a U.S. defense pact that they are desperate to finalize.
By keeping Hamas in power in Gaza, the Iranians and Qataris keep their masterplan of regional hegemony intact, and perhaps other socioeconomic aims.
Where does this land Israel? I am not totally sure, but I would not trust the Americans. They have deserted so many allies in the region before, and whatever the Biden administration is trying to pull off right now is simply for electoral points in time for the U.S. presidential election this November.
More specifically, Biden is trying to one-up Donald Trump by showing American voters that he did more in the Middle East than Trump did with the Abraham Accords. However it shakes out, let’s remember: Everything is political, cynical, and self-interested (including from the Israeli side).
People keep getting psychologically and emotionally flustered by these “anti-Israel” folks and “anti-Zionist Jews.” Really, though, the psychology here is pretty simple:
Some of these people are outcasts in the societies in which they live, and they are taking out their frustrations and/or insecurities out on Israel, an easy target — because it is easier (i.e. less psychologically and emotionally painful) to project outside than it is to look inside.
Some of these people are finding “community” in these demonstrations and that feels good to them, especially if they otherwise have a significant void of “community” in their lives.
Some of these people are anti-White (i.e. racist) and consider the Jews to be “White” and part of the “White oppressor class.” And yes, White people can be “anti-White” by being brainwashed into developing deep yet often unsubstantiated shame.
Some of these people belong to minority groups that have not been nearly as “successful” as the Jews, on the whole, have been. Hence, they are jealous.
Some of these people are antisemites and Jew-haters. And yes, Jews can be antisemites and Jew-haters. There is plenty of literature about this, some of which I included in this essay about self-hating (or self-loathing) Jews.
Most of the “anti-Israel” crowd’s hypocrisies, lack of logic and reason, ignorance, and pure stupidity can be explained by at least one of the bullet points above. Hence, it is unproductive to get flustered by them, or to even engage in meaningful conversation with them. Their own “stuff” is the problem, not Israel and certainly not the Jews.
I keep hearing people compare Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dictators like Vladimir Putin. Just because you do not like two politicians does not mean that they are the same or can be logically categorized together.
You can say a lot of things about Netanyahu, and I have, but he is not a dictator. He has always been democratically elected, even by narrow margins, but guess what? That is how democracy works sometimes. If we want to champion democracy, we have to live with its outcomes, even when they trigger, perturb, or depress us.
I generally find that many people outside of Israel, especially but not only many Jews in the Diaspora, have no clue about real-life Israel, real-life Israeli politics, real-life Middle Eastern geopolitics, and the real-life Israeli electorate (what makes them tick, how they prioritize voting issues, and so forth).
Of course, there are many types of Israelis, many types of Israeli voters, and many political parties in Israel. It is hard to follow everything and everyone, but it is not so hard to say: “You know what, I don’t need to have an opinion about everything.”
“From the River to the Sea.” Salmagundi.
A number of my good friends who more liberal than am I, have strong negative reactions about the P.M. My answer is simple if aggravating. I suggest that if they feel that strongly about changing the government in Israel, perhaps they should make aliyah, become a citizen of Israel, and then work and vote to replace him.
Thanks for a thought provoking set of themes, Joshua. This American outsider follows and supports Israel no matter how it goes.