Enclosed you'll find my May 12, 2011 OpEd.
Follow me @YoramEttinger http://twitter.com/YoramEttinger
You may disseminate and post on Facebook and other networks.
Speaking engagements may be scheduled per list of topics on my website
(http://www.theettingerreport.com(.
Have a pleasant weekend,
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger "Second Thought: US-Israel Initiative,"
Jerusalem, Israel
Israel's Public Diplomacy: it's the Moral High Ground, Pal!
Yoram Ettinger, "Second Thought: US-Israel Initiative"
YnetNews, May 12, 2011
http://bit.ly/mkmOXD
Secretaries of State, Schultz and Baker did not agree with Prime Minister
Shamir's worldview, but they respected his principle-driven tenacity. Upon
concluding a meeting with then Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, George
Mitchell and Bob Dole, the latter told Shamir: "Irrespective of our
disagreement with your policy, we respect you, because you're tough."
The international arena does not respect Israeli prime ministers who seek
popularity rather than respect, transforming Red Lines to Pink Lines, in
order to avoid confrontation. The world does not appreciate prime ministers
who subordinate long-term vision and conviction to short-term diplomatic and
political convenience.
In contrast to the legacy of Prime Ministers Ben Gurion, Eshkol, Golda Meir,
Begin and Shamir, Israel's current public diplomacy reflects frail
conviction, while expressing empathy for claims made by Israel's enemies. It
tolerates simplistic Western assumptions about the Arab-Israeli conflict and
downplays Israel's contribution to the national security of the USA. Israel
has hardly leveraged the current Arab turmoil that underscores the
tenuous/violent nature of Israel's enemies and the inherent obstacles to
intra-Arab peace (let alone to Israel-Arab peace). Israel has failed to
emphasize the uniquely high threshold of security requirements of the Jewish
State in the most dangerous neighborhood in the world and the special role
played by Israel as an outpost of Western democracies and a sole beacon of
democracy.
In contrast with the Arabs who highlight their "rights," Israel highlights
security-requirements, while minimizing well-documented and unique ancient
roots. While Israeli leaders pride themselves on their "pragmatism" and
willingness to distance themselves from historical roots, they, in fact,
undermine Israel's global legitimacy. The Jewish State ignores the lesson of
King Solomon's Trial: He who agrees "to split the difference" forfeits his
rights to everything.
Since 1993, the Jewish State has downplayed its moral high ground, embracing
moral-equivalence. Therefore, it has legitimized the Palestinian Authority
as a supposed partner for peace negotiations, despite Abu Mazen's track
record: establishing Palestinian hate-education, Holocaust denial,
coordinating PLO relations with ruthless Communist regimes, co-planning of
the Munich Massacre, perpetrating subversion in Egypt, Syria, Jordan and
Lebanon and collaborating with Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. Moreover,
Israel has adopted the "Land-for-Peace" state of mind, in spite of the fact
that the conflict has always been over the existence - and not the size - of
the Jewish State. Since 1993, land conceded to the Palestinian Authority
has been transformed into a platform of hate education and terrorism,
fueling the conflict.
The current seismic events in the Arab World beg for an Israeli public
diplomacy offensive. Such events should remove the "Middle East Screen
Saver," exposing the region as the role model of instability,
ethnic-religious-tribal-geographic fragmentation, terrorism, violence as a
norm of settling political disputes, hate culture, one-man one-revolution
regimes, tenuous regimes-accords-alliances, treachery, volatility,
unpredictability and uncertainty. The deeper the uncertainty and the
violence, the higher the Israeli security requirements, the more critical
become the mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights of
Jerusalem and of the 15 miles wide pre-1967 Israel. Israel stands out as the
only stable, reliable, capable, democratic and unconditional ally of the
USA.
The intra-Arab upheaval also removes the "Palestinian Screen Saver,"
revealing the Middle East order of priorities. Hence, the Palestinian issue
is not the root cause of regional turbulence, not the crown-jewel of Arab
policy-making, not the core cause of anti-Western Islamic terrorism and not
the crux of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Regardless, Israel persists in
subordinating its vision, policy, security requirements and public diplomacy
to simplistic misperceptions, which are resoundingly refuted on the Arab
Street in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Syria, etc.
But, like a deer caught in a headlights-look, Israel is glued to the
"Palestinian Screen Saver." On the other hand, Arab leaders shower
Palestinians with rhetoric but not with resources. They do not shed blood on
behalf of the Palestinian issue. Furthermore, they consider the Palestinians
a subversive element, based on PLO violence in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon
and Kuwait. What do Arabs know about the PLO that Israel refuses to share
with the world?!
Israel has refrained from presenting the threat posed - to vital American
and Western interests - by the proposed Palestinian state: death sentence to
the pro-US Hashemite regime; a tailwind to anti-US terrorism in Iraq and
throughout the region; enhanced access by Russia, China, North Korea, and
possibly Iran, to the eastern flank of the Mediterranean; rewarding a regime
which drives Christians out of Bethlehem; an additional anti-US vote at the
UN, and an added fuel to the Middle East inferno.
The late General Alexander Haig, who was the Supreme Commander of NATO and
US Secretary of State defined Israel as "the largest American aircraft
carrier, which does not require a single US soldier, cannot be sunk, most
cost-effective and battle-tested, deployed in a critical area for vital US
economic and national security interests, sparing the US $20BN annually,
which would be required to deploy real aircraft carriers."
Will Israel's public diplomacy leverage the aforementioned significant data,
shifting to a determined, lucid, defiant, politically-incorrect and
principle-driven tactic, or will it persist in its hesitant, ambiguous,
popularity-driven and apologetic tactic, which intensifies pressure and
threats, undermines security, distances itself from peace and brings war
closer?
Follow me @YoramEttinger http://twitter.com/YoramEttinger
You may disseminate and post on Facebook and other networks.
Speaking engagements may be scheduled per list of topics on my website
(http://www.theettingerreport.com(.
Have a pleasant weekend,
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger "Second Thought: US-Israel Initiative,"
Jerusalem, Israel
Israel's Public Diplomacy: it's the Moral High Ground, Pal!
Yoram Ettinger, "Second Thought: US-Israel Initiative"
YnetNews, May 12, 2011
Secretaries of State, Schultz and Baker did not agree with Prime Minister
Shamir's worldview, but they respected his principle-driven tenacity. Upon
concluding a meeting with then Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, George
Mitchell and Bob Dole, the latter told Shamir: "Irrespective of our
disagreement with your policy, we respect you, because you're tough."
The international arena does not respect Israeli prime ministers who seek
popularity rather than respect, transforming Red Lines to Pink Lines, in
order to avoid confrontation. The world does not appreciate prime ministers
who subordinate long-term vision and conviction to short-term diplomatic and
political convenience.
In contrast to the legacy of Prime Ministers Ben Gurion, Eshkol, Golda Meir,
Begin and Shamir, Israel's current public diplomacy reflects frail
conviction, while expressing empathy for claims made by Israel's enemies. It
tolerates simplistic Western assumptions about the Arab-Israeli conflict and
downplays Israel's contribution to the national security of the USA. Israel
has hardly leveraged the current Arab turmoil that underscores the
tenuous/violent nature of Israel's enemies and the inherent obstacles to
intra-Arab peace (let alone to Israel-Arab peace). Israel has failed to
emphasize the uniquely high threshold of security requirements of the Jewish
State in the most dangerous neighborhood in the world and the special role
played by Israel as an outpost of Western democracies and a sole beacon of
democracy.
In contrast with the Arabs who highlight their "rights," Israel highlights
security-requirements, while minimizing well-documented and unique ancient
roots. While Israeli leaders pride themselves on their "pragmatism" and
willingness to distance themselves from historical roots, they, in fact,
undermine Israel's global legitimacy. The Jewish State ignores the lesson of
King Solomon's Trial: He who agrees "to split the difference" forfeits his
rights to everything.
Since 1993, the Jewish State has downplayed its moral high ground, embracing
moral-equivalence. Therefore, it has legitimized the Palestinian Authority
as a supposed partner for peace negotiations, despite Abu Mazen's track
record: establishing Palestinian hate-education, Holocaust denial,
coordinating PLO relations with ruthless Communist regimes, co-planning of
the Munich Massacre, perpetrating subversion in Egypt, Syria, Jordan and
Lebanon and collaborating with Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. Moreover,
Israel has adopted the "Land-for-Peace" state of mind, in spite of the fact
that the conflict has always been over the existence - and not the size - of
the Jewish State. Since 1993, land conceded to the Palestinian Authority
has been transformed into a platform of hate education and terrorism,
fueling the conflict.
The current seismic events in the Arab World beg for an Israeli public
diplomacy offensive. Such events should remove the "Middle East Screen
Saver," exposing the region as the role model of instability,
ethnic-religious-tribal-geographic fragmentation, terrorism, violence as a
norm of settling political disputes, hate culture, one-man one-revolution
regimes, tenuous regimes-accords-alliances, treachery, volatility,
unpredictability and uncertainty. The deeper the uncertainty and the
violence, the higher the Israeli security requirements, the more critical
become the mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights of
Jerusalem and of the 15 miles wide pre-1967 Israel. Israel stands out as the
only stable, reliable, capable, democratic and unconditional ally of the
USA.
The intra-Arab upheaval also removes the "Palestinian Screen Saver,"
revealing the Middle East order of priorities. Hence, the Palestinian issue
is not the root cause of regional turbulence, not the crown-jewel of Arab
policy-making, not the core cause of anti-Western Islamic terrorism and not
the crux of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Regardless, Israel persists in
subordinating its vision, policy, security requirements and public diplomacy
to simplistic misperceptions, which are resoundingly refuted on the Arab
Street in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Syria, etc.
But, like a deer caught in a headlights-look, Israel is glued to the
"Palestinian Screen Saver." On the other hand, Arab leaders shower
Palestinians with rhetoric but not with resources. They do not shed blood on
behalf of the Palestinian issue. Furthermore, they consider the Palestinians
a subversive element, based on PLO violence in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon
and Kuwait. What do Arabs know about the PLO that Israel refuses to share
with the world?!
Israel has refrained from presenting the threat posed - to vital American
and Western interests - by the proposed Palestinian state: death sentence to
the pro-US Hashemite regime; a tailwind to anti-US terrorism in Iraq and
throughout the region; enhanced access by Russia, China, North Korea, and
possibly Iran, to the eastern flank of the Mediterranean; rewarding a regime
which drives Christians out of Bethlehem; an additional anti-US vote at the
UN, and an added fuel to the Middle East inferno.
The late General Alexander Haig, who was the Supreme Commander of NATO and
US Secretary of State defined Israel as "the largest American aircraft
carrier, which does not require a single US soldier, cannot be sunk, most
cost-effective and battle-tested, deployed in a critical area for vital US
economic and national security interests, sparing the US $20BN annually,
which would be required to deploy real aircraft carriers."
Will Israel's public diplomacy leverage the aforementioned significant data,
shifting to a determined, lucid, defiant, politically-incorrect and
principle-driven tactic, or will it persist in its hesitant, ambiguous,
popularity-driven and apologetic tactic, which intensifies pressure and
threats, undermines security, distances itself from peace and brings war
closer?
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