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jimreed, April 17, 2008

Most of the books about The Middle East - those published in America at least, are brimful of hackneyed phrases and irrelevant detail about all the mistakes that have been made in the past They tell about how the Palestinians are always "missing opportunities" and praise the "painful concessions" Israel has offered.

Few if any - other than those by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter -offer a realistic picture of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Carter was labelled an anti-Semite for his efforts. In fact that label is applied to most people who criticise Israel or question how that country behaves.

James Baker III, George H.W. Bush's Secretary of State is disliked by most American Jews because of his hard-nosed approach to negotiations. Baker developed a reputation for not caving in to the usual American sentimentality around issues concerning Israel. Like Carter, Baker was always a realist.

Now, a Jewish author has come along, who takes a tougher stance than any American politician ever has. But if the pro-Israeli lobby dislikes his work enough he will also be labelled - not as anti-Semitic; Jews who are out of favour with the pro-Israel lobby get called "Self-Haters"...a category the famed American linguist Noam Chomsky finds himself in.

So Mr. Miller's book is a refreshing change of approach from a man who is a genuine Mideast specialist. He tosses out many of the myths American politicians have about Israel. He argues that George W. Bushsh will be no more successful at bringing peace, than were previous U.S. Presidents. The problem Miller points out, is they have all approached the problem in the same way, have offered nothing new and invariably portray Israel as "the good guy".

Miller doesn't spare American policy-makers either. He says, for example, that "the United States has given Israel too much leeway and failed to push it to live up to commitments and make painful choices".

This is, of course, the central problem with the vast majority of North American writing about Palestinians and Israelis. Americans and Canadians have a great deal more sympathy for Israel because our Jewish populations in both countries are almost always pro-Israel; they are also keen participants in our democratic insitutions and their electoral support is important to any political candidate's chances of success. That means accepting everything that Israeli authorities say and do, even if it's patently wrong.

Mr. Miller says that what Israel needs is a strong dose of "tough love" and American officials must resist American Jewish pressure to give in always to Israeli demands.

Here is his advice for the next American president contemplating Palestinian-Israeli diplomacy: “If you’re not prepared to reassure the locals while cracking heads as needed (and both will be needed), don’t bother.”

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