East and West Palestine Ariel Natan Pasko 28 April 2003
Was that East and West Pakistan?
If a Palestinian state is born, East and West Palestine will suffer a similar end. Or, do they intend to carve up Israel to gain territorial contiguity? Will we be reduced to a Northern and Southern Kingdom? Will Tel-Aviv and the Galilee - formerly the coastal and northern parts of Israel - become disconnected from the Negev, the newly formed Southern State?
Whatever they tell you, know this: states collapse, countries or areas of a country merge with other states, and some ethic groups go extinct in time. East and West Palestine is just such a creature. It will be still-born at best, on long-term international life-support. But that won´t save it from the fate of East and West Pakistan.
So, even if an illegitimate child-state is born, expect it´s early demise.
Why, you might ask? For starters, because there never was an independent Palestinian Arab State or identity. The closest thing they have to an independent identity is hatred of Jews and Israel, and the desire for statehood. If they achieved statehood and actually lived peaceably with Israel, the whole purpose to their existence would end. History abhors a vacuum and the so-called ´Palestinian identity´ will probably be subsumed in a greater Arab or Muslim identity. Beyond this, Jewish identity is stronger. Simply put, Israeliness not withstanding, Jewish identity, the connection to our ancient and modern homeland, will prevail over a sick child-state and its international doctor-backers. You know, I feel that the ´Quartet´ - the United States, EU, UN and Russia - is about to play the role of Dr. Kevorkian (the suicide doctor). They´re about to help the ´Palestinians´ commit national suicide.
Why is this child-state doomed? Because it won´t be a democracy. My proof: Ask yourself, will Jews living in towns in Yesha - the West Bank and Gaza - be allowed to stay and be equal Palestinian citizens - including voting rights and rights to be elected to parliament, as Israeli Arabs can be in Israel? No, they´re talking about ethnic cleansing, making ´Palestine´ Judenrein. And a state born in such sin will never redeem itself. Who dreams otherwise? Shimon Peres? Yossi Beilin? The others who brought you the Oslo War? East and West Palestine will be a Terror State, and its eventual end will gladden the hearts of millions around the world.
If born, this moral-AIDS-ridden Terror State won´t be a democracy. Lacking democracy, freedom, and real control over their own lives, Arabs will continue to suffer deprivations at the hands of their ´leaders´ and be used to attack Israel. Because it won´t integrate the different elements of Arab society into an organic whole, they will never overcome their deeper inner contradictions. As long as they have an external enemy, the Jews, they might hold off the internal feud, but for how long?
East and West Palestine won´t last because they aren´t the same societies.
Gaza is medieval, insular, Islamic, poverty stricken, overcrowded and in plain language - ´a hell hole´. It has no culture beyond terrorism, and no chance of commerce or serious relations with Egypt, its neighbor to the west. Cut off from Israel, who got tired of being attacked by them, with whom will they interact, the Bedouin of the Sinai? The ´West Bank´ by contrast is more cosmopolitan. Although overwhelmingly Muslim, there are a significant minority of Christians. It has the potential to be more secular, more democratic, and more tolerant. Trade and cultural relations with Jordan exist and will continue to flourish. East and West Palestine will suffer from uneven development. If the child-state is born, and democracy does ´rear its ugly head´, with its tolerance, pluralism, and Western movies, music, and bars, you can count on the Ayatollahs and sheikhs of Gaza to rant and rave against ´the infidels´ in East Palestine.
For those of you who don´t remember, East and West Pakistan fought a bloody civil war in 1971, and the outcome was Bangladesh, an independent state. Although both parts of Pakistan were Muslim - the only reason for its separation from India in 1947 in the first place - cultural and ethnic differences led to serious animosity between the two sides.
Developmental inequality is what pushed the final button. East Pakistan was an economic basket case (as it continues to be today). ´Blessed´ by being at the convergence point of several natural phenomena, the southern third of East Pakistan/Bangladesh sits on the mouth of the Ganges River, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. Never short of water, they regularly suffer from floods from the Ganges overflow and yearly monsoons (hurricanes). A former International Relations professor of mine - originally from Thailand - once commented that Bangladesh is situated in one of the harshest inhabited areas of the world. "Why would people want to live there?" He asked. "It would do the international community good to simply move the entire population out of there. It would save a lot of lives, money, and time in disaster relief efforts."
East Pakistan - the more populous area - for years complained that they weren´t getting their fair share of central government budgets. After a period of military rule, in December 1970, the East Pakistani Awami League won absolute control over the newly formed parliament. With the Awami League set to control the government and demanding autonomy for East Pakistan in a federated state, General Yahya - junta leader from West Pakistan - chose to disband the assembly and invaded the East. Civil war broke out and after a half a million Bengalis (East Pakistanis) were massacred, India invaded to establish order. Ultimately, India recognized Bangladeshi independence, and so did the international community.
Is that the prognosis for East and West Palestine? Is a civil war or societal degeneration in the offing for the unborn child-state? Or would a partial birth abortion better serve the international community?
East and West Palestine is an experiment doomed to failure from the start. Like my former professor´s advice about Bangladesh, I suggest about East and West Palestine that "It would do the international community good to simply move the entire population out of there. It would save a lot of lives, money, and time..."
Few things in life are certain, but these two are worth betting on: first, that East and West Palestine won´t survive if born; and second, that the territorial integrity of the land of Israel will. The Jewish people didn´t survive 2,000 years of dispersal and persecution just to return to their homeland and then give it away to 7th Century Arab imperialists. ------------------------------------------------- Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master´s Degree in International Relations & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites, in newspapers, and can be read at http://www.geocities.com/ariel_natan_pasko.
