CKNW Editorial
for September 18, 2001

Last week I called for the United States to put pressure on the parties in the Israel-"Palestine" area to settle. I especially referred to the question of Israel settlement in the disputed lands. This editorial has brought me a number of rebukes from people whom I take to be Jewish including from one lady who has me in favour of having Israel pushed back into the Mediterranean.

I want to make something very clear. Israel is a state, it was set up and is recognized by the United Nations, it's right to exist must not only be accepted but defended.

I also recognize that the number of issues, side issues and sub issues making up the history and currency of the present debate are virtually limitless. There is plenty of material for both sides and anyone else that wants to get involved to argue until the cows come home. Having said all that, I believe that the Israeli settlements in disputed territories are wrong, they are provocative in the extreme and are a political sop to the religious right who, because of Israel's political system, wield a disproportionate share of power. Removing these settlements would by no
means remove all the issues but it would be a step, if taken, that would force Mr Arafat to reach a deal or risk the serious disapproval of all whom he relies upon for support.

What is interesting to me is that while these views bring eternal damnation upon my poor shoulders by many Jewish listeners they are in fact the views of a great many Israelis ... the doves for want of a better word.

What I really wanted to talk about this morning is the terrible pickle the Americans find themselves in in the Middle East. And it's scarcely a new problem for them. As one of my guests said yesterday the Americans have never been very good dealing with forces of reform in dictatorial countries.

They are facing the prospect of keeping a Middle East alliance together when in many cases the regimes whose support they demand are highly unpopular ... and they have, often, oppositions which, because of US support of the governments, are bitterly anti American.

The Egyptian government is sitting on a powder keg with the impoverished masses itching for a chance to get rid of them. Saudi Arabia, America's staunchest ally outside of Israel, is a malevolent dictatorship run by a self styled Royal family that even had the nerve to name the country after itself. Jordan is perhaps the most stable country in the area but one could hardly use that term to describe Syria and Lebanon. Iraq is a sworn enemy and may well be a major part of the problem while Iran is the only country where there is a serious pro American opposition in existence.

I believe this speaks to two issues.

First, as I said last week, the United States must make an even greater effort to solve the Israel/Palestinian problem.
Second, it must find a way to secure the support of Islam governments in the region without, on the one hand badly de-stabilyzing them and on the other hand turning the opposition in these countries into enemies like Iran was in
1979 when the Shah was overthrown.

It's a hell of a balancing act and one for which the United States throughout Latin America and the Middle East has shown absolutely no talent.

This raises a third and very important issue. The United States has to be very careful not to let this look like, let alone become, a religious war. The moment it looks like the West v Islam - a war, which has gone on in one form or another for centuries - they're done for. In order to be careful, the Americans must constantly say the right things which isn't going to be easy when free speech is their hallmark. There are too many Jerry Falwells, Pat Robertsons and Pat Buchanans around and if three of the world's great religions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity move from sub issues to a  major one, look out!

So far President Bush has done well. But as political support soars, the temptation to turn up the rhetoric soars as well. There was a time that rhetoric didn't count for much - now that CNN has changed the world of communications those days are gone forever.

Interesting - and very dangerous times ahead.