Israel and Palestine do not represent the entire Middle East
Why did this conflict dominate the term “Middle East”? And why do people who claim to fight for Middle East “peace talks” only refer to Israel/Palestine? Do they not also care about neighboring countries and their devastating, deadly struggles?
Do people not realize that this makes up like 5% of Middle Eastern land?
If peace and security was installed in Israel/Palestine, this does NOT mean that the Middle East will essentially be fixed. In fact it is people’s unawareness and inaction on other issues that will lead us to bigger and graver wars in the future.
I guess Kurds, Baha’is, Arab/Iranian Jews, genocide, sectarianism, gender oppression, slavery, religious extremism, widespread pedophilia, free speech, censorship, civil war, et al, means absolutely nothing to some people who think our region does not go anywhere beyond the Israel/Palestinian conflict.
Here’s a map. If you call yourself an activist for Middle East “peace,” at least pick one country in addition to Israel and Palestine to fight for - otherwise, please refrain from using the term “Middle East” when you mean 2 countries that make up less than 5% of our lands.
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Here, here Esra’a - well said.
I think we are all suffering from fatigue with the very mention of the Palestinian/Israeli dispute. Perhaps the desired effect of intractability suits both parties?
It is high time the plight of the Kurds was brought to the fore especially the very serious and systematic abuses going on in Turkey, Syria and Iran.
Only yesterday I heard that 53 Kurdish mayors in Turkish occupied Kurdistan ahve been convicted of supporting a ‘terrorist organisation’ when all they did was write in support of the beseiged Kurdish sattelite channel, ROJ TV.
It seems Turkey is using every avenue possible to silence the Kurdish voice, and this is not restricted to the territory of Turkey.
I could just marry you.
You are quite correct. And many of these problems correlate to each other. I always supported the Kurdish independence movement as I can relate to them.
However, probably the main reason why the Israeli\Palestinian conflict is on
the first page is because the birth of Israel was probably the biggest event
in the previous century. And both sides fight with a never ending vigor and
passion. Not to mention Palestinians end up running around to other countries
for support, while Israel has the USA. Which is the major contributing factor
to it.
While I believe the Palestinian/Israel conflict is the scapegoat and ace up the sleeve of strategy politicians, always wanting to victimize when it is convenient and rally the masses when it suits them, it is indeed a testimate as well to the political and moral bankruptcy of most [governments] in the region. It is clearly the most watched and documented conflict in the region, if not the World.
Solving it, hypothetically, would remove a huge political tool from the arsenal of regional governments in their relations the west, each other and their own people. How sad.
On the other hand, solving it would be a great start for the rest of the problems in the neighborhood. But, as you say, it is not the only one that needs immediate attention. But, I believe it is one of the most important for the most people. As a Baha’i, my natural tendency is to focus on them. But, our issues in Iran and Egypt are serious and heart breaking, and may escalate arguably very quickly very soon, they are not under such a siege.
What about Iraq?
I agree Esra’a but at the same time we must not neglect or even begin to feel animosity towards the people involved in the conflict just because people will use the conflict as and when they choose, for their own benefit.
We must be able to stand back and examine the entirity of the situation in the whole of the Middle East, there is no doubt. And as Omid so rightly points out many Arab governments would not have a leg to stand on if it wasnt for the continuation of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. In my opinion it is also due to a number of Arab governments that this conflict has not been resolved. The powerful and rich nations like Saudi Arabia could have and still could do a huge amount more, but they do nothing because they like to keep their interests safe.
The fact is Gaddafi was right, there is no such thing as Arab Unity anymore, we are our own worst enemies. And until we are able to promote free thinking throughout this region, there is little hope for peace with ourselves or the rest of the world.
Esra’a, I can understand your frustration with the disproportionate attention given to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Believe me, Israel often wishes that she were not under the microscope so often. So why the interest?
I think that on many levels, this conflict is symbolic of much greater trends, and therefore, it is easier to look at this small symbol, instead of having to worry about the greater whole. And in some cases, as Omid suggests, there is an advantage to some leaders to focus the people’s attention away from internal problems, by diverting their attention to this particular conflict.
Why is this conflict so symbolic? Israel, for example, is very Western, so her conflict with Palestinians represents the conflict between the West and significant parts of the Muslim world. Israel is 80% Jewish, and is supported by many Christians, so you have a symbol of the conflict between the 3 major religions. Israel is quite successful economically, so you have a symbol of the conlict between the developed world and the developing world. Israel is thought of by some as a Western implant in the region, so people there harken back to the days of colonialism.
On many levels, Israel and Palestine are symbolic of deep wounds that are festering thoughout the region. But as Omid also suggests, the solutions to this problem could probably pave the way for solutions to much wider problems in the region. In a way, a peace plan that works here could serve as a model for resolving much larger issues, because a peace plan will require conditions on the ground that would also be symbolic, and that would resonate in the imagination of people throught the greater Middle East, and perhaps throughout the Muslim world.
That is why so much is at stake, when it comes to this small area of the world. I would not shy away from it, but rather embrace it as an opportunity to bring good to the world on a much larger scale.
Murad, If I had a son I wouldn’t let you propose first, but since I don’t have a son, ok.
Since when is Greece, Bulgaria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrghizstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and India part of the Middle East?
Sorry couldn’t resist
I’m sorry, I didn’t know people were too daft to look at the obvious features of a map. I should have found an interactive one that talks.
Seriously, that joke is getting old.
Its correct that Israel and Palestine to no represent the entire middle east.
Its just about the only place where the Arabs haven’t succeeded yet in getting rid of the Jews!
Actually, where I’m from, an Arab-Muslim country, Jews live peacefully and some are even members of the government. The King liked them so much that he once promised to build them a synagogue.
So, save your self-pitying ignorance for your own site, k?
Esra’a you are talking about Bahrain right? I didn’t know all about it. It is a very productive approach, very humane, I wish other countries would also encourage the member of different religions to open their places of worship, and live and worship all over the Middle East
If Bahrain likes Noahides too I am in 
haha 
Hi Elinor, yes I do mean Bahrain… so many people go “sigh, everyone hates the Jews,” when really, there are many Jews in the Gulf who are very prosperous and are also extremely active in society (and politics as well, including government work.) There were even Jews who went to my school, no one had an issue with them, despite the whole school knowing they were Jewish - so where does this bullshit come from? I see no reason to pity them, and people should stop asking us to.
Esra’a dear, its always a good news to hear that. I hope that forums as ME reflect the fact that Middle East is not all what people from outside think of, they tend to think of us worse than what we are
“Its just about the only place where the Arabs haven’t succeeded yet in getting rid of the Jews!”
If they wanted to get rid of Jews, they would have done so in al-Andalus.
Adam Hyman,
The Palestinians have no control of how the media represents them, otherwise the conflict would have been solved a long time ago.
Do Israelis have a disproportionate control of how they are represented in the media? I say yes, otherwise why is it that 99.99…% of US politicians are pro-Israeli? Even local politicians go out of there way to publicly announce their unconditional support for Israel.
Remember on 9/11 when there was a video of Palestinians cheering was shown around the world? In the meanwhile, the fact that there were Israelis who were caught in New Jersey on 9/11, dancing and cheering while filming themselves with the Word Trade Center in the background, was not shown around the world. Any newspaper that reported it was buried in the back pages.
I bet a lot of you are shocked to hear this. See these videos to lean about it.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=575834042418696847
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X63CQ-dXkwU
Religions and its affiliates are respectful, countries as well, I hope in the Middle East that we have Ahead of us, Every One is respected. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Affiliates of Interfaiths, People with no religion at all, they all require respect here in the Middle East
no? 
[…] “peace/security” in the Middle East. And please, go beyond Israel/Palestine, otherwise limit your terminology to just include those two countries (yes, I said that in plural.) Related […]