October 14, 2023
For Israel, Failures Never Learned and Lessons for Today
By
Alexander G. Markovsky
As prominent Zionist Max Nordau once observed, “Logic is a Greek art, and Jews can’t tolerate it. The Jew learns not by way of reason but from catastrophes.” Although the circumstances have changed greatly since those words were written, Max Nordau’s wisdom as applied to Israel has not changed.
In 1947, Arab countries rejected a UN plan to partition the British mandate in Palestine into two states. Armed with British weaponry and guided by British officers, Arabs were convinced they could claim the entire territory by military triumph. If not for comrade Stalin, who supplied the Jews with
weapons via Czechoslovakia and dispatched hundreds of seasoned Soviet officers and generals of Jewish heritage to Palestine, all of whom played a pivotal role in the formation, organization, and leadership of the Israeli army, including the air force, Israel would not exist....
....Fortunately, Hamas’ time has passed, and a new era, characterized by political, economic, and philosophical transformation, has dawned in the Middle East. Donald Trump’s ABRAHAM Accord ushered in a fundamental change in the relations between Arab nations and Israel.
The dynamics have shifted: it’s no longer a binary conflict between Arabs and Jews. Instead, it has evolved into a coalition of Sunni Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, aligning with Israel to counter the existential threat of nuclear Shia Iran. As a result, the focus has diverged away from Palestinian rights to fostering cooperation against the common peril. In this new landscape, the Palestinian issue has become an obstacle to the emerging reality.
Against this background, the latest attack by Hamas’s barbaric savages should be viewed as the last desperate attempt to remain relevant. Indeed, there were no calls by the Saudis and other Sunni states for an immediate ceasefire, no threats of oil embargo, and no customary condemnation of Israel. (Admittedly, Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman issued a statement
supporting the Palestinians, although it was weak sauce lip service compared to what once might have been.) The rest of the world is preoccupied with other problems....
