Sixty terrible years

By Salama A Salama

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While Israel celebrated 60 years since its creation, rolling out the red carpet for international dignitaries -- the likes of Bush, Sarkozy and Merkel -- who come to show support, the Palestinians were mulling over the memory of their loss, some of them now living in darkness after Israel cut off their fuel supply. Meanwhile, Arab countries were busy with the usual squabbles, their scene from Iraq to Lebanon and from Sudan to Yemen being one of bloodshed and despair.

Over the past few decades, Israel grew bigger, carving off nearly 80 per cent of Palestinian land, along with the Golan. Having acquired nuclear arms as well as the latest defence and offence systems, Israel bullied the Arabs non-stop, while getting the world to equate resistance with terror -- a view now shared by many Arab countries.

I am not interested in the success story of Israel. Suffice it to say that its success has been the outcome of collective efforts in which major countries, especially the US, played a prominent role. What interests me is to gauge the extent of change that happened in Egypt and the Arab world as a result of Israel's creation. Once Israel, a foreign and cancerous body, was implanted in the region, a new dynamic emerged, one that exhausted the Arabs and stunted their political, social and economic growth.

Egypt, and most Arab countries, underwent three phases of change as they reacted to Israel's presence. The first phase, lasting from 1948 to 1967, was a phase of examining the reasons for the 1948 defeat and trying to figure a way of rolling back Israel's triumphant march. This phase culminated following the 1967 defeat, when the Khartoum summit formulated its famous "three no's" (no peace, no recognition and no negotiation), calling for Israel's full and unconditional withdrawal from the occupied territories.

The second phase was one in which the Arabs concluded that standing up to Israel required not only military power but also knowledge, science and solidarity. This phase culminated in the 1973 War, which ended in a partial victory. The Arabs felt good about their military achievement, but instead of rallying together, they went their separate ways. A phase of concessions, revisions and partial solutions started, during which Israel managed to divide the Arabs by demanding separate peace deals.

It was during this phase that US intentions began to take shape. Washington wanted Israel to serve as its policeman in the region and as a guarantor of its Pax Americana. With president El-Sadat's visit to Jerusalem and the subsequent signing of the Camp David Accords, the rules of the game changed yet again. No more were Arabs adamant that "what was taken by force can only be restored by force." From then on, everyone agreed that the 1973 War was the last such war.

The third stage is one in which the Arabs narrowed their options further while Israel kept all its options open, cajoling, bullying and turning UN resolutions on their head. With the US seemingly replacing the UN as judge and jury in the region, we've had the roadmap and the Quartet -- a pathetic response to the Arabs' enduring wish for peace. The Palestinian problem, meanwhile, remains without a solution, despite Bush's promise of two states and assurances made in Annapolis.

Israel has succeeded in dividing us. It is buying Egyptian gas at a subsidised price and has signed trade deals with Egypt, Jordan and other countries while its policies remain as belligerent as ever. In short, our policies of the last 60 years have failed. Now our only hope is for a new generation to rise up and do things differently.