WhatsappDr. Mordechai Kedar argues that the entire paradigm concerning “peace in the Middle East” needs to be shifted. The basic concept that assumes that if the Arab countries and Israel sit down and work out their differences, then there is a chance for peace in the Middle East is based on a fallacy. It is based on the idea that Arabs can live in peace. Dr. Kedar explains that this has not been the case for centuries and it won’t change in our lifetimes either.
One may question Dr. Kedar’s thesis by arguing that the Abraham Accords seemingly brought together some moderate Arab countries with the State of Israel. So, if the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain could sit down and work out their differences with Israel, then why can’t all of the Arab countries? After all, Israel has a peace treaty with Jordan too? But the real answer is twofold. First of all, Egypt also signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, but today certainly does not live in peace with Israel. Egypt simply has too weak of an economy to launch a war against Israel. Meaning, peace treaties between Israel and Arab countries, no matter how much pomp and publicity surrounds them, are not forever. In the best case scenario, they will last one or two generations. In most cases, they will last a few years to a decade.
Moreover, the Arabs don’t really live at peace between themselves. When Israel signs a peace agreement with Jordan, that is based on an agreement with King Hussein. But, King Hussein’s Hashemite kingdom represents a minority that rules over a majority. One day, the minority could very well take over Jordan, and the peace agreement won’t even be worth the paper it is written on. So, Israel must continue to come to more and more agreements with it’s Arab neighbors in order to encourage more and more normalization. But beyond that, nobody should fool themselves and think that true peace in the Middle East is attainable. This sober outlook is what is lacking among many of the left wing peace proponents.
