It shouldn’t be news to anyone that the continued tensions between Palestine and Israel have yet to wane. Besides the rivalry of the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, no two countries seem to share the same sort of continued animosity these two countries have shared the past half-century.
Whether it’s the constant attacks, the blatant ignorance of agreed borders or simply refusing to work with each other during peace talks, the conflict simply seems to be a fact of life now.
But even if it weren’t for this constant conflict with Palestine, it seems there will almost always be tensions between Israel and its closest neighbors. This can be seen in the recent deployment of two more warships off the coast of Egypt in response to recent —and believed to be upcoming — raids.
On Aug. 18, militants from Egypt crossed over the Egyptian-Israeli border, resulting in the death of eight Israelis, which sparked more violence in the Gaza Strip. Besides the extra warships, more Israeli troops have been placed along the border in an attempt to stop any future raids.
In response, regional madman and a source of much amusement for me, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent Iran’s 15th Fleet to the area, as well. Under the guise of thwarting pirate attacks, the fleet would “convey the message of peace and friendship to all countries,” according to Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari.
As with most statements that accompany Iranian actions, the sincerity is obviously absent — comically so, given Iran’s previous statements concerning the existence of an Israeli state.
While Ahmadinejad’s views on destroying Israel may be deplorable, it is impossible to deny that some tension in the region stems from the existence of the country. What doesn’t help the situation is our incessant attempts to always keep the country happy and secure.
Given how we helped force the country onto the region following World War II, it’s not entirely unreasonable for us to feel this sort of responsibility.
However, ally or no, the amount we’ve tied ourselves and our foreign policy to Israel is not healthy. Just look at how many anti-American militants cite the U.S.’s support of the country as a reason to fight and plot against Israel.
Of course it’s impossible for us to simply cut all ties with a ally, especially when it’s a major component of their continued security. What has to stop though is how many in the U.S. government are willing to hurt Palestinians to support such a damaging alliance.
For example, the Palestinian Authority recently planned on heading to the U.N. to ask for enhanced membership there. While this wouldn’t end the long-standing conflict, it would give the Palestinians greater support.
In retaliation, we threatened to stop sending aid if the Palestinian Authority really were to go meet the U.N., trying to force them to drop their bid without any sort of concession from the American/Israeli side. This sort of behavior is only helping to antagonize not only Palestine, but also other countries in the region.
And it’s not like Israel hasn’t been doing this on its own already.
Recently, Turkish Prime Minister Racep Tayyip Erdogan suspended all trade, military and defense industry ties with Israel following its refusal to apologize for last summer’s flotilla raid, which killed nine political activists.
As I’ve said before and I’ll continue saying, America’s relationship with Israel is not a healthy one — for us, Palestine, or the Middle East itself.
 
Zachary Davis is a 20-year old history junior from Warsaw, Poland. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_zdavis.
 
______
Contact Zachary Davis at [email protected]