"ISRAEL AND THE MUSLIM WORLD REVOLUTIONS: AN OPPORTUNITY OR A DEADLY RISK?"
What will happen to Israel, which geographically speaking finds itself in the middle of the incredible revolutionary wave overtaking North Africa and the Middle East? Is it an opportunity or a risk for the only democracy in the area? What are the potential consequences for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and who will be Europe and America’s new counterparts in the new geo-political situations?
These are the main questions that interested the conference "Israel and the Muslim world revolutions: an opportunity or a deadly risk?". Promoted by SUMMIT association, chaired by Fiamma Nirenstein, journalist and vicepresident of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Italian Parliament, with the support of the World Jewish Congress, it was held on Monday March 21 in the Conference Hall of the Chamber of Deputies. Over 200 people took part in four hours of conferences divided up into 3 sessions.
Here you can hear the conference (in Italian and English, as the speeches have been delivered):
http://www.radioradicale.it/scheda/323801/israele-di-fronte-alla-rivoluzione-dei-paesi-musulmani-speranza-o-pericolo
LOOK AT THE PHOTOS:
Amidst hopes and concerns, with Europe split in two over the war and the humanitarian emergency in Libya, many analysts and politicians, Italian and international alike, compared notes in an attempt to provide some answers to these questions.
With his speech given during the first panel, “A future of peace or a prospect of war”, Under-Secretary for Defence Guido Crosetto underscored the fact that, for once, the Jewish State is not considered the epicentre of events in the Middle East, and that the new panorama taking shape on the southernmost coast of the Mediterranean is emblematic of the short-sightedness of a West which until now has been unable to take in what is happening. The same panel also saw contributions from Robin Shepherd, Director General of International Affairs of the London based think-tank Henry Jackson Society, who spoke of the international community’s obsession with Israel (this also being the subject of his successful book “A state beyond the pale: Europe's problem with Israel”), an obression that has totally distorted its policies on the Middle East; journalist Carlo Panella, who stressed the problematic management of the Obama administration, that completely misread the situation, starting with the President’ speech to the Islamic world in Cairo in 2009; and finally the Algerian sociologist Khaled Fouad Allam, according to whom we are witnessing the “end of an era” in the history of the Arab world. Allam stated that in the Islamic world there is a demand for democracy, but not as we in the West understand it. We will witness the normalization of Muslim parties in the coming months: religious parties are joining forces with the old guard or with the army, according to a Turkish model. We can see it happening in Tunisia, as well as in Egypt with the return of Ghannouchi and Al Qaradawi from exile, and even in Yemen, where the Muslim Brothers are gaining ground. “I can understand Netanyahu regretting for Mubarak’s overthrow, because he was his interface with the Arab world” Allam added, “now there is no certainty anymore and the next 10-20 years are going to be very hard for everyone as we’ll face directly with Islamic radicalism”.
In the second panel, “Possible consequences for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”, the moderator Stefano Folli, columnist for Il Sole 24 Ore, immediately highlighted the fact that “Israel is not a protagonist, but a careful spectator” of the situation that is turning the Arab world on its head. According to Pinhas Inbari, senior consultant on Middle East affairs to the World Jewish Congress, the new situations in the Middle East have thrown the leadership of Abu Mazen into turmoil, as well as the role of Fatah in the PNA in general. Fatah and the PLO are part of the old Middle Eastern guard which is falling apart, peace by peace, and this might prove to be their fate too. In this situation only Hamas would win out, particularly if the Muslim Brothers have a position of power in the new Egypt. If the Rafah crossing separating Egypt from Gaza is opened, as indeed appears will be the case, we might well witness a radical Islamic drift that could lead Hamas and the Muslim Brothers to join forces and create a regional Caliphate.
These viewpoints are shared by Mario Sechi, Editor of Il Tempo daily, who in his speech stressed the fact that Italy, which has 8,000 km of coastline immersed in the Mediterranean Sea, must play an active role in what is occurring. “We need to export freedom, not democracy, because democracy is the method and freedom is the value”, added Sechi, who blew the whistle on the American government responsible, amongst other things, of interrupting funding for the Iranian opposition.
Fiamma Nirenstein, Vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, stated that one of the reasons for the deadlock between Palestinians and Israelis is the unfriendly relationship between the USA and their long-time ally in the area, Israel. The height of these negative relations was confirmed by President Obama who, after his official visit to Egypt in 2009 and the openings towards the Muslim world in his famous speech delivered in Cairo, returned home without having paid tribute to the Jewish State as well. “What we need to guarantee peace is a proper epistemological revolution, because the issue facing us is purely a cognitive one: it is necessary to understand that the question of the Arab world is the Arab world– stated Nirenstein – and not Israel, as has been affirmed for ages”. The last thing one can say is that Mohamed Bouaziz, the young Tunisian who set fire to himself, triggering the tidal wave of revolution, was thinking of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The West, by placing this issue at the heart of the matter, has failed in its analysis.
Nirenstein went on to underline the fact that the conspiracy theories against the Jews have also gained ground in these revolutions, unlike what is being claimed. Shouts of “Jew” were aimed at Gaddafi, and Mubarak was painted in the city squares with the star of David on his forehead. It is necessary to stop inciting hatred against Jews if we are to see any hopes of peace. The West must concentrate on this goal. “The Israeli-Palestinian question is relevant in this sense” Nirenstein added “for years it has constituted the dream palace where the Arab leaderships have closed their peoples inside, fomenting their hatred against Israel to stop them focusing on more important points: the demand for freedom and democracy”. Therefore, Nirenstein announced "an open letter to the new governments formed after the revolutions to take a stance against these theories, and against incitement to anti-Israeli hatred ".
In the third and last panel, “Europe and the US: searching for new balances”, the focus shifted to recent events involving the world in Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya.
Yossi Kuperwasser, Director General of Israel’s Ministry for Strategic Affairs, welcomed the resoluteness of the West in taking the situation in hand to stop Gaddafi’s attacks on the civilian population. But, he asked himself, where was the international community in June 2009, when demonstrators were being killed by the regime in the streets of Teheran? “The fate of the Middle East will chiefly be decided by how the Iranian threat is handled” Kuperwasser sustains. “Iran wants to change the world order, and the only real way to avoid this happening is to stop burying our heads in the sand, and actually prevent it from doing so”.
Margherita Boniver, President of the Schengen Committee and Special Envoy for the Minister of Foreign Affairs for humanitarian emergencies, on the other hand, expressed scepticism and concern over a military operation "conducted by four or five nations, with the selfishly-motivated blessing of the Arab league”. According to Boniver "the fact that diplomatic avenues were not completely explored was not a great idea and this should make us reflect on how the EU handled the situation randomly", particularly because "Italy’s position puts it most at risk".
The final remarks were addressed by opposition MP Gianni Vernetti, Marta Dassù, Director of international relations at the Aspen Institute Italy and Pierluigi Battista, columnist for Il Corriere della Sera. They all agreed on the inevitability of the military operation, stating that now the battle has commenced, it is necessary to see it through without hesitations, which will lead to nothing good.