Why They Hate Us, Really

NY Times ^ | 4/21/04 | Walter Russell Mead

[NormsRevenge]

For the last five weeks I have been traveling through the Middle East, meeting diplomats, officials, policy experts, military leaders, students and ordinary citizens. I learned something very important: the greatest single cause of anti-Americanism in the Middle East today is not the war in Iraq; more surprisingly, it is not even American support for Israel, per se. Rather, it is a widespread belief that the United States simply does not care about the rights or needs of the Palestinian people.

"The Palestinian issue is really what discredits the United States throughout the region," a senior Western diplomat with years of experience in the Middle East told me. Or, as one student after another put it after the university lectures I conducted across the region: "Why do Americans have to be so biased?"

In Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and other countries, the large majority of people I spoke with are ready to tolerate the Jewish state — most even understand that the final boundaries of Israel will include some of the heavily settled areas beyond the pre-1967 borders. They also understand that few if any Palestinians will return to the homes they lost after the war that erupted when Israel declared its independence in 1948. And they are prepared to accept, though not to relish, America's close relations with Israel. Beyond that, they want increased American support for their domestic political reforms and for initiatives to enhance regional cooperation for economic growth and fighting terrorism.

But one thing sticks in their craw: Why doesn't America care more about the Palestinians' future?

They have a point. America's Middle East policy is unnecessarily zero-sum. We can be more pro-Palestinian without being less pro-Israeli. Indeed, to the degree that American policies help create support for compromise among Palestinians, pro-Palestinian initiatives can help Israel too.

Take compensation. United Nations resolutions call for financial compensation for Palestinians who cannot return to their family homes in Israel. Israel's position that it cannot accept millions of refugees and their descendants is reasonable enough, and the Bush administration's support of it is nothing new. But we should be equally clear about compensation.

Many questions need answering: where can Palestinians go to have their claims for lost property adjudicated and certified? What tribunal will hear these claims? What principles will guide its deliberations? Where will the money come from to pay the claims when peace is finally made?

The United States can and should take the lead in building an international consensus on the compensation issue and, working with allies in Europe and elsewhere, help raise money to ensure that it is more than a pious wish.

There is more we can do. Millions of Palestinians are now stateless. (Jordan has integrated the refugees within its borders; other countries have not.) When peace comes, all Palestinians should be citizens of some state with full economic and social rights. The new Palestinian state will need financial help to absorb many of these refugees; and neighboring states who agree to integrate Palestinians should also receive international aid.

In addition, while many Palestinians are well educated, many others are poor and lack skills. They depend on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for basic services and support. Who takes the agency's place when peace comes and the Palestinians aren't refugees anymore?

Taking the lead on these and other issues vital to the Palestinians would not bring quick progress toward peace in the region, nor would it undo overnight the consequences of decades of suspicion and resentment. But it would help to reduce anti-Americanism in the Muslim world and beyond, as well as to advance the cause of peace.

Walter Russell Mead is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of "Power, Terror, Peace and War: America's Grand Strategy in a World at Risk."

[NormsRevenge]

Maybe the Palestinians should ask why their own leaders hate them and use them as so much canon fodder and keep all the US aid and monies intended for them, from them?

[Mr. Mojo]

it is a widespread belief that the United States simply does not care about the rights or needs of the Palestinian people.

Absolute nonsense. That excuse is a convenient cover for the real one -- insane envy.

[Clintonfatigued]

Interesting article. The biggest problem is that most Palestinians will accept nothing less than having all of Israel for themselves and genocide against the Israeli people.

[T'wit]

This airhead thinks that by talking to a few people on his own, he can diagnose all the problems that have bedeviled a troubled region for centuries.

Liberals are like that.

That's why they're so funny :-)

[CaptainK]

I nominate this as the stupidest article that I have read on FR in a long time.
The Palestinians were catered to by Clinton and then threw it back in his face.
The US doesn't care about them? Please.

[cardinal4]

But one thing sticks in their craw: Why doesn't America care more about the Palestinians' future?

Uhh..It cant be the savage dedication to the butchery of Israelis, could it? Perhaps it is Americas aversion to Yasser Arafat? Or maybe, their continued support of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. But Ill bet its the celebrations in the streets of gaza and the west bank aftr the murder of close to 3000 of our citizens.

[JeeperFreeper]

Another Times article that misses the point and utterly avoids the 800 pound gorilla in the living room. Golda Meir was right when she said there would be peace when the Palis love their children more than they hate Jews.

[darkwing104]

"Why do Americans have to be so biased?"

Parading in the streets after 9/11, Advocating and killing Americans, and threating us with terrorist attacks...Now you wonder why we are biased"

[TaxPayer2000]

I don't care why they hate us, really

[Spok]

For the Palestinians to believe we support them would require us to side against Israel, and support suicide bombings. There is not a cause on earth that justifies the random, deliberate slaughter of innocent civilians. Even My Lai was more defensible than how the Palestinians choose to wage their struggle.

[MJY1288]

"Why doesn't America care more about the Palestinians' future?"

Because their leaders are Ef'n Terrorists, who target the innocent..... That's why!

[WorkingClassFilth]

America doesn't care about the Palestinians? Oh, boo-hoo.

What a crock. The excuses for the cruelty and barbarism of these animals is endless. If we pressure Israel to lay off the PLO or PLA, then we don't go far enough. If we don't care enough about their plight and increase the ante, then we are indifferent to their culture. If we cater to their culture, we don't care about their needs or poverty. If we try to be sensitive to their needs and invite them to the big table, then we are guilty of being infidels and tools of Satan.

There is no winning in a game where your opponents are allowed to change the rules at their discretion.

[stubernx98]

If the 1 billion Arabs are so concerned about the Palestinians, why did they throw them out of their countries? What did the Arabs do to help the Palestinians other than to send them explosives and money to blow themselves up with. The Western Democracies have some more to support the Palestinians than the Arabs.

Bottom line is that the article is a bunch of hooey(what's hooey?). The answer is we're winners and they are losers(have been for 600 years since they started following Me. M).

[Dr. Frank fan]

Rather, it is a widespread belief that the United States simply does not care about the rights or needs of the Palestinian people.

That's a cop-out because Arabs don't give any more of a damn about "the Palestinian people" than the US does. They're just a convenient mascot to point to and rally behind, our supposed "not caring" about them making us a convenient scapegoat for nervous Arab autocrats jealous to retain power.

Everything Mead suggests in this article would be entirely reasonable if not for the fact that (1) nearby Arab governments don't want a damn thing to do with integrating more Palestinians into their societies, and (2) a still-too-high fraction of Palestinians are extremized to the point where they will accept no solution without "right of return". We could do everything Mead suggests but until these two factors change the conflict will remain.

And we'll get the blame.

[Paul_B]

> But one thing sticks in their craw: Why doesn't America care more about the Palestinians' future?

> They have a point.

No they don't. It's all about the Pal's unwillingness to grow up and their propensitiy to blame everyone else for their problems. And that, in turn, is rooted in their miserable excuse for a religion.

[MrBambaLaMamba]

Who cares, they're barbarians.

End terrorism, kill terrorists.

[Old Grumpy]

Envy and jealousy are why they and other terrorists have it in for us. They would give anything for their country to be like the U.S.

[DuncanWaring]

...the United States simply does not care about the rights or needs of the Palestinian people.

Why should we?

Even Yassar Arafat doesn't care about their rights or needs.

[Eva]

This author is either irrational or stupid. The US has bent over backwards, donated a ton of money and brokered all kinds of peace initiatives for the Palestinians. In return, they murder civilians, spend our money on weapons and extravagant life style for Arafat and break every peace pact that has ever been made. As far as I am concerned, Palestine should be wiped off the face of the map, not Israel.

[Damagro]

The author is right, I don't care about "their" rights.They have the right, I suppose, to commit suicide with a bomb. They don't , however, have the right to murder innocents in the process.