In an interview with the Swiss weekly Die Weltwoche, Al-Jazeera editor-in-chief Ahmed Sheikh answers questions relating to the Arab mindset. "Heumann: Can you please explain to me what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to do with these problems? Sheikh: The Palestinian cause is central for Arab thinking. Heumann: In the end, is it a matter of feelings of self-esteem? Sheikh: Exactly. Itâs because we always lose to Israel. It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million. That hurts our collective ego. The Palestinian problem is in the genes of every Arab. The Westâs problem is that it does not understand this."* *from National Review online
"That hurts our collective ego." I guess the solution to their hurt feelings is to destroy Israel, as Iran's president has threatened numerous times.
Perhaps it's the less than collective suffering the Arab people endure while a select few enjoy the oil spoils. Should the untold wealth be spread around a little more, the "unwashed masses" might have less reason to hate their neighbors.
I have a handful of Arab friends and they all seem cheerful and confident. No self-esteem problems there. I even yelled at them "How could you be so happy with yourself when 7 million Israelis are kicking your ass???" He smiled and jumped into his Bentley, looked at his special edition Rolex and said he had to hurry as his private jet was waiting for him to fly he and his daughter to Paris to buy a dress for a friends party for New Year's and that he had to run to the bank and cash his weekly oil royalty check for 6 figures. He just does not get it!
i have an idea for an experiment. lets reverse the US contributions in the middle east. lets start giving the palestinians 10 billion a yr in aid and military assistance. and cut israel off.... i wonder if that would change anything? Hmmmmmmm ... lets just try it for lets say 3 decades in order to really give this a fair chance.
If we give the 10 billion/yr to the palestinians, we should also give the several hundred billion/yr of oil revenues to the israelis.
Sounds like the Palestinians are receiving plenty of aid. Maybe that's why they want the conflict to continue. By The Associated Press | February 1, 2006 The Palestinian Authority is heavily dependent on foreign assistance. 2005 BUDGET:Total: $1.96 billion. FOREIGN AID:Total: $1.1 billion European Union: $295 million United States: $234 million etc...... http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/02/01/palestinian_aid_at_a_glance/