Mideast Impasse: Is There a Way Out?

...In addition, it has memories of a defeat which needs to be avenged, both for its own sake and for the sake of the junta's prestige...

...The Nasser junta found its chance when the more flexible Russian policy sought for allies among many frustrated political forces of the world rather than in Communist parties alone...

...But, meanwhile, the Arab world was angry and accused the world of dumping its unsolved problems of a dispersed minority upon the doorstep of the Middle East...

...Long before the Second World War, the soil conservation expert Professor Lowdermilk outlined such a program as the only possible solution for the problems of the region...

...One can be critical of the whole venture only if one is blind to the humane considerations which made the state possible and necessary...

...He gave statistics to show how the pastoral and agrarian economy of the Arab nations had deteriorated since the historic times when great civilizations were supported in these same regions...

...They have since been rotting away in refugee camps...

...The victory was made possible partly by the disciplined action of the fighting forces of the new state and partly by the corruption in the military and political leadership of the Arab forces, particularly those of Egypt...

...By Reinhold Niebuhr The cease-fire arranged through the skilful diplomacy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjold, has eased the tension in the Middle East to the relief of everyone, including America and Russia, both of whom seem to lack a clear line of policy and both of whom seem afraid that the tension in that region might lead to a universal war...

...The world is right in regarding the influence of Jews in our political life as partly responsible for our favorable attitude and our quick recognition of the new state...

...We could also discharge a debt to the Arab world for having dumped an unsolved problem of European civilization on its doorstep...

...We pride ourselves on our initiative and spirit of enterprise...

...But above all the project might avoid a tragic war, which under present conditions seems almost unavoidable...

...But the difficulties of an official venture, either by our nation or by the United Nations, could evidently not be overcome...

...The Arab nations have been either unwilling or unable to absorb them...

...No other nation in the history of the world has ever had such a unique beginning and support...

...The drama began with the creation of the Jewish state of Israel...

...Perhaps the Administration felt that we had gone too far in the support of Israel, that we had needlessly alienated the Arab world, which was the more regrettable since that world was rich in strategically vital oil...

...Perhaps, if one wants to give a cynical interpretation, the Administration was influenced by the fact that there are more Jews in the Democratic than in the Republican party, though it must be observed that many Jews are not favorable to a pro-Israel policy...

...It also accepted the insecure Jews of the Arab world and fused the technically efficient Jews of European civilization with Jews from such culturally backward nations as Yemen...

...The refugees have since become one of the causes of tension in the region and of a critical attitude toward the new state of Israel...

...The state was established by action of the United Nations, and undoubtedly the influence of America was very effective in this action...

...In the course of the battles, the Arabs either fled or were driven out...

...The new state absolved itself of responsibility for them...

...The most dramatic consequence of this frustration was the revolution in Egypt which threw out the corrupt King Farouk and established a military junta of young officers in the seats of power...

...It created orange groves in the desert, and organized industries which could supply the markets of industrially backward nations...

...There is, in short, no hope of real peace in the area, even if the present uneasy peace is made more secure by a bargain on arms between us and the Russians...

...At any rate, the cease-fire will not assure a lasting peace if either the arms to Egypt do not cease to flow or the arms which we allow Britain and France to sell to Israel are not increased...

...It was also frustrated by the corruption in the military leadership, which made the Israeli victory possible...

...The arms deal with the Czechs was therefore an inevitable bargain, and it changed the whole picture of the Middle East...

...The question one must raise is whether the frequently discussed plans for a technical and economic rehabilitation of the whole region, involving both water-power development and soil-conservation programs, should not be put into effect in order to involve now hostile nations in a great mutual program for the whole area...

...But the new state had to fight for its life: It owes its existence primarily to the resounding defeat which it administered to the Arab forces, though seriously out-numbered by them...

...The only hope lies in a daring enterprise which will lift the economy of the whole area and relate the nations to each other in a common concern for their natural resources...

...The cease-fire has not, however, solved any of the basic issues in the Middle East or obscured the tragic drama which lies behind those tensions...

...Israel was threatened with the prospect of being pushed into the sea...

...The Egyptians now had their prospect of revenge, and the whole world was threatened with a new war...

...The junta is relatively honest, but its reforms have not been as revolutionary or consistent as its promises...

...The new state, having won its "right" to existence, proceeded not only to throw its gates open to the harassed Jews of the world but also to build an economy which would support them...

...It made itself a haven for the victims of Nazism and for the homeless Jews of Europe...

...The natural question is why we were so hesitant to offer Israel comparable arms to restore the balance...

...Perhaps we thought that it was dangerous to aggravate an arms race...

...It now seems that the only hope is for some semiofficial or private organization to undertake the task...

...If unofficial American foundations or other agencies could lift the standards of the Middle East, we might discharge our debt to Israel for a brave venture in nationhood, which gave a haven to the hard-pressed people who had escaped Hitler's concentration camps and which is a bastion of Western democracy in a decadent region where everything else seems in decay...

...There is not now sufficient initiative in these nations to arrest the decay of their economy and their culture...

...Such a project has been frequently rumored...

...Of course, in such a situation the natural enmity between Arab and Jew is aggravated not only by the fear of Jewish political expansion but also by the fear of economic competition with a technically efficient Israel...

...One does not have to be a Zionist to appreciate the improbable achievement of the organization of this state...

...The new state was established on territory on which Arabs and Jews had lived together for centuries...

...The present imbalance is too great for an assured peace of long duration...

...It did this with remarkable ingenuity, but the achievement would have been impossible without the phenomenally generous support of world Jewry, and particularly the Jews of America, who provided the capital investments not only for the enterprises but also for hospitals, schools and social-welfare institutions...

...The junta, therefore, needs military success to maintain its prestige...

...The struggle was a dramatic encounter of David and Goliath...