Myths and Facts
A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict
By Mitchell G. Bard
Review by Anna Gould
"It is only Israelis who are denied their right to
self-defense or see it used as a propaganda weapon
against them."
The Arab-Israeli conflict is marked by heated rhetoric,
propaganda, and continuous violence. With a Palestinian
Authority that spews false information and a complacent
Western press that reports it as fact, it is sometimes
difficult to decipher reality from fiction. Fortunately,
we have a book that offers an objective analysis of the
battle between Israelis and their Islamic Arab
counterparts. Mitchell G. Bard examines the historical,
religious, and political roots of the conflict in Myths
and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict.
Bard, who is the Executive Director of the
American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, is interested in
using the truth as the "best weapon we have against the
purveyors of falsehood." In so doing, he has compiled a
comprehensive and authoritative text on the Arab-Israeli
situation in the Middle East. Among its many topics, the
tome features information on the wars, refugees, the
United Nations, and military issues. If ever there was a
book to turn to for thorough and accurate information on
Israel and her neighbors, this is it.
Myths and Facts has its origin in the Near East Report, a
publication covering Middle East news. Since the 1950s,
the work has expanded and continues to grow as part of
the Jewish Virtual Library. It is updated online as
events unfold. The book's format features a one-sentence
"myth," which is answered by a considerably lengthier
"fact." While it functions well as a reference book,
reading it in its totality provides the reader with a
good look into all aspects of the conflict.
For example, Bard deftly dismisses some Palestinians'
claims of wanting peace, rather than the destruction of
Israel. He writes that after the Jewish state "gave back
much of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and offered
virtually all of the remainder, the Palestinians … chose
violence" in order to have their demands met. The
Palestinian side has a long history of failing to engage
in fruitful negotiations. Even before the 1948 War of
Independence, Palestinian representatives rejected
partition proposals for two independent states. The 1937
Peel Commission would have given the Jewish people a
paltry amount of land, but even this concession was not
sufficient for the Arabs.
This failure to compromise reveals a consistent pattern
in the Palestinians' treatment of Israel. It also
contradicts the idea that the Palestinians are a
victimized, but otherwise peaceful, people. "Because of
the aggression, the Arabs wound up with less territory
than they would have had if they had accepted partition
[after the War of 1948]," Bard writes. In tracing the
events leading up to the War of Independence, the Six-Day
War, and the Yom Kippur War, one element prevails: Arab
aggression.
The key point here is that the Jewish state has fought a
"series of defensive wars," where land is gained and
maintained for national security purposes. Imperialistic
or expansionistic dreams do not exist in Israel;
self-preservation, however, does. Moreover, Bard argues
that it is significant that "Arab countries and
organizations have typically defined terrorism in such a
way that groups attacking Israel are excluded."
Understandably, this makes negotiating a rather
difficult process.
"The Palestinians are not engaged in resistance, but
cold-blooded murder," he writes. "The focus of
Palestinian activism [has been] on the destruction of Israel."
Israelis have commissioned withdrawals and agreements
over the years, which reveals a "willingness to trade
land for peace." Currently, Bard writes, "approximately
93 percent of the territories won in the defensive war
have been given by Israel to its Arab neighbors." But as
most Israeli citizens know, land deals do not make for
peace. During the years of 2000-2002, for example, Arab
terrorists murdered an estimated 430 Israeli civilians.
This is obviously "contrary to Palestinian assertions
that they are fighting a war against armed forces," Bard
writes. It is evident that "no amount of concessions by
Israel has [yet] been sufficient to prompt Arafat [and
the Palestinian Authority] to end the violence."
So why should regular Americans care about the seemingly
ubiquitous violence in the Middle East? Quite simply,
the state of Israel is a friend and the only liberal
democracy in the region. "The U.S.-Israel relationship
is based on the twin pillars of shared values and mutual
interests," Bard says. Our appreciation of "freedom,
democracy, modernity and Judeo-Christian values" unites us.
Furthermore, the two countries "face a common threat from
radical Islamic and ideological groups that want to
destroy them because of what they represent." The
September 11 attacks only reinforced the United States'
ties with Israel.
The Jewish homeland faces a world where "false claim[s]
against Israel will get immediate media attention" and
the next day's corrections are "rarely seen, read or
noticed." It is also a world where news reporters
appease, rather than investigate, Palestinians, while
simultaneously subjecting the Israeli government to undue
scrutiny. Because of this simple fact, it is imperative
that people find access to the unvarnished truth. Myths
and Facts provides readers with excellent insight and
clarity on the Arab-Israeli conflict, and Bard
successfully dispels the propaganda. Indeed, his book
provides a strong defense of the state of Israel, and it
promotes an often-missed component in the debate - the truth.
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