OPINION 5
October 16, 2014
The Myth of Israel’s “Existential Threat”
by Killian Beck News Editor
I
mobile, air-defense system that effectively intercepts enemy missiles. So although Israel deems Hamas a severe threat, it’s clear that any damage they do inflict is marginal, and symptomatic of a much larger issue.
srael has legitimized its recent missile strikes and ground-troop insurgencies in the Gaza strip with what Hamas’ primary grievance is the illegal and is known as its “existential threat” inhumane Israeli settlement policy. The narrative. The narrative has been an statistics support Hamas’s claims. Accordessential component of Israel’s publicing to the Foundation for Middle East Peace, image throughout its relatively short Israeli settlement populations in the palestinhistory and was influential in securian-populated West Bank skyrocketed from ing one of the Middle East’s strongest less than a few thousand people in 1978 to national defences. At its core is Israel’s over 400,000 individuals in 2014. But the belief that the Jewish people’s photo via Creative Commons existence is perpetually threatened by neighboring Arab countries. The narrative was important during its early history as a nation, beginning with the 1948 Arab-Israeli war where Israel gained crucial support from the United States. But, following the 1973 Yom-Kippur War and the 1978 Camp David Accords, Israel’s adversaries had been neutralized, and the formally belligerent Egypt has since become a benign, if not beneficial, counterpart to Israel. It would seem logical, then, that its narrative would no longer be applicable. However, Israel Gaza City Destruction has continued to use it at the expense of campaign didn’t only displace Palestinian stable relationship with Palestine. families, but also created severely inhumane conditions. For instance, the UN reported One of the Zionist (Israel) movement’s 291 instances of Israeli-settler violence primary goals is territorial expansion against Palestinians in 2007, and another in order to sustain its rapidly growing 222 in 2008. Several analysts have even population. Israeli settlement-forces suggested that Israel has had such stringent began their aggressive campaign into policies against Palestine with ethnicPalestinian-designated territory in the cleansing intentions. In light of this trend, it late 1970’s with the hopes of esablishisn’t hard to imagine a disgruntled Palestining a larger, more viable state, even ian state. It doesn’t mean terrorist activities after its national security had been by Hamas are justifiable, but it does mean secured. Israel’s new supposed “threat” that Palestinians view such actions as the is the terrorist organization, Hamas, only possible recourse in the face of Israeli that currently controls Gaza. The organization is an entirely reactionary presence with little to no means to create an actual threat against Israel. The 2014 conflict in Gaza is an excellent example of the relations between Israel and Palestine and the status of Hamas’s threat-level. The conflict began after Hamas fired missiles across the Gazan border in response to Israel’s settlement policies. Israel’s backlash has been vigorous- known as Operation Protective Edge- and has resulted in the death of over 2,200 Gazan civilians. In comparison, only 6 Israeli citizens have died. These disparaging figures are a result of Israel’s infinitely superior defenses. The Iron Dome is Israel’s
dominance. The “threat” to Israel is intrinsically tied to its very actions against Palestinians. The more Israel pushes, the more Palestine will rely on Hamas to push back. The outlook shouldn’t be altogether bleak. Diplomacy can begin to work between Israel and Palestine when Israel’s status as a justified-and even noble-reactionary to terrorism is reevaluated in terms of the actual context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If Israel is held accountable for its illicit settlements in the West Bank, its inhumane treatment of Palestinians currently living in Israel, and its ethnic cleansing intentions, Palestinians will be given the opportunity to reorient their own motives and eventually move toward forming a healthy, democratic state. For many Palestinians, Hamas is the only force that seems to look out for its interests or safety. But, Palestinians won’t need to align themselves with the lesser of two evils when Israel’s heartless conduct is remedied. The United States should reconsider its unfailing support for Israel and acknowledge Palestine’s grievances. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the best way for the U.S. to undermine Hamas is to back the Palestinian struggle and create rules for Israel to follow with explicit consequences. The U.S. should at least publicly condemn Israel’s actions for the sake of a symbolic gesture and to shed moral culpability. When Israel’s “existential threat” propaganda is viewed in a fitting scope, its clear that the only real threat against Israel is paradoxically linked to its own unwarranted conduct.