A Problematic Arab Worldview

"For Many Abroad, An Ideal Renewed"
A1, Wednesday 11/5/08
By Ethan Bronner

The picture - from Japan - and the location – Gaza – do not match and the article is only, in part, about Gaza.

Writing of the "benighted Palestinian coastal strip," creates the impression that Gaza is under siege, unfairly. That the siege has been largely self-inflicted through intransigence and violence is not given its fair due.

Bronner gives voice to Arab victimology quoting Fathi Abdel Hamid of Cairo. Hamid subscribes to the unreal notion that W engaged in a war on Arabs. "Since Bush came to power it's all bam, bam, bam on the Arabs," he asserts.

Fortunately, Bronner fairly reports on Israel's concerns about an Obama presidency and the concerns of some Europeans:

1. "There are others who fear that Mr. Obama will be soft in a hard-edged world where what is required is a clear line in the sand to fanatics, aggressors and bullies. Israelis worry that he will talk to Iran rather than stop it from developing nuclear weapons."

2 "An Obama presidency, they say, risks appeasement. It will 'reassure Europeans of their defects,' lamented Giuliano Ferrara, editor of the Italian right-wing daily Il Foglio."

Bronner, however, does not vet comments of quoted Arabs, which reveal a conspiratorial and frequently anti-Semitic worldview. That worldview seems to underpin their dual commitment to pessimism and violence. Hamas parliament member Huda Naim's statement - "We will be optimistic for two months but that's it" – is emblematic of the first part of that duality.

Greater evidence of this pessimism is that many Arabs think that "Mr. Obama will not carry out their wishes regarding American policy toward Israel and much else, and so they shrug off the results as ultimately making little difference."

Of course, this last statement feeds the view that the US favors Israel over the Arab states, which is oversimplified. Americans who believe this will advocate for weakening ties with Israel in order to improve relations with Arab states.

Nawara Negm, an Egyptian writer and blogger, characterizes Obama as obsequious toward Israel. She says, "He went to bow down to the Israelis." One can reasonably assume that Negm only understands American actions through the deranged paradigm that Israel dominates the US.