Abdullah: Best of the Worst with Same Old Song

03/02/07

You never know what is going on behind closed doors in the Middle East despite the English version we often get spoon fed in the media. We've all become hip to the Arafat; count on the language barrier, say one thing to the West in English and something else to the Arabs in Arabic. It managed to work a long time since most of the West was really concerned about making money and enjoying prosperity the rest of the planet can only dream of. Of course 9-11 changed our degree of concern and awareness, at least for a while.

Jordanian King Abdullah II has always appeared to be the most reasonable, level-headed and sincere of the iron-fisted, ruthless, exceptionally wealthy Arab dictators when dealing with the West. Perhaps he has to because as one of the regions weakest rulers, his might be the first kingdom to fall if things get too out of hand. Like I said, who knows? I rarely get an opportunity to read what he says in his Al Jazeera interviews and I haven't been invited to one of his palaces for a twelve course dinner in a while.

When the King makes comments like the ones printed below, we all know it is part of a chess match, a royal agenda. To say the entire Middle East hornet's nest is the result of the Israeli/Palestinian crisis is absurd. This is not a bad sign because it signals that the region's royal hierchy knows they have serious problems and their best way to stay in power is to appear to be sincerely addressing "the Israeli Issue."

Their problem is that the Israeli crisis has nothing to do with the Sunni's and the Shites. It has nothing to do with the repercussions of non-secular countries with thirteenth century philosophy's waking up and discovering their subjects are really pissed off with third world life. It has everything to do with no employment opportunities, but the availability of tons of finger pointing mosques. It has everything to do with the decades old practice of self-serving governments diffusing blame from their gluttony and deflecting rage to the Palestinian crisis, which they have kept in perpetual limbo as a trump card for that exact purpose.

To once again say that Israel must return to prewar borders (which war?), giving up lands it captured after being attacked, exposing itself to even greater potential harm to achieve a peace no nation will guarantee, when lunatics like Iran's president publically call for it's extermination, is asking Israel to risk self-destruction.

We have seen this game time and time again. I hope Abdullah and the rest of his contemporaries in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and company have a bigger vision with a shot at working. I believe they are seriously scared, realize they have created a monstrous series of problems that they are now being forced to face and will try to deal with them. I simply hope they have developed greater perspective in how to compromise.

Abdullah: US must influence Israel
By ASSOCIATED PRESS AMMAN, Jordan


Jordan's King Abdullah II said Friday that Israel must choose between the mentality of "Israel the fortress" or "living in peace and security with its neighbors."

Interviewed on state television before his departure for the United States, the king said the United States was the country most capable of influencing Israel. "It is time that the [US] employ this influence to prove its transparency to the people of the region, and that it is not biased," Abdullah said.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894559202&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull