HispanicVista Columnists
The Middle East Solution - a la Mexicana
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By
Sal Osio, JD - From the Publisher's Corner
- August 7, 2006
- The Middle East Solution - a la Mexicana
- By Sal Osio, JD
Israel is caught in an oasis where its people flourish in the arts and sciences, a prosperous society, in the center of developing nations which have so much to gain in a peaceful environment wherein Israel’s high-tech development could spill over into the region. But the opposite is true. Israel’s neighbors still resent the new nation and will not forget that it was forged by displacing the Palestinians who had lived there for so many generations.
Possibly the mistake was in not incorporating Palestine into the new nation state and society. The fear that Israel would be outnumbered and held ‘captive’ in their new nation overruled other alternatives, such as a system of government that would have given Israel veto power, somewhat similar to the Security Council in the United Nations. The sought after solution: The two independent nations ‘solution’, doesn't want to succeed. Therefore, the circle of violence.
Semites are pitted against each other: It’s Hebrew against Arab; Muslim against Muslim …The violence is self consuming and the entire region is literally going to hell. The latest casualty is Lebanon. And who is to blame? Everyone! There are no innocents in this debacle. And, regrettably, history may judge the most culpable of all parties to be the United States. For its failure to exercise leadership. For its indiscriminate support for one of the antagonists. For its arbitrary rejection of the United Nations proposals. For turning its back on its allies.
One would conclude that Jew, Arabs and Muslims are natural enemies. That this ancient hatred and antagonism defy any harmonious solution. But this not so.
In Mexico City, some 1 million Mexicans of Middle Eastern ancestry – Lebanese, Jews and Palestinians – not only live in harmony. They are each other’s best friends. Together they celebrate their respective culture and traditions for their similarity and common origin. They are partners in business. They participate in one another’s baptisms, weddings and funerals. And, aware of the conflagration in the Middle East, they look at each other with embarrassment, empathy and share a common grief.
Can't we replicate the Mexican experience in the Middle East?
Peace and prosperity is the antidote for violence, distrust and hatred. The region needs an economic summit attended by statesmen, not populist hate mongers. The solution is a Middle Eastern Common Market. With its natural resources, technology and labor force the region could become and should be prosperous. And with prosperity peace and harmony would follow.
- To succeed, however, one must keep the United States out. This country can only mess things up, as it has consistently. Israel must not seem to be the alter ego of America. Hebrews must sincerely show their respect for the Arab and the Muslim and treat these societies as equals.
- But here is the catch. The players must leave behind the baggage of their religions. The religious divide is the greater enemy. And, yet, if Mexicans did it, why not Middle Easterners?
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- Sal Osio is the Publisher of HispanicVista (www.hispanicvista.com) Contact at: sposio@aol.com