Recently I watched three analysts on American TV saying that Israel is only eight miles wide in some places. They were discussing the risks involved in its withdrawing to its borders as they existed prior to the 1967 war.
President George W. Bush voiced the same thing when he said that Israel, only eight miles wide, could not be blamed for adopting measures to guarantee its own security. This kind of analysis is apparently one of the ways used by the supporters of Israel in their propaganda war in which Arabs have won not a single battle or skirmish.
On American TV there is no one to present the argument that the issue at hand is not the width of Israel but the need to end the illegitimate occupation of Palestinian lands. If the aim is to link the size of a country to its security, the borders of every country in the region will have to be redrawn. If that is the case, will Israel offer some of its land in the north to Lebanon since Israel is twice the size of Lebanon?
What is important in the current situation is to be able to explain the Arab viewpoint to the US public as well as to the decision-makers. This is possible only by securing the most space — and using it correctly — in leading US newspapers and on US TV. The Americans supposedly enjoy unlimited freedom of expression though their media is dominated by journalists and investors who are too narrow-minded to tolerate the faintest criticism of Israel.
The Israelis are well-aware how vital it is to concentrate their efforts on the American media and politicians even if it means ignoring the rest of the world. The Arabs unfortunately waste most of their time and energy on such countries as Britain, France, Germany, Russia and particularly Belgium. Their efforts in the US are much less than what is required.
While the Israelis strive to win the total sympathy of the decision-makers in the government and public opinion in the United States, the Arab world is proud and pleased with public demonstrations in support of the Palestinians in Ukraine and Ecuador. But nobody seems to ask the most important question: What is the use of these demonstrations and emotional outbursts if they fail to produce the required results?
It is high time that Arab politicians understood the importance of applying pressure on a single key point. All the demonstrations, the wide media coverage and the pictures of weeping women give the Arabs the mistaken idea that the world is with them and that nothing more needs to be done to win sympathy and support for the Palestinian cause. At the same time, the vital thing is to keep the United States with the Arabs. The combined support of Britain, France and Belgium for the Arabs does not equal even the backing of a single state within the United States.
This is why I admire the efforts of Arab Americans such as James Zogby. For the past two decades, he and others have been striving to establish organizations for mobilizing American public opinion. They have had some remarkable successes despite the enormous challenges they face.
If the Arabs are serious about winning their war, they should work hard with all their money and time.
