What do you do if you are an Arab leader under attack for corruption? What do you do if you need support from the Arab street? Blame Israel. Accuse those against you of being part of a Zionist conspiracy. Find a Jew behind every tree. On Tuesday, President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen told students at Sanaa University that Israel is financing and plotting the protests in Yemen and other Arab countries: “The wave of political unrest sweeping across the Arab world is a conspiracy that serves Israel and the Zionists.” He even suggested that there is a room in Tel Aviv where Zionist conspirators are hatching plots against his 32 year dictatorial reign. Not to be outdone, Amr Moussa launched his campaign for the presidency of Egypt on Wednesday by claiming: I’ve read that Israel is currently trying to maneuver between the political forces (in Egypt) in a bid to thwart my candidacy. . . I don’t think the national political forces will cooperate with Israel to block the candidacy of an Egyptian citizen.”
You have to ask yourself why the Arab masses eat up these presposterous claims. As I have written in previous blogs, the obvious answer is that the average Arab is incapable of critical thought and has been indoctrinated in hatred of Israel. Come to think of it, there is not much difference between the average Arab, the average member of ’peace’ groups in the West, and the average member of BDS organizations around the world.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.