Arab Spring & The Israeli Enemy from Saudi Navy Commodore (retired)

Abdulateef Al Mulhim is retired from the Royal Saudi Navy at the rank of Commodore and writes regularly for Arab News. He poses interesting questions and a challenge for the Arab world.

Sunday, 7 October 2012 | Dhulka'edah 21, 1433

Arab Spring and the Israeli enemy

ABDULATEEF AL-MULHIM

Saturday 6 October 2012

Last Update 6 October 2012 2:53 am



Thirty-nine years ago, on Oct. 6, 1973, the third major war between the Arabs and Israel broke out. The war lasted only 20 days. The two sides were engaged in two other major wars, in 1948 and 1967.
The 1967 War lasted only six days. But, these three wars were not the only Arab-Israel confrontations. From the period of 1948 and to this day many confrontations have taken place. Some of them were small clashes and many of them were full-scale battles, but there were no major wars apart from the ones mentioned above. The Arab-Israeli conflict is the most complicated conflict the world ever experienced. On the anniversary of the 1973 War between the Arab and the Israelis, many people in the Arab world are beginning to ask many questions about the past, present and the future with regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The questions now are: What was the real cost of these wars to the Arab world and its people. And the harder question that no Arab national wants to ask is: What was the real cost for not recognizing Israel in 1948 and why didn’t the Arab states spend their assets on education, health care and the infrastructures instead of wars? But, the hardest question that no Arab national wants to hear is whether Israel is the real enemy of the Arab world and the Arab people.
I decided to write this article after I saw photos and reports about a starving child in Yemen, a burned ancient Aleppo souk in Syria, the under developed Sinai in Egypt, car bombs in Iraq and the destroyed buildings in Libya. The photos and the reports were shown on the Al-Arabiya network, which is the most watched and respected news outlet in the Middle East.
The common thing among all what I saw is that the destruction and the atrocities are not done by an outside enemy. The starvation, the killings and the destruction in these Arab countries are done by the same hands that are supposed to protect and build the unity of these countries and safeguard the people of these countries. So, the question now is that who is the real enemy of the Arab world?



The Arab world wasted hundreds of billions of dollars and lost tens of thousands of innocent lives fighting Israel, which they considered is their sworn enemy, an enemy whose existence they never recognized. The Arab world has many enemies and Israel should have been at the bottom of the list. The real enemies of the Arab world are corruption, lack of good education, lack of good health care, lack of freedom, lack of respect for the human lives and finally, the Arab world had many dictators who used the Arab-Israeli conflict to suppress their own people.
These dictators’ atrocities against their own people are far worse than all the full-scale Arab-Israeli wars.
In the past, we have talked about why some Israeli soldiers attack and mistreat Palestinians. Also, we saw Israeli planes and tanks attack various Arab countries. But, do these attacks match the current atrocities being committed by some Arab states against their own people?!



.
In Syria, the atrocities are beyond anybody’s imaginations?



And, isn’t the Iraqis are the ones who are destroying their own country?



Wasn’t it Tunisia’s dictator who was able to steal 13 billion dollars from the poor Tunisians?



And how can a child starve in Yemen if their land is the most fertile land in the world?



Why would Iraqi brains leave Iraq in a country that makes 110 billion dollars from oil export?



Why do the Lebanese fail to govern one of the tiniest countries in the world?



And what made the Arab states start sinking into chaos?




On May 14, 1948 the state of Israel was declared. And just one day after that, on May 15, 1948 the Arabs declared war on Israel to get back Palestine. The war ended on March 10, 1949. It lasted for nine months, three weeks and two days. The Arabs lost the war and called this war Nakbah (catastrophic war). The Arabs gained nothing and thousands of Palestinians became refugees.
And on 1967, the Arabs led by Egypt under the rule of Gamal Abdul Nasser, went in war with Israel and lost more Palestinian land and made more Palestinian refugees who are now on the mercy of the countries that host them. The Arabs called this war Naksah (upset).







The Arabs never admitted defeat in both wars and the Palestinian cause got more complicated.







And now, with the never ending Arab Spring, the Arab world has no time for the Palestinians refugees or Palestinian cause, because many Arabs are refugees themselves and under constant attacks from their own forces. Syrians are leaving their own country, not because of the Israeli planes dropping bombs on them. It is the Syrian Air Force which is dropping the bombs. And now, Iraqi Arab Muslims, most intelligent brains, are leaving Iraq for the West. In Yemen, the world’s saddest human tragedy play is being written by the Yemenis. In Egypt, the people in Sinai are forgotten.




Finally, if many of the Arab states are in such disarray, then what happened to the Arabs’ sworn enemy (Israel)?




Israel now has the most advanced research facilities, top universities and advanced infrastructure. Many Arabs don’t know that the life expectancy of the Palestinians living in Israel is far longer than many Arab states and they enjoy far better political and social freedom than many of their Arab brothers. Even the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip enjoy more political and social rights than some places in the Arab World.



Wasn’t one of the judges who sent a former Israeli president to jail is an Israeli-Palestinian?!
The Arab Spring showed the world that the Palestinians are happier and in better situation than their Arab brothers who fought to liberate them from the Israelis. Now, it is time to stop the hatred and wars and start to create better living conditions for the future Arab generations.

— This article is exclusive to Arab News

I notice that the Commodore also identifies the Palestinians, Egyptians, Syrians, etc., as Arab Nationals, why? He also identifies the fact that the Palestinians are a political problem, maybe the hatred for Israel is blinding Arab judgement? Seems their was never really a palestinin people until they needed to create one!

The guy raises some valid questions, but he leaves a lot of stuff out. Most of the countries he is talking about did not construct their own situations. Palestine was controlled by the British who handed it to the Jews. Saudi gets all its money from USA from sale of oil as does many of the smaller countries in that area. Iraq bought western weapons to control it's people. Tunisia and Egypt had puppet masters paid for by USA. Even Iran was controlled by the west for a long time. The current conflict in Syria is questionable and has west stamped all over it.

I don't think this guy is right to blame ordinary Arabs for the situation they find themselves in. The west has taken advantage of sectarian tensions to divide and conquer these people and in my view it is the USA and by association Israel that is their enemy.

reply to post by bigyin


I don't disagree with you on most points, except that if they stopped the hatred of Israel and decided to live and let live, then maybe they would be better off? I think the problem is their own Arab leaders and poisoning peoples mind to keep the people dumbed down, actually I think that the Commodore is spot on!

If everyone stopped hating on all sides, they could sit down together and work out their problems, but its the leaders in general and those that work behind the scenes for the corporates! Because the Arabs have been so extreme, it causes the Israeli's to elect extreme leaders like Sharon and Netanyahu! Change the leaders (on all sides) to more sensible people and the problems could all hopefully be resolved to everyones satisfaction, via compensations and peace!

Your usual Saudi pig, probably wrote this article from his multi million mansion, the moron overlooked the fact that Saudi Arabia; one of the richest Arab countries spends billions of dollars on weapons annually instead of aiding any of the African or Asian nations.

He overlooked the fact that Afghanistan was on its way to becoming a modern society up until the Saudis and CIA created the Taliban to face the Soviets

Afghanistan 1960s/1970s

He overlooked the fact that Iraq was a regional power right before Saudi Arabia supported it and funded it to start a brutal 8 year war with Iran, only to turn its back at the end and demand its money back

He overlooked the fact that his country was the cause for the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait due to the reason above.

He overlooked the fact that his country allowed USA military access to destroy Iraq, not once but twice!

He overlooked the fact that the Rich GCC has refused Yemens request to join the organization for aid and support only because they do not share the same agenda, while Morocco(not even a gulf country) is allowed to join.

He overlooked that fact that the Saudis are supporting the destruction of Syria by dumping huge amount of cash on the terrorist rebel forces

He overlooked the fact, that out of all major Arab countries, Saudi Arabia has not condemned nor attempted to pressure Israel to stop its aggression, Instead they are joining up with Israel to face off the Iranians

He overlooked the fact that Saudi Arabia spends millions on expanding its wahabi ideology to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Egypt; supporting the WAHABI/SALAFI movement in such countries, supporting the killing of minorities and Shi'a Muslims, roadside bombs and suicide attacks, supporting Shariah that was never known to Islam before they came to be. And then he turns around and blame the Iraqis for the Saudis wrongdoings

what a silly deluded man

reply to post by Hongkongphooey


Thanks for the post.

It was enlightening to hear it, more so from an honest muslim and a man whom had served his nation faithfully for years. It is nothing but the truth.

May more true muslims stand up courageously like him and tell it like it is, without fear or favor, unlike others whom takes comfort in blissful ignorances or just plain wilful sidetracking and misdirection of blame elsewhere or upon anyone else where blame should rightfully fall upon themselves.

If true muslims refuses to acknowledge the truth, allowed themselves to be hoodwinked by greedy manipulative others, Islam will fail the way the Caliphate had been destroyed absolutely and totally by Allah in His mercy for honest muslims and the world.