When I was in 8th grade, I very much enjoyed playing Connect Four with my younger sister, Sydney. I had a strong penchant for the game, and she did not. Whereas Sydney did not have much experience with Connect Four, I grew up playing it, sometimes for hours on end. I never let her win, not even once. In retrospect, my insistence on domination stemmed from some lack of self-esteem or compensation for a perceived flaw. I would like to connect my petulant Connect Four playing to the way that Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu handles relations with his counterpart, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
For the record, I am a staunch supporter of Israel. After spending six months there last semester, I realized that I have three homes in this world: Chicago, Madison and Jerusalem. Two weeks ago, when Hamas launched over 1,500 rockets into Israel, my attention was undividedly focused on Israeli news. I felt as if my home was under siege.
Israel is one of the most advanced countries in the world. What the Jewish state has done in sixty-four years of existence is nothing short of astounding—from harboring a handful of the world’s top universities, to winning countless Nobel prizes, to advancing human and civil rights, to impeccably defending itself in a region where a plethora countries are perpetually hostile and aggressive towards it, all while maintaining its position as the only nation in the region with a negligible supply of oil.
In contrast, Palestine is not an advanced country. In fact, until last week it was not even recognized as a country. It is still not a full member of the United Nations and will not be until it sits down to bilateral negotiations with Israel, but it has now been recognized by 138 countries of the world as its own sovereign state. Unlike Israel, which offers many opportunities for success and development, most of Palestine is quite destitute. Granted, certain parts are not, and many there do enjoy very nice lives, but in comparison to Israel it is by no means a wealthy country.
When the UN extended Palestine “non-member observer state” status, Palestine garnered a rare and largely symbolic win. In effect, the victory does not amount to much, but it was something that Palestine could take pride in. Moreover, it was good for Israel because it lent President Abbas strength in relation to Hamas, the terrorist group that reigns over the Gaza Strip. Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah party have anything but a healthy relationship, as President Abbas recognizes Israel’s legitimacy whereas Hamas is dead set on obliterating the Jewish state.
But after the symbolic Palestinian win, Prime Minister Netanyahu reacted harshly to Palestine’s successful bid and advanced the proliferation of a settlement connecting Jerusalem to a nearby neighborhood, Ma’ale Adumin, effectively severing a contiguous state of Palestine in the West Bank.
This move is the equivalent of my sister strategically giving me a run for my money in a single game of Connect Four, and me offering a draconian response, quickly silencing her and forcing her to play another thousand games with me in which she will never win. When I read articles pertaining to the development of these settlements, my thoughts quickly shift to my new nickname for the Israeli premier: “Bibi the Baby.”
In Netanyahu’s defense, President Abbas was excessively vitriolic towards Israel throughout his motion at the UN, offering myriad unfounded and lowbrow criticisms. Abbas is not exempt from acting maturely either; they both act like children. But it is Bibi Netanyahu who should be setting the example. Bibi is supposed to be the wise older brother who is confident in his abilities and knows his strengths, for he and his country have many of them. He should let the younger sister enjoy a single win.
Above all, he should recognize that severing the contiguity of the West Bank will also sever prospects of a two-state solution. Last week, I wrote that this solution was a distinct possibility under the progressiveness of the Obama administration, but I suppose I failed to realize that it may not be under the immaturity of the Netanyahu administration.
Zac is a senior majoring in philosophy and communications. Interested in the Israel-Palestine conflict? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
