Samson Blinded: a Machiavellian Perspective on the Middle East Conflict

chapters

Theory

Cruel measures are sometimes the kindest
Machiavelli: goodness and cruelty
Realism, not superficial morality
No easy way out for Israel
Israel must create a credible threat, act brutally
Arab mentality and discontent
Peaceful relations with Arabs are possible for Israel
The other Arabs do not care about the Palestinians
Arab countries have no reason to make peace with Israel
Israeli territory is not worth lives, but Israel has no choice
Israel should restrict democracy
No inherent right to a state, no inviolable state
No historical right to Israel or Palestine
The feasibility of Israel' conquering the Arab states Making Arabs agree to peace with Israel

Objectives of Peace

Israel does not need peace with Arabs
Israel can sustain neither modern war nor a credible threat
An end of belligerence is imperative
The creation of a Palestinian state would not bring Israel peace
No Palestinian state without a pan-Islamic peace agreement with Israel

Israel should not vacillate

Israeli vacillation provokes Muslims
Israeli vacillation is costly
Piecemeal compromises blur Israeli objectives
The fallacy of Israel's minor concessions to Arabs
Israel must abandon half-measures
Delaying the solution makes the Israeli-Arab conflict chronic and harder to cure
Does Israel want economic and social progress in Arab countries?
Israel must determine war strategy and adhere to it

Determine Israeli Territorial Objectives

What area do the Israelis want?
Why does Israel need the Palestinian territories?
The possibility of Israel' ceding the Palestinian territories
Returning the Palestinian territories might not lead to normalizing Arab-Israeli relations
Israeli perceptions of Arab nationalism are exaggerated
Annexation of Arab lands will not necessarily impede Israeli-Arab peace
A culturally attractive Israel could annex the Palestinian territories more easily
Israel as Middle Eastern empire
Israel should conquer only militarily weak, economically viable Muslim states
Israel may annex foreign land
Israel can win tolerance of foreigners to annexation
Annexation tactics in Palestine, expansion from a security belt
Israeli threat of expansion would bring peace

Proper War Strategy for Israel

Hiring foreign infantry for Israel Defense Forces
Harsh measures, not limited victory against Israel's Arab enemies
Israel must use chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons
Israel should not let Iran build Chemical Biological Nuclear weapons
Humane war is costly and ineffective
Israel must abandon the pretense of humane war with Arabs
Israel cannot count on deterring Arabs
Israel can use large Israel Defense Forces for conquests in the Middle East and Africa
Force Arab disarmament and turn Arab states into Israeli protectorates
Minimize the involvement of Israel Defense Forces infantry in the Middle East conflict
Non-military harassment of Israel's Islamic enemies
Cruelty to Arab prisoners in Israel
Israel miscalculated the Sinai treaty
Israeli ideological warfare against hostile Muslims

Counteracting terrorist warfare against Israel

Islamic terrorism is a war like any other
Islamic terrorists justifiably target Israeli civilians
Jews have historically engaged in terrorism
Palestinian terrorists should be respected as warriors
Attack anti-Israeli Islamic terrorist bases
Attack Muslim governments and civilians who support Islamic terrorists
Attack Arab countries in response to Islamic terrorist acts against Israel
Israel should retaliate against Muslim civilians for Islamic terrorist attacks
Destroy Arab oil infrastructure in retaliation for Islamic terrorism
Harsh actions are less painful
Strike the Muslim population to quash Islamic terrorists
Define acceptable cruelty for anti-Israeli acts formally
Persecute the families of Palestinian terrorists
Israel lost Lebanon and Russia - Afghanistan because of restraint toward civilians
Destroy the Islamic terrorists' support base among Muslimsv Abandon formalities; rely on preemption against anti-Israeli Palestinian terrorists
Collective liability for terrorism
Israel may act by stealth against Islamic terrorists
Get the Arabs to fight for the Israeli objective of counterterrorism
Acceding to Palestinian terrorist demands does not lead to Arab-Israeli peace
Formal Arab-Israeli peace might not end Islamic terrorism
Israel should not negotiate with Islamic terrorists
Political negotiations by Israel with Islamic terrorist groups are possible
Terrorism's future is bright
Riot control on Israeli-controlled Palestinian territories
Israel must avoid urban combat with Islamic terrorists
Practical counter-terror measures
Influence of counterterrorism on freedom in Israel
Israel must deal with WMD terrorism reasonably

Israeli-Arab Policy

The clash of Jewish European and Arab mentalities
A peaceful solution to Israeli-Arab war must accommodate the Arab mentality
Israelis should respect Arabs and demand respect from them
Divide the Arabs
Israelis may sabotage Arab oil exports

Israel's policy toward Palestine and Israeli Arabs

Only Israel's cruelty can instill fear in poor Palestinian people
Israel has no interest in making Palestinians rich
Israel doesn't need to promote wealth in Palestine
A Palestinian state offers benefits to Israel
Necessary cruel steps to Israeli annexation of Palestine
Downgrade Israeli Arabs' citizen rights
The usefulness of sharia for Israeli dealings with Palestinians
Israel may create the Palestinian state in Jordan

Israel and Judea

The case for Judea
Incompatible objectives of Israeli people
Judea might engage in annexation easier than Israel
Technical details of establishing Judea alongside Israel
Spiritual aspects of Judea
Jewish religious jurisdiction
No concern with secular ethics in Judea
Judea would take the heat off Israel

Prospects for Israeli-Arab War and Guarantees of Peace-Doubtful

The Israeli Defense Force is not invincible
American support of Israel is not guaranteed
Modern antiSemitism

The Need to Reconsider Israeli Values

Looming disillusionment among Israelis
Define ethnic boundaries of Jews
Israel should restrain reliance on religion
Changing the Israeli Defense Forces
Political reform in Israel
Steps to be taken in Jewish Diaspora communities
New goals of Israel
Building the State of Israel in the real world

No clash of civilizations

Edward Said's The End of the Peace Process

The fate of the Palestinians is not Holocaust
Israelis and Palestinians are not equal
The Palestinians claim special rights
No reason for Israelis to treat Arabs preferentially
Inequality is inherent in every conflict
Equality requires applying much harsher standards to Israelis than to Palestinians
Misrepresenting about Israel and fact-twisting
Palestinian lies
Double standards for Jewish and Palestinian refugees
Most Palestinians do not want to return to Israel
Palestinian refugees' descendants are not refugees
Palestinian right of return to Israel is not viable
No legal basis for the Palestinian right of return
Defeated Arab aggressors cannot make demands
Settlements in Palestine
The Palestinian Authority refuses Jews the right of return
Racism and incitement to clashes with Israel
Palestinian nationalism
Accusations against the United States
The requirement to sympathize with the Palestinians
Misjudgments of Israeli-Arab war issues
The democracy of Zionism
Historical errors of Edward Said
Palestinian terrorism
Cruelty and torture in Israel and Palestine
Liberties in Israel and Palestine
Refusing to accept Palestinian reality
Land ownership in Israel
Jerusalem
Edward Said's socialist values
Palestinian support for Arafat
Colonialism
The Palestinians are content with Israeli rule
Irresponsibility of Palestinians
Edward Said rejects Israel's right to exist Conclusion