One of the things that is hard for me to explain, even to many Zionists, is that the Palestinian cause was never about Palestine at all, it was always about other major struggles for power in the regions. The words that can describe Arab politics best for the 20th cent
is "crisis of legitimacy," questions of who is to have power, why, and to what end WERE THE QUESTIONS. Nothing else existed. Coups, civil wars, assassinations, militias, and a metaphorical jungle of prime chimp power competition. Palestine was the only tool in the Arab
political toolbox to circumvent those questions. If you wanted power, the only legitimacy you could find was Palestine. It was the only thing that let you carry arms, come in over tanks, and grab all the power your tormented soul is lusting for. Nasser, the Baath, PLO, PLFP, Amal
Hezbollah, Hamas, and now Iran. This is why Israel-Palestine WAS and IS at the heart of all major power struggles including with Iran right now. In an Aladdin story, Palestine is the lamp of cosmic supernatural force that lets you claim all the power you want.
Arabs were not actually fighting Israel, they were fighting each other all the time, Nasser vs. Syria vs. Iraq vs. Saudi Arabia vs. Jordan vs. PLO vs. Lebanon, and late comers the MB and Iran.
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