Edited by Louis Standish
Proofread by Tim Gehring
It’s impossible for any political or social scientist to interpret a phenomenon without referring to where it started to take shape. Based upon this principal, it’s necessary for anyone who follows American policy in the Middle East to dive into learning its political structure and know the elements of its construction. This is very important as its media, economic and political influence upon the world has affected its policies and long-term strategies for possibly decades.
Also, anyone who follows the role of U.S. policy in the region can discover how difficult it is to maintain an absolute hostility against it, just as it is to establish a lasting friendship. I for one see that this is due to several reasons relating to how America society is under the media’s influence, how it has clearly succumbed to Zionist lobby groups and their negative impact on American public opinion, in the semi- absence of the Arab point-of-view. This has contributed to creating an unrealistic image concerning the Arab-Zionist conflict.
Perhaps the greatest evidence supporting this conclusion comes from the reaction that accompanied the release of form U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s book on the on the Palestinian issue, the schism established by the occupation forces in the West Bank and the criticism directed at them. This prompted the former U.S. president to start a dialogue with some professors and students in the most important American universities to defend his point-of- view and protect himself from the accusations directed against him, including a so-called anti-Semitism.
Although Carter was the godfather of Camp David that did not absolve him of those charges, which was that American politicians and the public did not care about the general context regarding the Arab-Zionist conflict, which shocked to the American political class and those interested in the political issues.
Through following up after the dialogue, a more accurate image of the cultural and political structure of the young American reflects the clear deficiencies in understanding what is happening in the region, the nature of the Zionist entity internally, the racist practices and institutional violence practiced leveled against the Arabs. This image carved in the mind of America did not come from thin air. It is a result of an educational, religious and media dictation to American society that contributed to how current events in the region began.
The former U.S. president and author of the book faced a great challenge in trying to convince his interlocutors that what he portrays are accurate ideas and the images from what he saw when supervising elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He even imparted to his interlocutors and listeners on the necessity of visiting occupied Palestine to see the facts as they are in reality.
To demonstrate his love for the Jews and help, especially in Camp David Peace Treaty, Carter speaking about his childhood said: “I have been a friend of the Jews since the age of six, and I used to receive lessons in religion. I respect the Jews, God’s chosen people, and I respect that Jesus came from their descendants. They have in my heart and my memory a special place.” These words marked the end of his speech.
Although the author has emphasized that the aim of the book was to revive the peace process, the Zionist Lobby and some members of the U.S. political class hammered him angrily, accusing him of anti-Semitism and that the book has a political agenda and is not historically accurate.
They directed their criticism to the writer, not to the content of the book. From their view point, he opened a gap in the culturally and politically pro-Israeli wall.
The propaganda wave that accompanied the release of the book reflects the size of the media and cultural influence of Zionism in the political culture of the American citizen who seems to be viewing the conflict from one angle, excluding others.
I frequently stopped at these phrases and have established the certainty of the American culture that it’s politically superficial. In other words, they look to the picture’s frame not the content of it. Truth is, media plays a key role in the formation of determinants and implications.
Therein, lays the importance of media, artistic, cinematic, scientific and academic scholarships’ role, and also the importance of attracting American figures to heal the rooted false images in the political culture of America about Arabs and Israel. This is the duty of all the Arab countries, media and political institutions and the Arab communities in America, especially that resources, human, technical abilities and scientific information are available. Also, there is an environment in which investment is possible, and this is when there is a will, methodology and seriousness in dealing with them.