Middle East Information Exchange [MEIE] Dear Friends, I would like to share with you an unusual statement by Abdulateef

Al-Mulhim published this week and brought to my attention by a good friend. (See below). The author is a retired Saudi naval officer. The significance of the statement lies not only in its contents but also in that it passed Saudi censorship. This may represent a signal in Israels direction indicating new possibilities. If so, it recalls a peace proposal by Saudi Arabia some years ago which Israel under several governments studiously ignored for reasons which remain somewhat unclear to this day. Of course, the Middle East has since changed, not necessarily for the better, making new departures even more complex. Nevertheless, Mulhims statement represents fresh thinking which if adopted by the Palestinians and others could lead to a more peaceful region. Your comments are invited. Sincerely, Gabriel Glazer P.S. Not all of the recipients of this intermittent communication are regularly included in this Middle East Information Exchange list. If you wish to be included or deleted, please let me know. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. [SUSRIS - OPINION] October 19, 2012 Arabs, Israelis, Conflicts and the Future Al-Mulhim Abdulateef Al-Mulhim Abdulateef Al-Mulhim, Commodore, Royal Saudi Navy (Retired)

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 ArabIsrael confrontations. From 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 ArabIsraeli conflict is the most complicated one the world ever experienced. On the anniversary of the 1973 War between the Arabs 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 didnt the Arab states spend their assets on education, health care and 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 underdeveloped 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 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 to be 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 anybodys imaginations? And, isnt it the Iraqis who are the ones who are destroying their own country? Wasnt it Tunisias dictator who was able to steal $13 billion 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 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 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 in 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 Palestinian 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, the most intelligence brains among Iraqi Arab Muslims are leaving Iraq for the West. In Yemen, the worlds 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 dont 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. Wasnt one of the judges who sent a former Israeli president to jail 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. Abdulateef Al-Mulhim is a Commodore (Retired), Royal Saudi Navy. He is a frequent contributor to SUSRIS. He can be contacted at: almulhimnavy@hotmail.com Reprinted with permission of the author. Originally published in Arab News on October 6, 2012. Also by Abdulateef Al-Mulhim: What's Wrong With Criticizing Expatriates? - SUSRIS - Oct 4, 2012 National Day a Proud Moment for All Saudis - SUSRIS - Sep 23, 2012 9/11 and a Tale of Two Archives - SUSRIS - Sep 11, 2012 Memories at the Movies - SUSRIS - Sep 1, 2012 The "Stairway to Heaven" and the Iranian Revolution - SUSRIS - Aug 20, 2012 Saudi Mega Projects and the American Taxpayers - Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRIS - Aug 13, 2012 Prince Bandar: From a Pilot's G-Suit to a Political Three-Piece - SUSRIS - Aug 4, 2012 Saudi Mega Projects and American Cowboys - SUSRIS - July 24, 2012 Questioning the Roots of the Arab Spring - SUSRIS - July 17, 2012 Fighter Jets and Sword Dances - Abdulateef Al-Mulhim - SUSRIS - June 29, 2012 Russia, Bridesmaid, but Never the Bride - Abdulateef Al-Mulhim - SUSRIS - June 22, 2012 Crown Prince Nayef and World Security - Abdulateef Al-Mulhim - SUSRIS - Jun 19, 2012 Gulf States and An Era of Cooperation - Abdulateef Al-Mulhim - SUSRIS - June 2, 2012 Saudi Pioneers and Mega Achievements - Abdulateef Al-Mulhim - SUSRIS - May 12, 2012 Is Visiting Jerusalem Recognition of Israel? - Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog - May 1, 2012 Muslims Hijrah to Europe - Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Apr 23, 2012

The Legacy of Saudi Aviation: Dhahran Airport, Pan Am and TWA Abdulateef AlMulhim - SUSRISblog Apr 20, 2012 The Eastern Province, Land of Opportunities Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Apr 17, 2012 Syrian Spring, Israels Easy War Abdulateef Al-Mulhim - SUSRISblog Apr 4, 2012 King Abdullah and the Young Ambassadors Abdulateef Al-Mulhim - SUSRISblog Mar 20, 2012 Saudi Cancer Foundation and the Giant Steps Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Mar 14, 2012 Syria Where are the Americans? Abdulateef Al-Mulhim - SUSRISblog Mar 6, 2012 Arab Spring and the Hidden Apartheid Abdulateef Al-Mulhim - SUSRISblog Feb 21, 2012 KFUPM, from Jabal Al Dhahran to Pasadenas JPL Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Feb 17, 2012 The Expatriate Who Forgot His Home Address Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Jan 24, 2012 Atlanta and the US-Saudi Business Forum Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Dec 6, 2011 America Fired Itself From a Job Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Nov 17, 2011 September 11 and the Longest Ten Years Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Sep 10, 2011 Airline Diplomacy Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Jul 17, 2011 President Ahmadinejad: Iran Doesnt Need Enemies Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Jun 8, 2011 Expats and Loytalty Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog May 29, 2011 Improving Saudi Tourism Prospects Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog April 14, 2011 What if Arabs had recognized Israel in 1948? Adulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog April 5, 2011 Reflections on the Foundations of US-Saudi Relations Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Jan 22, 2011 Is there a larger role for Saudi Aramco? Abdulateef Al-Mulhim SUSRISblog Jan 12, 2011

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