For those of us who view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as being an issue of injustice, there’s plenty of reason to believe no resolution is in sight simply because justice is one of the weakest among the principles governing world affairs. To this extent, Israeli leaders can feel confident in their sense of impunity.
But there is another line Israel crosses at its peril: where its actions conflict with the commercial interests of its allies. Israel can be a moral liability but it cannot be a financial liability.
US taxpayers have every reason to feel that Israel, as the largest single recipient of US foreign aid, is already a massive financial liability. Even so, since most of those tax dollars get plowed straight back into the US defense industry, Washington is unlikely to become more attentive to the concerns of ordinary American citizens than it is to the interests of its corporate sponsors.
Nevertheless, there is now reason to think that with the murder of Mahmoud al Mabhouh in Dubai, Israel crossed a line that strains the limits of Western tolerance. Western governments would have paid scant attention to this event were it not for one egregious error by Mossad: its flagrant disregard for the integrity of foreign passports.
For many international travelers from Western countries, a passport might seem like nothing more than an obligatory document of no extraordinary value, yet in many ways these carefully bound and embossed permits are the lubricants of globalization. Swift passage through immigration control is one of the things that keeps the wheels of business turning smoothly.
But anyone traveling to the Middle East on an EU or Australian passport will now face a new level of scrutiny from immigration officers intent on blocking the passage of Israeli assassins.
Dubai’s police chief Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim announced on Monday that any travelers suspected of being Israeli, even if they hold passports from another country, will now be barred from entry into the UAE.
Asharq Al-Awsat reports that any foreign traveler visiting Lebanon who has a Jewish name will now be placed under surveillance.
Major General Wafiq Jizzini, director general of the Lebanese Public Security, said: “When someone comes to Lebanon on a foreign passport and the name of his family indicates that he is of Jewish origin, the border center sends the information to the central information office at the General Directorate of the Public Security. Afterward, the directorate observes this person who would have already registered his address in Lebanon. Both the visiting person and the one who receives him at the airport are observed.”
Israeli leaders such as Israel’s minister of industry, trade and labor, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who still regard the Dubai murder as a victory for Israel, have further reason to question that conclusion as fallout from the operation has now reached the United Nations General Assembly.
On Friday, the only countries willing to side with Israel in opposing a resolution that makes a renewed call for the investigation of war crimes committed during Israel’s war on Gaza, were the United States, Canada, Micronesia, Nauru, Panama, and Macedonia.
Australian government sources informed the Sydney Morning Herald that there was a direct connection between the UN vote and the Dubai affair:
Britain, France and Germany have all recently expressed anger at Israel after their passports were caught up in the Dubai plot.
One Department of Foreign Affairs source told the Herald there was no doubt the decision to abstain was intended as a sign to Israel not to take Australian support for granted.
“A number of things made it easier for us to switch our vote,” the source said.
“Firstly, the Americans helped the Palestinians to soften the wording of this resolution compared to the last one. Secondly, a number of other countries had indicated that they were toughening their own positions on Goldstone. But there is no question that the debacle surrounding our passports being used in Dubai helped to make up the government’s mind to abstain. The final decision was taken late on Friday, Australian time, just a few hours before the vote.
“Our pattern in the past has been to vote with the US when it comes to Israel, to show as much support for Israel as possible.
“We were also aware that the UK’s decision to vote in favour of the resolution was influenced by the fact that so many of their citizens had been caught up in the Dubai assassination.”
Israelis would do well to remember that even among their most effusive supporters, an allegiance to business invariably trumps all others.
This is a cross-post from Woodward’s site, War in Context.
Israel will probably decry this as evidence of intractable Arab anti-semitism. Of course, Jews as a whole shouldn’t be profiled, but how many American Jews are jumping up and down to visit Lebanon and the UAE?
… how many American Jews are jumping up and down to visit Lebanon and the UAE?
How many?
I’m saying that these countries profiling of Jews doesn’t really mean anything. Some Israelis do go to Dubai, fair enough.
I’m saying that these countries profiling of Jews doesn’t really mean anything.
How do you know? Have you conducted a study into the number of European, Asian, African, American and Australian Jews who visit Dubai or Lebanon each year?
I know personally at least 10 americans who are jewish or part-jewish by origin (though not by practice) who regularly travel to Dubai, UAE and saudi Arabia, due to thechnology projects they are involved in. These countries are funding quite a few collaborative projects on things like Green energy, innovative oil exploration, smart grids and a host of other communications and networking related projects. The individuals I know travel all over the world for the business and three have key managerial riles in international conglomerates. I just happen to know these people from a professional capacity and none seem to know or care much about israel, except as another host country to companies in the energy business – mostly as part supplier, or potential applications customer . Only four have jewish sounding names – sort of. There’s absolutely no doubt that the extra scrutiny being contemplated on account of the latest mafia hit would represent a great inconvenience, and may result in one of them making changes to his name (something he has been contemplating) while the others may see their jobs redefined to steer them away from going to these countries. That could be a career changing event since in their world access to the funding source defines career path.
I’ll note here that in the technology universe – which is a world unto its own – the real boundaries are defined by accessibility – and those countries that allow maximum access to funding opportunities (eg UAE), labor talent (eg Thailand, China) and/or innovation (eg, US, EU) are the winners in the global sweepstakes. I’ll point out here that israel does provide access to innovation – but at a cost – sometimes a high one. For a player in the technology, it’s the funding that’s the grease that moves innovation along, especially for the smaller and/or start-up companies, because innovation can always be had – for a price, as is labor. In my own world I meet israeli companies usually as potential competitors on the funding front – where they are known as quite aggressive. Consider that my disclaimer.
Paul: It’s pretty to think that business interests will trump our relationship with Israel, but what if our business is War? The US already accounts for 41.5% of the world’s military expenditures. When US politicians bemoan the deficit, they don’t mention our 2.5 wars and the military is exempt from proposed spending freezes. While the general US economy drifts sideways and its infrastructure crumbles, Obama is asking for a record high $708B for defense (though he really means attack).
I realize that you make the point to separate the West from the US in your post, but with such an overwhelming US investment in War, does anyone else even matter to a warmonger like Israel?
“Paul: It’s pretty to think that business interests will trump our relationship with Israel, but what if our business is War?”
Exactly: Israel certainly knows how to take advatage of the US’s evils and faults, but Israel didn’t invent those evils and faults in the US.
And I might mention that the huge and completely inapropriate hand-over of military responsibilities to private contractors (mercenaries) adds new incentives for business in war. And Obama didn’t do a frickin thing to change it in spite of this systems provavbly degrading effect on the US military. Not even financial oversight.
In fact, one could say that the US military exists and predicates it’s strategy on providing a market for these companies.
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Regarding the article…..the UAE grants many EU citizens visa-free entry. In light of these new developments, Dubai may very well revoke such privileges and institute a visa system to help facilitate the screening of European nationals.
The Canadian problem is becoming very troublesome.
Canada has declared in effect that Palestinians [or maybe all Arabs] can’t have human rights because this would offend Jews.
Hamas today declared that it was likely Jordan and/or Egypt that orchestrated the murder. Probably they are going to present that they were complicit with Israel.
War keeps going. Hamas has how many enemies now?
Do you realistically believe that Europe, US, Canada, will dump Israel for Hamas or Hezbollah, or their definition of what is justice (very selective)?
or their definition of what is justice (very selective)?
OK. But what about Hamas’ or Hezbollah’s definition of justice?
Boss to Secretary: Ms. there are two words I wish you wouldn’t use around the office; one is “swell” and the other is “lousy”
Secretary: Anything you say, boss. Just tell me which words.
Mooser,
My response was intentional. I’m not sure I get YOUR response….. lol
No, Richard. They won’t dump Israel in favor of Hamas or Hezbollah. They might dump Israel in favor of their own interests. The rest of the nations of the world have myriad interests other than taking sides in Israel’s perpetual squabbles with its neighbors. This might be a shock, but they can also choose to look out for themselves.
Can you post a credible citation please? Every one of the many articles that I have seen quote Dubai police as saying they are 99% sure Israel was responsible and/or that western intelligence officers say off the record that Israel did it.
Whose ambassadors are being summoned by the governments whose passport were forged or illegally issued? They aren’t summoning Costa Rican and Chinese ambassadors; they are summing Israeli ambassadors. Do you think they would do that if they didn’t feel pretty damn sure Israel was behind it? Do you think that European nations, that have in the past not supported UN General Assembly votes criticizing Israel, would change from opposition to abstention (Australia, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands) and from abstention to support (Britain, France and New Zealand) in the latest ballot calling for Israel and Hamas to open genuine war crimes investigations if they did not believe Israel was responsible?
“Can you post a credible citation please?”
A ceridible citation from Witty Colin? I hope you have a sense of humor and a lot f patience.
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Dubai is the international financial hub for Asia, India, Africa, Russia, the Middle East and Europe. Every major US corporation is located there, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson. Hell, Halliburton ditched Texas for Dubai.
For Israel to be excluded is like the brat at an adult cocktail party being told he has to stay in his room.
From the comments section of Paul Woodwards’s site:
Paul Woodward has not considered that Israel would love nothing better than for the Arab nations to be as hyper-paranoid and security obsessed as Israel is. Especially since the people that will suffer the scrutiny are Westerners. This will isolate the Arab world from the West. What a coup!
Of course the Zionist Israel-firsters that dominate the regimes in the EU and Oz don’t care either. Business interests take a distant rear seat to tribal affiliation and the perpetuation of supremacy.
Unless the West finds some place else to feed its insatiable appetite for oil, I don’t think the Arab world is in jeopardy of isolation.