Swallowing the bitter pill?

The centre-piece of this policy is the current peace bid under the rubric of 'read map' to cobble together some sort of peace deal between the Palestinians and Israelis -- of course, on the latter's term. But concentric on this peace deal is to somehow wangle Israel's recognition from as many Muslim countries as possible. Notwithstanding a glittering array of Washington loyalists around Israel -- Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Gulf Emirates -- that need no inducement to be on the right side of the US, the latter is, however, currently busy securing recognition for Israel both in the region and beyond. A bewildering variety of baits are being dangled before the Muslim countries most of whom are at the receiving end of the spectrum. The baits of trade concession, waiving off old debts, fresh aid package, entry into US market supply of military hardware and even sparing some country from punitive action and merely the gesture of friendship are liberally traded for obtaining recognition for the 'reality' of Israel.

After having softened the attitude of Arab-Muslim countries in Israel's neighbourhood with the jarring effects of 'shock and awe' exhibited in second Gulf war the sight is now set on the Muslim countries in the peripheries -- South and South East Asia -- which are unnecessarily burdened with emotions for Al-Aqsa or sentiments for their Arab-Palestinian brethren. The approaches are diverse in dealing with these countries depending on their internal and external dynamics. Pakistan, for example has been put in the category of countries possessing the weapons of mass destruction which is required to be neutralised under Bush Doctrine through pre-emptive strike. One way to save Pakistan, in view of its contribution to the war on terror, could be to have Pakistan to recognise Israel's right to exist as a sovereign nation. During the recent Bush-Musharraf parley at Camp David, the US promised $3 billion of economic and military aid to Pakistan provided a number of stated and unstated conditions were met. Recognition of Israel may well be one of those unstated conditions.

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With President Bush's gambit bringing the question of Israel's recognition to the fore the Muslim world has been made to stand face to face with a situation it always wanted to avoid. At least for last half a century, apart from their common faith the Muslims across the world were often brought on a single platform with their common abhorrence for the state of Israel. It was not so much because of bitter inter communal feelings as it was because of the entity enjoying no legitimacy -- historical, moral, political or juridical. Until midway into the last century today's 'Jewish Israel' was 'Arab Palestine' and the metamorphosis was effected overnight through brutalities expelling its pristine people from their home and hearth.

However, in an unprecedented solidarity the Muslim world not only condemned the big powers' collusion in bringing Israel into being it also withheld its recognition of the ugly reality. It stubbornly remained reluctant to embrace Israel because of latter's anti-Arab stance and profession of Zionism which is likened to apartheid by Nelson Mandela. That rock solid Arab-Muslim unity has since been under assault.

At Israel's birth only two Muslim countries -- Turkey and Shah's Iran -- recognised Israel. While Turkey could have done it out of grudge for the Arabs, held responsible for the break-up of Ottoman empire, Iran then a lackey of the US obviously did it under the latter's pressure. However the position remained unchanged till 1979 when Egypt broke rank to be the first Arab country to recognise Israel following Camp David accord. The rejectionist camp comprised of most of the Arab world held back the tide of its bandwagon effect but gave in when PLO itself recognised the right of Israel to exist at the outset of Oslo peace process in 1993. Jordan soon followed the suit. Eversince, not only the Palestinians but the Arabs were on retreat. Can the tide be turned again?

But by now Israel is not only a reality, it has also turned into a monster threatening the peace and security of entire Arab world. Even if it was politically a pariah because of its controversial birth and a blanket rejection by the Arab world, Israel was, under big power patronisation, admitted to the UN in 1949 and to European common market in 1979. Currently there are more than a hundred diplomatic missions in Israel. In addition to the US all the other permanent members of the UN security council have recognised her. In Americas Canada and several Latin American countries including Brazil and Argentina have diplomatic ties with Israel. Many African countries including Kenya and South Africa have also recognised Israel. Both China and India, two Asian giants also recongised the reality of Israel in 1992. All European nations maintain diplomatic ties with Israel.

Out of the Arab-Muslim countries Egypt, Jordan, Mauritania, Turkey and Uzbekistan maintain diplomatic ties with Israel. Others like Oman and Qatar have business relations while Morocco and Tunisia have low-level diplomatic relations. They all will, of course, rush for full diplomatic relations once the stampede for mass recognition starts. Moreover, Pakistan's decision in this regard will have significant effect on Muslim world. Interestingly, an animated debate is already underway in Pakistan where apparently a case is being built up in favour of recognition as evident from views expressed and arguments build up in media, academia and informed circles. Significantly, speaking at a press conference in Washington on 23 June Pakistan's foreign secretary declared in no uncertain term that sooner or later Pakistan will have to recognise Israel. So, that's the price for courting Uncle Sam. Once Pakistan, the Muslim world's only nuclear power, capitulates perhaps the stampede for mass recognition will start.

By all appearance a time seems to have arrived when one cannot any more ignore the monster even if one does not like it for all the misdeeds perpetrated by it. One has to somehow engage it in some manner to escape the consequences of those misdeeds. In the same vein Israel also cannot settle down to a secured life by perpetrating injustices and coercive methods even if it can afford to do so. In the meantime, there is a thaw in the attitude of the Muslim world the constituents of which have come to accept the concept of Israel as a nation state especially after the PLO dropped the demand to eliminate Israel and signed Oslo accord in 1993. Most notably, Saudi Arabia sponsored a proposal before Arab League in March 2002 that would have ensured mass Arab recognition to Israel once it withdrew to the border that existed prior to six-day war in 1967.

It is upto the Muslim countries under pressure or persuasion by the friends of Israel on the issue of recognition to consider it keeping in view the best of their interests, but keeping the door shut to Israel will yield no positive result as evident from long history of Arab-Israel conflict. Even when one is considered enemy, the enemy also is required to be engaged. The Muslim world baffled at the speed and complexities of events around them will have to decide -- and decide before too long -- what will be the shape of that engagement.

Brig ( retd) Hafiz is former DG of BIISS.