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Israel's Withdrawal Will Make No Difference to the Arabs
(Jerusalem Post) Barry Rubin - The total end of any Israeli presence for about half the Palestinians will not have much impact on the Arab states in the region. The usual stereotypes will hold in the Arab media: Israel can do nothing good. The regimes need to demonize Israel to justify their continued dictatorship and misrule. What about the conclusion that the withdrawal proves Israel is weak and shows terrorism is working? There will be those in Hamas and Hizballah that will make such claims, but they will not be repeated too often by others. Why? Because the Arab states and Iran do not want the image of a weak Israel. To be useful, Israel must be seen as strong, as an imminent threat. Only if this is so can the "Zionist menace" justify continued dictatorship, high military spending, and a denial of internal freedom.