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Conspiracy Theories, Paranoia about Israel Hold Back Peace Process

(Fox News) Ido Aharoni - The Palestinians are our neighbors, and how they view Israelis is as important, if not more important, as any peace treaty. A culture of paranoia and conspiracy theories about Israel is one of the biggest obstacles to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. If Israel is always at fault, if there is always some dark, sinister, ulterior motive, the Palestinian people will never accept living peacefully next to the Jewish state. The Palestinian people, aided and egged on by irresponsible leadership, never show an ounce of trust when it comes to viewing their Israeli neighbor. Nothing Israel does, no investigation, no study, however objective, will change their minds. Nothing Israel says or does can escape the prism of propaganda and malevolence. If the distrust is so deep, there is no bridge for peace. The general feeling among Israeli citizens is that everything that comes out of Israel is cast aside by Palestinians purely on the basis of its origin. Facts become an inconvenient truth that must then be molded into propaganda so as not to clash with their deep-rooted assumptions about Israel. A political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be achieved if there is real societal and cultural change on the ground. A two-state solution, which is now endorsed by a majority of Israelis, will only be possible if there is trust. The fact that there is a dedicated section on Wikipedia called "Conspiracy theories involving Israel," the fact that these theories are mainstream, everyday facts among the next generation of Palestinian leaders, is a terrifying omen to the future of possible reconciliation. The writer is the Consul General of Israel in New York.
2013-04-18 00:00:00
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