"Israel! Old Pal!"USA said

Dear Mr. Man,

It is a Wednesday afternoon and our teacher asked us to write about a very special relationship; not marriage, but a political relationship; the symbiotic interaction that world-dominating America has with newly made Israel. Now, Israel, initiated arguably in 1948, has been developing rapidly throughout the last 61 years due mainly to the burst of money the US has given to Israel to form a state. Israel has one of the best militaries in the world and from personal experience, can be called a European state. Its large use of water and the green view in the Middle East insinuate its attempt to become European, in fact in the European Union.

The USA, throughout its history has made large efforts in developing the Israeli state. Beginning during the early 1900’s, the US sent many ships of Jewish immigrants moving to Israel. Without their ships, Israel would not have enough willing people to rule. But the main assistance that Israel receives from the US is the money. Millions of dollars are being pumped into Israel very frequently. One might ask of why there relationship is so close? Well, personally I would say that it is a very republican and internal issue for the United States. One of the main reasons why America sent them thousands of immigrants in the early and mid 1900s is because they have a lot of Jews in their country. The fact that a large percentage of the population is Jewish in this current time makes America under the Israeli and Jewish power. I went to a school called The School for Ethics and Global Leadership, and we talked about the Jewish lobbyist groups in America such as AIPAC and J-Street. One of the questions we talked about was how these Jewish lobbyist groups have a large influence on the American government and their foreign policy. Because Jews are so rich in the US, they can alter the foreign policy of the country with their money and in the US, money means power. For this reason, there is this “special” relationship between the two countries.

We do not know the real stance of the US with Israel, but we do know that the US is trying to create peace between Palestine and Israel. The huge efforts that the US has done beginning from previous president Jimmy Carter shows their ambitions for peace in the Middle East. Obama has been the hope of the Arabs for peace in the region as they see him as the liaison between the two people.

The Suez Crisis, is it Really a Crisis?

After WWII, Britain and France have taken over the Middle East, specifically Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. Palestine had then become Israel, as Israel announced their independence in 1948 and has become a somewhat powerful force compared to other Arab countries militarily. As for Egypt, Egypt has become a base for Britain’s military and has become a very important resource for the British.

1956 is a year of revolution, a year of self-control for the Egyptians under the control of Gamal Abdel-Nasser. As for the British, it is a year of nuisance under the Prime Minister Eden. After the American’s decided to withdraw from the building of the Aswan dam, a highly prosperous dam for the Egyptians, Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. This is one factor of how the relationship between the Middle East and US, changed. The US did not see anything beneficial in building the dam but it caused a domino effect of conflicts in the region. Britain and France then decided to attack Egypt using Israel’s force. This created a complicated net of relations between France and Britain, USA, Egypt, and Israel and arguably created what is now the current situation in the Middle East. In the end of the crisis, the US was disappointed from Britain for what they have done, increased the relationship between the US and Israel and decreased the relationship of the US with the Middle East due to Egypt.

Egypt, virtually victorious in this fight for identity and independence has now become socialist if not Communist in the eyes of Britain and the US. This allowed Israel to come up and become a close ally with the US.

Got Oil?

After WWI, the United States realized that the Middle East actually had a value. They were able to help the Gulf countries discover oil in their region. America then took their chance and was able to make good relations with the gulf countries especially Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia then made a company called Aramco which was specialized in extracting and exporting oil in the region. The other Gulf countries also made a big fortune from their discovery of petroleum.
The current situation now as time passed has developed into something I would call, a drying oasis. The oasis, or the oil, is the main resource the gulf countries depend on and virtually is the one of the other dew resources they have, making it, a desert. . The oasis is drying because the vacuum, otherwise known as the clients, is sucking the oil out. America is the main consumer of the oil that comes from the Middle East and a large part of its economy is dependent on the region. The recent ups and downs of the economy have affected the Middle East and have led to the rise of the price of the barrel of oil. Researches also say also because the demand went up, the price went up. These changes in the economy and the price of oil give a tug and war effect, where the price of oil goes back and forth, rising, then decreasing unexpectedly.
According to several documentaries on the oil in Saudi Arabia, Aramco is one of the most successful companies in the world. It has the ability to extract the most oil in a day in the world. Oil, being the “black gold” has given the advantage for the gulf countries to be able to control the economy of the world. Yet, they have not taken that chance. One of the kings of Saudi Arabia once decided to stop trading with the United States for various reasons and led to a halt in the world economy. Although America extracts a convincing quantity of oil, they cannot continue their trade without the Middle East.
Oil has given the Middle East the chance to give a word in the world and for it to succeed economically. Oil has been good news since the time it was discovered. But it has also led to different conflicts between the United States. For example, Iraq, many people believe that the US entered Iraq for the immense oil Iraq contains. These conflicts must be avoided because the Middle East, in my opinion has the ball in the court and can do what it pleases if done wisely and correctly.

Long-Distance Relationship before WWII

After WWI, the Great Arab Revolution has caused the Ottomans to fall and the Arabs to control their land again. But over the next several years, negotiations happened between Britain, France, and Italy. They were negotiating about mandates and shaping the Middle East in order to control it. Britain took Jordan, Palestine, and Iraq where France took Syria and Lebanon. After this back stabbing movement and a revolution in Egypt in 1919, the Arabs were looking for some help. The United States in the eyes of the Middle East before WWII was a good country, a strong and kind country that was developed and looked for the greater good. The Middle East had small, limited, but good relations with the United States. The US looked into the Middle East and saw a good future for the sake of their country. They helped discover oil in the Gulf area and made good agreements with the gulf countries. They also made educational relations making a university in Beirut called AUB. But later on right before WWI, Jewish Zionists looked for America to help them with immigration to Palestine. America then turned their relationship with the Middle East from a friendly one to a more hostile one or more biased to Zionists.

The US still continued their relations with the Middle East and with Israeli immigrants and Jewish Zionists getting the best from both sides. USA was able to keep cool and clean from any wrong actions during their relationship between two opposing sides. This then led to a decrease in trust from the Middle East, and America started to become more evil in the eyes of the region. Middle Easterners started to lessen the relationship with America, but they depended on them with their economy.

Do you ride camels to school?

Media has become a major part in people's lives as it is a form of entertainment and a form of "understanding" the world. The media in the United States has become so powerful; they are able to control what the people see. The Middle East has been quashed by the American media due to their long ever-lasting insistency on showing stereo-types and causing false assumptions of the Middle East, Muslims, and Arabs.

A documentary called "Reel Bad Arabs" by Dr. Jack Shaheen gives us an overview of films and shows in history that show similar forms of how Arabs were filmed. Since about the 1940's, directors have been displaying the same image of Arabs, with turbans on their heads, camels everywhere, and women either belly dancing or completely covered with black material. They have also made Arabs deliberately "less educated" than other races.

As for shows and media such as news channels, censorship plays a major role in "educating" the Americans and the world. The ability for news channels to put what headlines and news they want on television and the internet has caused people to fear, and attack anyone who looks like an Arab. Mostly after 9/11, People in America always associate terrorism with Arabs but mostly Muslims due to the vast coverage of the media on terrorism and relating it to Islam. Talk shows or missionary channels like to attack Muslims and also relate them to Terrorism. This has caused people to fear Arabs or who look like an Arab. People then start attacking them and causing tension because they immediately associate them with bombs or killing.

I remember the day when 9/11 happened; I was about 8 years old and was going to school. I did not understand the true meaning of the news or the event but I knew it was something big. Living in America as an Arab Muslim after 9/11 was terrifying. I remember when the FBI used to come to our mosque and ask for certain men to go with them. I also remember when our imam, the one who leads us in prayer in the mosque wanted to travel. They did not allow him to leave because they assumed that he had TNT in his bag and wanted to bomb the airplane. His name was Mohammed, I am sure that was the reason for the commotion. They had a trial in court and decided that he couldn’t leave his house within a 100 feet radius. It was unjust.

The majority of the people in the United States are brainwashed by the media and films concerning Arabs and Muslims. The consumption that all Arabs are stupid and ride camels and that Muslims are terrorists is false. The idea of Humanism or humanizing comes here where people in the world are all humans, regardless of their race or religion. It is a fact that each person has a brain, a heart, a stomach, but does not have a bomb around his waist as an organ. Arab teenagers have the same ambitions as other races. Media should show the whole story for everything they show. Arabs are humans; Islam is a word that comes from peace, not bombs or terrorism.