Isaac Asimov, the prolific sci-fi and short story author, once said that Israel was a "ghetto in the small corner of a Muslim sea". This is an extremely powerful thing to say, as the Middle East has been a powder keg of religions and ideals for years. The core issue being that nearly every country in the Middle East does not want Israel to be a part of the world. The Middle East does not believe that Israel should exist, or has the right to. This is why Asimov gave such powerful words to this conflict, because it is a great issue of our time. Israel is surrounded by people that do not consider them to be legitimate, and this is why Asimov cannot support Israel in the Middle East, because the overwhelming majority of the population hates them, and this is not supportive of a developing country.
The basic idea behind Asimov’s quote is that Israel is literally stuck in a corner of the Middle East, surrounded by Muslim countries, only one of which has acknowledged their existence, and that ended in the death of the visiting Egyptian president. Israel is not in a good position; they are hated, and supported by America, who is also in bad favor in the Middle East. Nearly the region is against the idea of Western Capitalism and what it stands for. America has been supporting Israel both politically, financially, and militarily; however, this makes Israel worse in the eyes of their neighbors. Unfortunately, Israel cannot sever this partnership, as the United States is heavily reliant on the oil trade in Israel, and losing the support of the US would mean losing a large part of their economy and military power. This figuratively corners Israel as they’re greatest allies are causing them issues across many borders. Israel religion also factors into the mix. Being a wholly Jewish nation, in a predominantly Muslim area does not help ease the tensions between Israel and the rest of the Middle East.
Israel can be seen as the oppressor, taking land from the Muslims who have lived is the area for thousands of year, and with this same action, they can be seen as liberators, reclaiming the land that was rightfully theirs. This is why Israel is in such a delicate position, as it has few alies, many enemies, and shaky moral ground. Israel and Palestine can argue who is right and wrong forever, but neither can dispute that the nation of Israel cannot abide its current political situation forever, something needs to change, and Isaac Asimov cannot see the Middle East’s policies towards Israel getting better, before it gets worse.
The basic idea behind Asimov’s quote is that Israel is literally stuck in a corner of the Middle East, surrounded by Muslim countries, only one of which has acknowledged their existence, and that ended in the death of the visiting Egyptian president. Israel is not in a good position; they are hated, and supported by America, who is also in bad favor in the Middle East. Nearly the region is against the idea of Western Capitalism and what it stands for. America has been supporting Israel both politically, financially, and militarily; however, this makes Israel worse in the eyes of their neighbors. Unfortunately, Israel cannot sever this partnership, as the United States is heavily reliant on the oil trade in Israel, and losing the support of the US would mean losing a large part of their economy and military power. This figuratively corners Israel as they’re greatest allies are causing them issues across many borders. Israel religion also factors into the mix. Being a wholly Jewish nation, in a predominantly Muslim area does not help ease the tensions between Israel and the rest of the Middle East.
Israel can be seen as the oppressor, taking land from the Muslims who have lived is the area for thousands of year, and with this same action, they can be seen as liberators, reclaiming the land that was rightfully theirs. This is why Israel is in such a delicate position, as it has few alies, many enemies, and shaky moral ground. Israel and Palestine can argue who is right and wrong forever, but neither can dispute that the nation of Israel cannot abide its current political situation forever, something needs to change, and Isaac Asimov cannot see the Middle East’s policies towards Israel getting better, before it gets worse.