Sons of David

I recently came to the conclusion that we, Arabs, suffer from a deep-rooted defeatist mentality. One only needs to listen to some of the conversations or debates or read some of the articles and reflections that emerged this past year in light of (pun) what’s happening in Palestine and/or Lebanon to deduce the same.

Can you blame us though?

For the past 700+ years (and counting), we’ve been respectively controlled, colonized, and occupied by foreign dynasties, imperial powers, and armies. Disconnected episodes of national independence and/or Pan-Arabism were quickly disintegrated due to misalignment, false-promises, betrayals…and overtaken by hegemonic subjugation.

Long gone is the Arab Golden Age between the 8th and 14th centuries. That era died as soon as gunpowder found its way to Europe. Ironically, it is that phase of Arab cultural flourishment, scientific advancement, and philosophical development which inarguably facilitated the European Renaissance and, naturally, everything that followed. Whether that historic epoch has been consciously forgotten, invertedly or purposely excluded, or simply dismissed, will forever remain a fascinating topic for dinner conversations, however immaterial it may be. The general Arab sentiment today is that nothing-but-nostalgia can be evoked from that good-old-era.

Fast forwarding to current events, and thanks to none other than those at the front lines, Israel is losing this “war” by its own standards or measures (i.e. the goals it set itself out to achieve):

• It hasn’t destroyed Hamas – more might be joining its ranks
• It failed at getting back its hostages militarily – arguably, Israel killed more than it rescued
• It couldn’t transfer the Palestinians out of Gaza – Egypt nixed that pipe dream
• It is unable to return its displaced citizens to the North – more actually left and the rest seem to be packing
• It is falling short of drawing Hizbullah away from its border or closer to the Litani River, let alone behind it – a Lebanese MP jokingly (?) said it may be easier to move the Litani ?river to the border!

Realistically, Israel hasn’t achieved any of its declared goals besides death, displacement, and destruction. As a matter of fact, judging by the latest UNGA vote and the plausible genocide case at the ICJ against it, Israel has officially become a pariah state. The worse part though, is Israel’s current internal state of affairs, namely a polarized society, in economic shambles, led by a mob in a frenzy and supported by hard-core religious zealots.

All the other side needs to do is to stay put. Cadavers, wounds, and rubble aside, it seems like the native population is not budging at all while the Zionist project lives its last breaths.

Despite these facts, most of Arab society still considers Resistance to be futile. While the World’s independent freethinkers are awed by the strength and resilience of the Palestinians, most Arabs gravitate towards a crushing feeling of hopelessness rather than expect or envision anything but defeat. It’s like a more complex form of the classic Stockholm Syndrome: a self-sadistic comfort zone where we have adopted the "victim mentality" of our latest occupier.

If there’s anything History has taught us, it’s that no societal condition is chronic. Right is Might and, ultimately, a few years or decades from now, when one studies the horrific events of today, they will be dumbfounded by the modern-day Goliaths, their allies and hubris in believing they could conquer the heart of the Middle East, cleanse the natives, or defeat the authentic Sons of David.