Communication Strategies

The article that is to be critiqued in this paper, entitled Israelis are living high on US expense account, was written by Michael Backmann and was published in the Malaysian Insider on the 17th of January 2009. The article is basically about the features and other dimension of the age-old issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict (Backman 2009, n. p.). Mr. Backman introduced the arguments by citing the killings of the Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics Games where Prime Minister Golda Meir told her supporters that the assassinators will pay expensively for the death of her Jewish people (Palestine Facts 2010, n. p.). Hence, the prime minister has employed numerous efforts to prove the killers that she is serious with what she said and this includes the Wrath of God, considered to be of the most ambitious and covert counter-terrorist activity to ever be organized in the human history (Palestine Facts 2010, n. p.). Indeed, the Palestinian Arab killers were punished for what they did and the Israeli government seem to be contended but this event did not mark the end of the Palestinian-Israeli misunderstanding because since then, a number of terrifying plots were executed by both parties in order to prove that their side is better and stronger than the other (Palestine Facts 2010, n. p.).

Examples of these attacks include the bombing in the public transportation area of London, bombing in bars in Bali, Indonesia, and the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in September 11, 2000 which is one of the most notable Muslim attack that has sent each and every human citizen in doubt of the capability of his or her respective nations to protect him or her from possible terrorist attack (Backman 2009, n. p.). Consequently, many other events in history which has claimed the life of many innocent individuals and guilty terrorists as well have resulted from the battle between Israel and Palestine (Backman 2009, n. p.). In addition to this, it can be said that the people who become victims of these attacks are not exclusive citizens of the opposing nations but even trans-national residents, support groups and allied countries like the United States of America, a nation which, according to the author, has been living on high expense due to their countless efforts to help the Israelites (Backman 2009, n. p.). With all of these things in mind, it will then be vital to think of ways on how the effects of this globally affecting battle can be lessened, if not totally eliminated, and one of the plausible ways is by looking at the cultural and societal context of Israel in pursuing this battle and inspiring to promote changes in their war-related virtues and principles (Backman 2009, n. p.). The author was actually arguing that the way to address the growth of the unwanted effects of the Palestinian Arabs- Israelite Jews battle aftermaths is to initiate changes in the lives and general practices of the Israelites (Backman 2009, n. p.).

Moreover, he believes that only in the fulfillment of this goal will the citizens of Israel be able to achieve peace in the same way that the Parsees of India has achieves the tranquility of their community (Backman 2009, n. p.). In connection to this, as a critical reader, I believe that the arguments presented by the author were backed up by concrete evidences and were based on the thorough analysis of the underlying circumstances. However, I believe that the kind of changes that the author was talking about were not properly discussed and needs further elucidation. I also believe that efforts should not only come from the Israelites but also from the Palestinians because both parties must learn how to create mutual and beneficial agreements that will bring about global peace and longitudinal balance. This being said, the goal of this paper is to support with evidences the previously mentioned statement that was made in accordance to the arguments that were presented in Backmans article. This paper actually aims to present a critical analysis of the article written by Michael Backman and present an argument of the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of the concepts of the author.

Discussion
Historically speaking, the Israelites and the Palestinians were in good terms for hundreds of years and this is certified by the invitation of the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul for Jewish people who were expelled from the Spanish and Portuguese boundaries to live in his kingdom (Backman 2009, n. p.). However, issues of land ownership and territorial boundaries eventually arose between the two nations which marked the start of one of the most long-lasting and influential battle in the human history, the Palestinian-Israelite conflict (MidEastWeb 2007, n. p.). The battle not only involved the military staffs but has also damaged the lives of the ordinary citizens of the two countries involved and even that of the allied countries (MidEastWeb 2007, n. p). Trans-national involvement in the said conflict is evident in the countless terrorist attacks that were initiated by the Arabs whenever they feel that one of their brothers are hurt or were treated in an unjust manner (MidEastWeb 2007, n. p). Consequently, the Arabs operate under the mentality that a kick in the leg will send the rest of the body to feel it while a harder kick will result to the general reaction of the whole body to defend the maltreated part (Backman 2009, n. p.). This means that regardless of the fact that the Arabs around the world have not head or single leader, they are still united by a common idea which is to defend their brothers in faith and to never allow anyone to view them as inferior people (MidEastWeb 2007, n. p). Hence, it can be said that the Muslims have a very strong bond that the Christians and even Jews fail to exhibit (Backman 2009, n. p.).

In accordance to the aforementioned mentality of the Arabian people, citizens around the globe are seen to comply with the negative that the Palestinians attribute to the Israelites and an evidence of this is the Malaysian practice of not allowing any of its citizens to visit Israel because they are sympathizing with the sufferings of the Palestinians (Backman 2009, n. p.). An interview with the former Finance Minster of Malaysia revealed that their country will only welcome the thought of visiting Israel once the Israelites learn to respect and treat the Palestinians in a better manner (Backman 2009, n. p.). Events in Nepalese trek houses, one of the warmest and most hospitable hosts in the world, reveal that their guides would rather let their business remain idle that accept an Israelite visitor and this is because of the fact that they dislike the arrogance and pride that the Israelites tend to show (Backman 2009, n. p.). In this case, it is justifiable to infer that the Israelites are really in need of social renewal by incorporating changes in their national structure and this can be done by following the models executed by the Parsees of India (Backman 2009, n. p.). This ethnic group is a relatively small community occupying the land in central Mumbai but their small quantity does not prohibit them from having a good reputation among the local citizens and even in the international visitors (Backman 2009, n. p.). The respect attributed to these people is a result of the honest interest to help uplift the lives of their fellow Indians which is seen in their activity if building schools, museums, and many other public institutions (Backman 2009, n. p.). Therefore, the importance of the Parsees of India is justified by their inherent desire to share their properties to their needy Indian brothers (Backman 2009, n. p.).

Consequently, while it is true that some of the actions of the Jewish community against Palestinians have resulted to major global attacks, it is still improper to blame all the aforementioned commotion to the Israelites. I believe that in order to solve the Jewish-Palestinian conflict, both parties must exert effort and the leaders of the two nations must work hand in hand to settle the arguments that were passed on from generation to generation. Moreover, I believe that the usage of adjectives such as arrogant or flashy to connote those Israelites is not a very good thing to do because the author should have not given a generalization of the Israelite attitude based only from the actions of some trekkers in Nepal. The aim of the author to promote ways that can address the Palestinian-Israelite conflict is noble but his way of delivering his propositions is improper and might have damaged the morality and reputation of the entire Jewish community. In general, I believe that the best way to address the said conflict is to create mutual agreements between the two groups and find ways to achieve compromise between the two parties.