The power of ignorance

Rashid Khalidi introduces his highly acclaimed book, Resurrecting Empires, with a statement that criticizes academics of the Middle East for lacking the courage to "express themselves frankly."  In particular, this is true when dealing with the sensitive issues  that touch on Israel and Palestine.  American audiences are given a biased perspective, that of Israel, and Israel's "defense" is seen as both necessary and justified, regardless of how many civilians are killed in the process.  Of course, Khalidi states that the lack of institutional reward is one reason some academics keep quiet, but what he doesn't explicitly state is that many in the profession have suffered job loss and discrediting for speaking about Israel's crimes against humanity.

I'm not stupid or naive about the many issues presented by Palestinian militants.  Yassir Arafat, God rest his soul, was not perfect, and probably borderline corrupt.  Ha mas, too, had committed some atrocious acts of violence, and their inability to accept Israel as a state has contributed in large part to the current situation.  But anyone who would suggest that this "incursion" is proportional to the rocket attacks is just out right ignorant of the facts.

Since the height of the second intifada, when Israel reoccupied the West Bank and Gaza in April 2002, I've followed the crisis, absorbing every bit of information I could regarding the history of the region.  Back in those days, NPR devoted more than one sentence to the situation, and were certainly less pro-Israeli than currently.  They received many letters and threats from the Jewish community regarding their funding, and since then have barely addressed the daily suffering of Palestinians.

Academics, such as Khalidi, often present too much information and extraneous material when writing for broad audiences, in an effort to attain accreditation and keep from being labeled "anti-Semitic".

I encourage people to read and keep an open mind when listening to the daily broadcasts on CNN and Fox News.  Remember that even in academic circles with highly accredited and acclaimed professors, the courage to speak the truth is very rare.