though Israel fought and won alone, overshadowing its own prior victories.

* * *

An Arab, going over this brief history, can find in it enough to warrant the conclusion that Israel was created by imperialism, will always be aligned to it and couldn't exist without it. Yet, this conclusion is a misreading of the facts. Israel is the product of a great liberating movement, which by the peculiar circumstances of its inception was forced into imperialistic alliances, yet never was a puppet. Rather, it was a partner that retained the fruits of its cooperation long after the other partner had departed. It is imperative that the Arabs understand this for several reasons.

First of all, a misreading of the facts can lead to a dangerous misunderstanding of the reality. It is easy to feel contempt for a puppet, a contempt which may backfire when put to the test. It is also dangerous, since Israel is not a puppet, to assume that Israel will disappear once its imperialist patrons disappear from the Middle East. This is an illusion.

Secondly, the true character of Israel has to be recognized if ever an end is to be put to the Arab-Jewish vicious circle. Under a certain set of circumstances, Israel became an ally of imperialism, much as other states did. Under a different set of circumstances, Israel can and will assume a different posture. It may then mean something quite different to Arab nationalism.

It is important not only for the Arabs; the Israelis themselves must learn to analyze their recent past with complete objectivity in order to understand how their great progressive and liberating movement, one of the most glorious in history, came to be bound up with modern imperialism, one of the most unsavory of world movements.

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