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While I have, in fact, visited the Middle East, I cannot say I have…what?  I was going to say that I have “no dog in that fight.”  Then, I thought, “no skin in that game.”  But, if anything like that were true, I wouldn’t feel compelled to write anything on the subject.  Yet, here I am.

We now have two representatives in Congress who have roots in the Middle East: Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a Somali refugee; and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, a Palestinian-American.  Also Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is quite vocal, though I am not aware that she has roots there.  All three are women, which I think is “interesting,” given the Muslim repression of women.  All three are Democrats, which is not surprising, but another reason I have rejected the Demos.

What I don’t get is why the other cultures in the Middle East have given the Palestinians less support than the elected officials above.  That’s the first thing.  Why don’t the other Muslim societies support the Palestinians?  They don’t.  Period.  Countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia finance world-wide terrorism, but have they spent even one dollar on schools or hospitals in the area?  Do they finance education abroad to promise a brighter future for the people who live there?  Not that I know of.

I don’t see Middle East support for the Palestinians.  I don’t know why, I just don’t.  I presume, since they all live there, and have a vested interest in the Palestinians, they have a reason to look the other way.  But, if they don’t, why should we?  If they don’t, why should anyone on Capital Hill spend an iota of effort to help them.  Why should my tax dollars support them?

Israel has been a long friend, ever since they single-handedly wrenched a country and culture from the sand.  Visit Israel, if you dare.  The countryside is lush, the desert blooms.  Not so where Palestinians control the landscape.  Let’s see: sand or oranges?  Which do I prefer?

Ideologically, I’ve never heard Israel say the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim, yet almost daily I hear Muslims from all corners of the world espouse this attitude toward individual Jews and Israel in general.  That, right there, is all I need to know.  Yes, Israel has taken military action into lands that it does not “control.”  And, maybe some of that action has been pre-emptive; but mostly it is in response to a Hezbollah missile, or a suicide-bomber.  What would you do if someone killed someone you love, for no good reason?  If you would just roll over and say “Thank you, may I please have another,” then maybe you should strap on a vest.

So now we have three very vocal (I was going to say “noisy”) members of Congress who want to spend MY money getting further involved.  And, when it comes to American “diplomacy,” that invariably means boots on the ground.

Does “something” need to be done?  Well, how to interrupt or derail a never-ending history of violence of the worst kind is the question.  Apparently, the local Muslim population doesn’t want peace in the Middle East.  There is only one way to read their Not In My Backyard (NIMBY): they don’t want peace.  Even before the Jews established the State of Israel, the locals fought amongst themselves.  Since 1947, they’ve used Israel as an excuse to hide how poorly they manage themselves.  Don’t tell me Saudi Arabia doesn’t have enough money to “fix” the problem.  Don’t tell me Iran wants to better the lives of its own people.  Don’t tell me Assad is doing all that he can to raise Syria above the historical ashes.  Maybe individual Muslims want peace, but the powers that be certainly don’t know.

And it is those powers that need convincing.  To those three new members of Congress, I say start working on those powers in the Middle East.  The best way to help the Palestinians is to get the yoke of violence off their back – the yoke that is perpetrated by the established governments in the area.  Israel is just an excuse to continue with the status quo.  The powers in the Middle East need Israel to stay in power.  We now have three avowed anti-Semites in Congress; good luck changing the status quo.