Non-flammable observation about Arabs and Jewish people

[burythehatchet]

Bill Moyers, in his wonderful series, The Power of Myth said that mythology is similar in every culture, and only differentiated by environmental factors. It seems to me that the arid terrain of the former Ottoman empire (proper) dictated that Arabs were nomadic tribes. In fact, when Jews and Arabs lived in harmony, for a lot longer than they have been fighting, they might all have been nomads.

By definition, nomads move from territory to territory, developing their own particular modes of socialization and engagement. Today's Israel seems to be a agrarian culture. I understand that intellectual industries are also very strong in Israel, but the relevant fact is that this land is no longer a "public" asset.

I wonder how much this plays into the conflict, in view of the important role that religious pilgrimage plays in an Arab person's life. This may also be the motivation for Islamic fundamentalists to want to establish a Caliphate. Borders have not played a major role in Arab history. Tribes either formed alliances or were in conflict with other tribes. I wonder if this social structure also leads to local groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Its how the tribes had been organized.

ON EDIT - Joe Campbell said it in an interview with Nill Moyers

[LeftCoast]

1. Wasn't that Joseph Campbell?

:shrug:

[burythehatchet]

2. corrected

[Selatius]

3. The notion of nation-states is relatively new in most parts of the world

If you drew up ridiculous boundaries as the departing colonial power in the region, of course there is going to be conflict. Throwing up national boundaries over historic trails and access to water creates problems as those boundaries have the effect of penning in people and cutting people off from their ancestral lands. One of the reasons Africa is racked by war is precisely because of this.

Iraq, for instance, is what you get when you pen in several different tribes of people and expect them to live in harmony when they have historically had nothing to do with each other up until the creation of Iraq by the exiting colonial power, the British Empire.

[burythehatchet]

4. Of course, water. The oasis was a public land.

[Selatius]

8. One of the biggest issues at Camp David was water rights

The problem is that during the whole occupation and colonial settlement of the West Bank and Gaza Strip by Israel, there have been issues over who gets access to the water. Palestinian groups have said Israeli settlers seem to have been given preference with respect to water than Palestinians have.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Yeah, I think you're onto something there

this is more like a family squabble than anything else.

[cigsandcoffee]

6. A family squabble with rockets, tanks, suicide bombs and F-16s, anyway.

That would really liven up the holiday arguments around here.

[burythehatchet]

9. There's been family sqabbles where

I'm glad I was unarmed.

[porphyrian]

7. Yep, I'm with the water vote.

By the way, I just watched Manufacturing Consent, and I highly recommend it to anyone here who hasn't seen it yet (and even those who have, but not recently).