November 25, 2006 ... What should have been already.

If all had gone according to the interpretation of the historical record; if the League of Nations' determination had been upheld; and if the Sinai peninsula had not been given up because of international duress towards Ariel Sharon, and his predecessor David Ben- Gurion, Israel would now be equivalent in size to Jordan instead of barely more than twice the size of Cyprus.

 

Granted, this larger land area of about 85,000.00 km2 as opposed to 21,000.00 km2 would not have yielded much more in terms of natural resources or agricultural advantage beyond what Israel already commands, but it would have permitted a quadrupling of the current population without raising the population density beyond that of the United Kingdom, which it is at present. In addition, it would have better justified the amount of military activity and expenditure to maintain Israel's sovereignty, which supposes that the conflicts of today would even have arisen to anything like the intensity that they have.

It is reckoned that a population in excess of 12 million is needed to be a sustainable proposition in comparison to the present 6.4 million, much of it to come from the Diaspora due to a less than adequate birth rate in comparison to the Arab populous.

Contemporary attempts at greening the Negev desert region are under way in order to encourage resettlement due to youth leaving the kibbutzim, for example, but this very much depends on the availability of fresh water, which is in short supply all over this part of the middle east. Even getting enough fresh water for current demand from the Jordan river is having a drastic effect on the Dead Sea's levels, and can be compared with what is happening to the Aral Sea.

To compound this issue, Israel has 21% of its population living below the poverty line, has a 9% unemployment rate, and is massively indebted to foreign financial institutions. A debt that can be significantly attributed to too much need for defence spending, which would be better employed as capital with which to develop the economy.

Israel is very much at a point of decision about its ultimate viability beyond a micro-state with all the difficulties implied in terms of indebtedness and reliance on fair-weather allies. For lest we forget, Israel had to come into being after World War Two in order to be sure of a safe haven for persecuted Jews denied any safe haven--except where war-effort expediency demanded-- from the likes of the Nazis.

So what's the good news?

With a failing Iraq on the point of sectarian disintegration, and Lebanon on the point of a coup de tat, the kaleidoscope has been shaken and the middle east is in flux. This is the time to grasp the opportunity of the bigger Israel that should have already been.