It has recently been argued in an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal that the Westernization of the world is not related to Palestine, and infuriates jihadists nevertheless; that no matter the cause, Islamists would find reason to hate America. Westernization, Bret Stephens suggests, will be embraced by few and rejected by many, as is always the case with liberalism, until the passage of time shifts what used to be liberal into the norm.
In response, Thomas Hegghammer of The Economist argues that Palestine isn’t the only part of what drives anti-American sentiment across the globe, but the state itself certainly does matter. The Economist, a British weekly magazine, takes a more moderate stance than the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times, pinions of the right and left, respectively. It is important to note that according to Hegghammer, images of dead Palestinians accelerate recruitment of anti-American jihadist groups.
While it would be naive to think that assuaging Palestine’s worries and fears will bring about peace in the Middle East, it does seem logical that if Palestine were to be placated in some manner, anti-American sentiment would die down among the Arab league. Was the rebuke of Israel then the Obama administration’s charade to get on the good side of the Islamists who burn American flags? Probably. Does that mean that it worked? It’s too early to tell.
