The Jewish Policy Center hosted a webinar featuring Professor Harold Rhode, an expert in Middle Eastern history and culture, to discuss the recent developments involving the Hebron sheikhs, tribal dynamics in the West Bank, and the broader Middle Eastern context, including Syria and the Druze.
Key points from the discussion include:
Hebron Sheikhs and Tribal Dynamics
- In Middle Eastern society, loyalty is to family, clan, and tribe, not nationality or land.
- The Hebron sheikhs, representing local clans, have proposed creating an autonomous “Hebron Emirate” in cooperation with Israel, recognizing it as a Jewish state.
- These sheikhs view the Palestinian Authority (PA) as foreign and illegitimate, imposed on them by outsiders through the Oslo Accords.
- The PA is perceived as weak in Hebron, and the sheikhs have governed themselves effectively for generations.
- Clan structures dictate marriage, loyalty, and governance, making Western political models like individual rights hard to apply.
Implications for the Palestinian Authority
- The PA has dismissed the Hebron initiative as Israeli propaganda.
- However, the reality on the ground suggests strong opposition to PA rule from local clans.
- Efforts to crush or dismiss these tribal leaders could backfire, weakening the PA further.
Broader Regional Dynamics and Gaza
- Similar clan-based governance could be applied in Gaza, provided Israel supports and protects cooperative families.
- Past Israeli failures to protect allies (e.g., during withdrawal from southern Lebanon or early Gaza operations) undercut potential partnerships.
- To succeed, Israel must demonstrate strength and reliability, which are critical virtues in the Middle East.
Violence and Power in the Region
- Peace, as understood in the West, doesn’t exist in Middle Eastern political culture. The best outcome is enforced calm through strength.
- Groups like Hamas and PA operate as power players, and only decisive action garners respect and compliance.
Syria, the Druze, and Israel’s Strategic Posture
- Recent attacks on Syria’s Druze drew a strong Israeli response, cementing Israel’s role as a protector of Druze communities.
- Israel’s reaction contrasted with its silence on atrocities against the Alawites, underscoring its selective engagement based on alliances and strategic interests.
- The conversation also referenced differences between various Muslim sects and longstanding historical grievances.
Western Misunderstandings
- U.S. and Western policy tends to prioritize democratic elections and individual rights, which do not align with the group-based logic of Middle Eastern societies.
- Examples include the unintended consequences of forcing elections in Gaza (leading to Hamas’s rise) and undermining allies through misplaced idealism (Jimmy Carter and the Shah of Iran).
- American notions of goodwill are seen as weakness in the region.
Solution Framework
- Peace in the region comes through strength, respect for local power structures, and enforcing order rather than imposing Western democratic ideals.
- Israel can work with tribal structures to create security and economic cooperation, as long as it respects their methods and provides firm support.
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Professor Rhode highly recommends Bernard Lewis’s work, especially “The Return of Islam” (Commentary, 1976), for understanding the deeper cultural and ideological foundations of Middle Eastern thinking.
- He also wrote a short book, “Modern Islamic Warfare,” available for free at harold-rode.com.
The webinar underscored the need for nuanced understanding of local structures, the power of tribal and group loyalties, and the role of strength in fostering stability in the Middle East.
The recap of this webinar was generated by computer.
