by Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen
The American decision to cut funding to UNRWA is a correction of a false reality that was established with the aim of perpetuating, rather than solving, the Palestinian refugee problem.
UNRWA elementary school in Gaza, photo by Muhammad Sabah via Btselem
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 941, September 6, 2018
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: With
the sole exception of Palestinians, international law does not grant
refugee status to generation after generation of any group until the end
of time. The American decision to cut funding to UNRWA is therefore a
correction of a false reality that was established with the aim of
perpetuating, rather than solving, the Palestinian refugee problem.
The US administration’s decision to cut funding
for UNRWA is a bold decision that should have been made in the last
century. The Palestinian refugee phenomenon is not unique in human
history, but the international approach to it – especially in its
treatment by the UN and its institutions – deviates from any universally
accepted measure.
Nevertheless, Israeli security experts warn
against the consequences of this decision, which they believe may
undermine stability. This is a classic response of experts who cling to a
familiar reality rather than take necessary steps that venture into an
unknown.
This response reflects natural human anxiety about
changing reality. Consider workers who inform management that they need
a raise. The management is faced with a dilemma. To cover the cost of a
wage increase, there would have to be a corresponding increase in the
price of the products, which could drive buyers towards the competition.
If no corresponding increase in the price of the products is made,
production will cease to be profitable. Either way, the factory will
face difficulties and might close down. In view of these concerns, the
management might refuse to raise the workers’ wages, warning: “You are
marching towards an abyss.”
This is a classic, rational dynamic that causes
people to avoid taking a step that, while desirable, could have risky
consequences. Karl Marx presented this behavior as a surrender to what
he called “false consciousness.” The workers continue to be exploited
through the argument that they are better off preserving the existing
situation.
A change in an undesirable reality begins,
therefore, when people are willing to shake off their familiar
understanding of reality in anticipation of a new and potentially better
one. Such daring requires the willingness to pay the possible price of
disrupting an existing system. Moses faced such a difficulty when he
went to Pharaoh with the demand “Let my People go.” Pharaoh’s immediate
response created an even more difficult situation for the Israelites,
leading Moses to complain to God: “Why did you send me to Pharaoh?”
This dynamic is familiar to every leader who would
introduce change. Experts will always be on hand to supply convincing
reasons why the status quo should be preserved, with all its problems.
Because it is familiar, it is labeled the lesser evil.
Here lies the substantive difference between the
vantage point of experts – such as intelligence officers who are
responsible for warning about what could happen if a familiar, stable
pattern is disrupted – and that of leaders. While a leader must pay
close attention to the warnings of experts, he must have the boldness to
act when necessary to change realities that require correction. As
David Ben-Gurion said, experts specialize in what has already happened –
not what is going to happen.
This article appeared in Hebrew in Israel Hayom on September 2, 2018.
BESA Center Perspectives Papers are published through the generosity of the Greg Rosshandler Family
Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen is a senior research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. He served in the IDF for forty-two years. He commanded troops in battles with Egypt and Syria. He was formerly a corps commander and commander of the IDF Military Colleges.
Source: https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/unrwa-support-cut/
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