With events in the Middle East moving so rapidly and with the Camp David summit, it is important to understand the true meaning of the terms and concepts being used. What follows is a glossary that can serve as kind of a “Guide to the Perplexed.” This combination dictionary and thesaurus should be helpful in figuring out what is really going on:
“A Light Unto the Nations” — see national suicide.
Abu — the name of many Palestinian negotiators.
American peace team — see “peace at any price.”
appeasement — see Israeli negotiating strategy.
Camp David — see legacy, Nobel Peace Prize.
concessions — what are expected only from Israel.
Egypt — see cold peace.
Egyptian media — see Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
goodwill gesture — an Israeli concession ignored by Palestinians.
governing coalition — here today, gone tomorrow.
Ha’aretz — a far-left Israeli daily whose motto is “all we are always saying is give peace a chance”.
Hamas moderate — a terrorist who has run out of ammunition.
hardliners — those concerned about Israel’s security; see also right-winger.
Hezbollah — a social welfare organization incidentally devoted to the violent destruction of Israel.
IDF — A legendary military force whose current primary mission is avoidance of casualties.
Israel — a tiny democracy becoming tinier.
Israeli Arab members of Knesset — see Fifth Column.
Israel’s best friend in the White House — see also Arabs’ best friend.
Israeli peace team — see manual “How Not to Negotiate.”
Israeli security — see disappearing “red lines.”
Jerusalem — the soon-to-be-divided capital of Israel.
jihad — Arab expression of love and reconciliation.
Knesset — democracy running wild.
Lebanon — see Syria.
Libya — a mortal threat to Egypt, justifying huge Egyptian arms build-up; see also Sudan.
“New Middle East” — aka “old Middle East in sheep’s clothing”.
Oslo process — Israel gives, Arabs take.
painful compromises — what Israel is asked to do; see also paying the price.
Palestinian police — military forces fully equipped with automatic weapons and anti-tank missiles.
Palestinian media — see “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”
Palestinian National Authority — a corrupt clique headed by a former terrorist.
Palestinian refugees — misnomer for mostly displaced persons, victims of Arab neglect.
Palestinian right of return — last rites for Israel.
Phalcon — a single aircraft that can change the entire balance of power in Asia.
pre-1967 Lines — aka “Auschwitz borders,” per Abba Eban.
Pro-Israel — supporters of Natan Sharansky’s letter to Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
qualitative edge — Israeli technology plus “the kid in the cockpit.”
reciprocity — a concept not applicable to the Palestinian National Authority.
rogue state — now “a state of concern,” according to the State Department.
Shas — an Israeli political party whose votes can never be bought, but can be rented.
secure borders — a vanishing concept; see also defensible borders.
senior administration official — aka Dennis Ross.
settler — pejorative term for an Israeli practicing Zionism.
State Department — aka the fudge factory, per JFK.
summit — see photo opportunity.
Syria — a hereditary republic.
Syrian election — 99.9 percent for the winner.
Syrian media — see “Mein Kampf.”
U.N. Partition Plan (1947) — what comes after Israel withdraws to 1967 lines.
U.S. aid package — president proposes, but Congress disposes.
West Bank — misnomer for Judea and Samaria.
Zionism — an archaic, illegitimate movement, according to Israeli post-Zionists.