If you're talking about the al-Qaeda statements, then you're right this is something we need to pay attention to. Juan Cole went into this in the bottom November 14 entry. (permalinks bloggered) We're probably going to have to agree to disagree about the Arab world as a whole. You're correct that there is no grassroots movement for peace with Israel, but there is one for war. Still, the large percentage of Arabs may not like Israel for various reasons, but they don't think their governments should get involved in obliterating it, either. In that sense, it might be the reverse of the situation with Israel in this country, where there is a well-organized grassroots that supports Israel, while polls show the "median" of Americans is probably pro-Israel but generally not interested in serious action of the Bob Graham variety.

One thing to keep in mind is that Arab anti-Semitism tends to be very top-down. The stereotypes most often heard involve Jewish conspiracies running the world; these are imports from Europe handed down by elites educated in the West often for their own purposes. They often fall into a field with little knowledge of Judaism...I once gave an Arab friend a "Fiddler on the Roof" soundtrack as a gift, and she was surprised to learn how much Judaism and Islam had in common as seen in the lyrics. Fixing the education problems would go a long way toward addressing the issues you raise.

We disagree about the level of contempt for Israel and the Jews that the average Arab has. Granted my experience is not all inclusive, but at least I have lived in the Arab World (Bahrain) and have some personal experience with the culture. While the every day Arab in the street may have many other things to worry about, the level of vitriol against Jews and Israel cannot be understated.

Look at the “Arab street” in France, and tell me that the large percentage of them don't want to see Israel obliterated. They may or may not want the French government to do it, but they want it done.

I'd guess in Bahrain you probably saw the same thing I did in Jordan, admittedly often ugly, though there many Jordanians took pride in the "moderate" label as opposed to the Palestinian refugees in that country. I'm not trying to deny it is there and a problem, one you as a Jew probably noticed more than I did. Contempt for Israel is definitely there, which generalizes into anti-Semitism and eats up the top-down rhetoric I referred to above. I guess at the level of eventual solutions I'm more optimistic than you are.

I'm going to Fez this summer where there is still a noteworthy if small Jewish community. I hope to pay more attention to this issue then.

Enjoy the time in Fez. I envy your optimism, I lost mine long ago. I pray I'm wrong, but everyday I see evidence to the contrary... and ignoring it doesn't make it go away.

The Arabs could have solved the issue with Israel at any time since 1948 but have refused to do it. I've concluded they simply do not want peace, and there is ample evidence where they keep telling us that. I fear the optimism shared by many in the US and Israel about peace prospects lead them to ignore the bad news while hoping for the best.

My optimism has become cynicism, and that's not healthy either.