Imagine the following scenario in a fair and just world:

In the dimly-lit brain of George WWIII Bush, a long dormant light bulb suddenly flickers and goes on. He comes to the realization that every nation on earth cannot possibly be wrong about Israel. He begins to understand that the Zionists in Israel and America pose the greatest threat to peace and stability in the world today. Disregarding the evil and fearsome spectre of the Jewish-American lobby, Mr. Bush decides to show true moral courage and leadership and throw his unconditional support behind the liberation of Palestine. With a U.S.-backed military offensive, the Palestinians crush the Israeli army, and establish a Palestinian state on the land once called Israel. The U.S. forges a new-found respect in a world which once gave it no credibility and scoffed at its hypocrisy. Now, the only terrorist threat against America's security comes from a powerless Zionist community which has shifted its focus from buying politicians to buying weapons of mass destruction.

Suddenly, Israel is living in squalid and inhumane conditions, under a brutal, U.S-backed Palestinian occupation of their land.

Are Israelis the type of people who would sit back, behave like good boys and girls, and simply do everything that was "expected" of them?

As the PDF (Palestinian Defense Force) comes to destroy their homes, are Israelis the type of people to ask the bulldozer operators if they can be of any assistance?

As Palestinian settlers from Brooklyn come to occupy what little land they have left, are Israelis the type of people who would send out the "welcome wagon" to greet their lovely new neighbors?

As Israeli leaders are systematically assassinated by the Palestinian "Mossad", is Mr. Netanyahu the type of man who would urge his people not to retaliate because "assassination is official Palestinian policy and they are therefore breaking no laws"?

As Palestinians uproot their olive trees, are Israelis the type of people to apologize for having grown them in the first place?

At Palestinian checkpoints, are Israelis the type of people to wait patiently for hours, and politely obey when they are finally told to turn around and go back where they came from? When their pregnant women are shot at these checkpoints, will they shrug it off and say that the unborn child must have looked like a suicide bomb?

As the leader of a people with no army, whose defenseless civilians are killed daily in Palestinian "crossfire", is Ariel Sharon the type of man who would crawl on all fours before Mrs. Powell and Bush, and say "thank you" when they toss him a little bone?

Are Israelis the type of people who would let the Palestinians elect their leader for them?

As the Palestinians invade their refugee camps, are Israelis the type of people to passively surrender, claiming there is no excuse for "terror" no matter what their grievances might be? Would they smile as they stripped naked for the Palestinian soldiers?

As their police and security forces are systematically destroyed, would the Israeli priority be to arrest their own people who dared to resist the occupation?

Indeed, are Israelis the type of people who deserve to live in peace and autonomy in a civilized world? Or have they squandered that privilege with a half century of brutal aggression, arrogance and inhumanity on a level unparallelled in modern history?

Michael Levine