June 7th...

912 years ago, on this day, the army of Norman-Italian noble Bohemond broke the siege of Antioch (led by the prince of Mosul, Kerbogha Bey) when a monk named Peter Bartholomew claimed to have found the "Spear of Destiny" (the lance that had pierced Christ's side during the Crucifixion) with the help of the Apostle Andrew. This victory for the Latin Christians ("frahnks" is the term the Muslims gave them) established the first of the Latin States in the Levant (or Outremer, in French... "oversees") in 1098. Bohemond named himself "Prince of Antioch" and established (or re-established) the Latin Patriarchy of Antioch at a church first built by St Peter himself within Antioch... a titular see that has existed ever since.

With the establishment of the Crusader States in Palestine over the next 6 years (the Counties of Edessa and Tripoli, the Principality of Antioch, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem), Outremer became a factor in Middle East foundational history that remains a contributor to modern political theory. How often is Israel referred to as "Jews and Crusaders" by the likes of Arafat, Khomeini, and bin Laden? How often to modern detractors of the Israeli state use the same terms?

I keep thinking that the analogy isn't without merit, however.

Outremer: By 1100 AD, fully in possession of most of modern Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and significant parts of Syria and Turkey... all relatively easy land to invade and capture, but all very difficult to defend, both strategically and tactically. All four principal states were geographically isolated from their traditional sources of support and finance (France, Italy, central Europe, and the Byzantine Greeks), and were literally surrounded by Muslim populations that vastly outnumbered the Latin Franks. Technology and tactics made the opposing forces relatively equal in their abilities, but to counter the superior numbers of the Muslims, the Franks were smart enough to establish a series of "fortified settlements" across their territories that allowed the states to become self-sufficient through feudal service that took local leaders away from the cities and formed a series of "strong points" that acted as a buffer for the administrative centers and coastal areas (a lesson taken from another Norman "conqueror", William of Normandy). Over the next century, some of these "fortified settlements" would come to define the pinnacle of what "fortification technology" was to be centuries to come. The few and short periods of "peace" enjoyed by the people of Outremer are found when the Franks are able and willing to deal with (meaning treat and trade with) their neighbors, the Muslim caliphates and emirates of Egypt, Damascus, Aleppo and Baghdad. Outremer ultimately failed because the ruling minority was unable to integrate with the regional powers over the long-term, mainly through unattainable diplomatic or religious expectations, while the subjugated majority was relegated to a servile status in perpetuity.

Israel: Like Outremer, Israel finds itself trying to defend difficult terrain from a vastly superior number of potential enemies, while remaining isolated from its most powerful allies. Israel has countered this difficulty with a vastly superior tactical, strategic and technological advantage over its Muslim neighbors that has provided a deterrent to mass attack since the early 1970s. Since the founding of the nation, they have employed a strategy of establishing "fortified settlements" across their territory, and this strategy has proved very successful in both deterring and slowing actual invasion forces, while also ensuring a level of self sufficiency that allows the state to continue to exist in times of war and peace. Israel has made substantial improvements to its relations with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and (until recently) Turkey, but still faces a very real and measurable threat from such neighbors as Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and from a vast diaspora of Palestinian peoples spread throughout the region and the world, as well as constituting a full 20% of the domestic population. Israel's greatest successes have stemmed from diplomatic, strategic and economic cooperation with its closest neighbors, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, while successfully stemming invasion from the same nations (and Syria).

Does anyone think my analogy completely off-base? I'm not suggesting that Israel is destined to the same fate as Outremer, but the parallels are real and quite specific. Does anyone else think there are lessons to be gained from here?