I’ve been following news in Israel since before the 1967 Six Days War, and I’ve lived here since 1970, so I do have quite a long perspective. I remember when Israel’s political Center and even Left mocked the idea of a Palestinian State and People. That was the consensus here. Some of us haven’t changed our opinions, but most inexplicably have.
I emphasis inexplicably, because facts and history haven’t changed. All those Israelis who in recent decades, Right, Left and Center, who now insist, as I’ve heard Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu say, “…the Palestinians deserve a state…” have fallen for a dangerous con/sting.
Why should and how can anybody insist that a bunch of immoral blood-thirsty terrorists should be given land from a peaceful legitimate internationally recognized country so they can invent a new state?
Netanyahu keeps claiming that if he puts enough impossible conditions on this state, it just won’t happen, but he’s wrong.
The ultimate and unrepentant aim of those Arab terrorists, who are called Palestinians, sic, is the destruction of the State of Israel, Gd forbid. Yes, it’s that simple, that black and white.
Highlights of the speeches from the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York, see this and this, show that there are politicians and government ministers who are wary of such a state, but that’s not enough to make me feel safe. And of course, all of their proposals are based on negotiations.
There’s a basic, and very dangerous, premise in negotiations. That is the recognition of the other side as legitimate, equal. That’s the tragic flaw in negotiating which shouldn’t be ignored.
For decades already, the Americans have made it clear that they see the Arabs, even Hamas, as equal to Israel and peaceful citizens like myself.
Over twenty years ago, in my living-room, an American Consular official had the utter gall to equate me and my neighbors with the terrorists of Hamas. I told him off and he seemed very surprised. Since Yitzchak Rabin had been willing to accept the terrorist Arafat, the game had changed for many, but not for me.
Arafat never stopped his support of terrorism against Jews and Israelis and ditto for his successors, such as Abbas.
Support of terrorism isn’t something that can be negotiated away by a bit of compromise. It’s an intrinsic fact.
It doesn’t matter what the format, how direct, indirect, whether in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or the White House, negotiations with terror supporters won’t bring peace. Such negotiations will just weaken us, militarily, ideologically and diplomatically. Take a good look. This is exactly what has been happening the past few decades. Israel’s legitimizing the so-called Palestinians have just chipped away at our acceptance. Today most universities, all over the world, are hotbeds of anti-Israel, pro BDS ideology.
The cat’s out of the bag and we have an almost impossible mess to undo. Gd willing we will succeed.