The Cat is finally out of the bag

Last year it was Israel’s intransigence – building apartments in greater Jerusalem and in their settlements in the West Bank – that was to blame for the lack of Mid-East peace. This year, it is all about Israel’s refusal to accept “1967 borders,” originally an armistice line formed after four Arab countries attacked the nascent Jewish state in 1948. After multiple wars were foisted on Israel, Israel in 1967 conquered the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights, legally winning in blood and treasure the “occupied territories.”

The Arabs now say peace is all about land. President Obama reiterates that peace is about going back to the 1967 borders “with mutually agreed land swaps.”

But peace, unfortunately has never been about land. It was and remains about Israel’s existence and it’s right to be a Jewish nation, small as it is, in the Arab Middle East.

On May 19th, Obama preempted his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu the following day with a “fait accompli”, deciding for the Israelis and Palestinians alike what the basis of peace should be. On May 20th Netanyahu responded, facing a terse Obama, confirming that Israel will not, cannot, return to the indefensible 1967 “borders”, at times 9 miles wide, narrower than the cities of Los Angeles or Washington, DC. He concluded that the Palestinians and the Arab World (and by implication Obama and the State Department) would have to accept by implication some simple and inviolate facts:

a) Israel is an independent country and its survival is its government’s paramount responsibility.

b) Peace is not about land but about attitude. Peace partners do not educate for hate and violence or deny the very real existence of the other.

c) The borders will be adjusted and some Israeli security presence in the Jordan valley will remain in the context of any peace agreement.

d) Jerusalem is not for sale – it will remain an open city for all faiths, all worshippers.

e) The right of return to Israel proper for 4 million (including third and fourth generation) descendants of the original Palestinian refugees is not now and will never be viable. They will need to be absorbed by their host countries and the new Palestinian State with help from the Arab and Western World, as well as Israel,

f) Israel will not negotiate with terrorists – Abbas and the PA will need to make a simple choice, that of reconciliation with Hamas or with Israel, but not both at the same time.

Six clear facts that are now more self-evident than ever before. No more games, subterfuges, no more foils or pretense. Any partners for peace must show they want peace and act accordingly: then and only then is most everything negotiable. Otherwise-and unfortunately-only security will define Israel’s relationships (and borders). Hopefully (and finally) Obama got the message. Israel won’t be bullied – Kudos to Netanyahu.

WSJ – The U.N. Can’t Deliver a Palestinian State
WSJ – Turkey Welcomes U.S. Tack on Israel
WSJ – What If Jews Had Followed the Palestinian Path?

Note 1. Hamas’ charter called for the killing of all Jews (article 7), as well as Israel’s destruction (article 12). Hamas has merged with Abbas’ Fatah forming a unity government: whereupon Meshaal, the Hamas chief, said Hamas would never recognize Israel’s right to exist and would never abandon its goal of liberating all of Palestine (including Israel proper). Yunis al Astal, the PA parliament member, said on TV (May 11, 2011) that “the Jews being brought to Palestine is a divine plan that gives the Arabs the honor of annihilating the evil of this gang”. Only 13% of Palestinians support education for peace and 68% support suicide bombings. In the light of these unfortunate predispositions, peace partners will remain in short supply unless substantive education for tolerance and peaceful co-existence is firmly instituted in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Investigative Project – Hamas Cleric Wants “Honor of Annihilating” the Jews
Washington Post – What Obama Did to Israel