Bibi, cede Barak and go home
Less than 24 hours after the Israeli Prime Minister left Israel to go the United States to participate in the ongoing peace talks four Israeli civilians were murdered in an ambush as they drove on highway 60 outside the Hebron area.
Their deaths were inevitable. It is a cycle, a pattern, we have seen it play out over and over again as peace negotiations begin. Every time it happens, there are official announcements from all interested parties that the participants will not let these deaths deter them from continuing negotiations which lead nowhere quickly.
Why this time should be different from any other talks when the Palestinian leadership is represented by the weakest leader the PLO has ever produced, a leadership camp which fractured and fraught with competing and conflicted interests should produce a different result than all the other xxx times peace talks have commenced; beyond my ability to engage in irrationality. And the Americans this time around are no better. Ynet News is quoting US Assistant Secretary of State Phillip Crowley as saying:
“We also are cognizant that there may well be actors in the region who are deliberately making these kinds of attacks in order to try to sabotage the process,” he said.
All of which goes to prove he just doesn’t get it. These aren’t actors, actors pretend to kill people, but are instead Israel’s neighbours and alleged peace partners except they are not prime for peace but war.
As a show of …good faith – the Palestinian Authority has rounded up 200 suspected Hamas members in the West Bank. Personally, given the area and its’ history, I would suggest rounding up the Palestinian security forces for interrogation would be a far more fruitful endeavour for appending the murderers. Colour me cynical, but using the ambush as a pretext for jailing one’s political proponents doesn’t strike me as taking one for Team Justice and Peace.
Ha’aretz is reporting Labor Minister of Defense Ehud Barak is suggesting Israel is willing to cede part of Jerusalem ahead of negotiations – and this after the murder of four Israelis. It just might be in Israel’s best interest to cede Barak to the Palestinians instead. It certainly couldn’t hurt.
What Bibi needs tell Obama is simply this; He is ready to meet the Palestinian leadership after the Palestinian have worked out their internal matters, and the Palestinian people are prepared for peace, real peace, which includes painful compromises on their part - as otherwise there is simply not anything to negotiate or even say. Time to go home and bury the dead and fortify Yisrael for the next round.
Until then, let’s shelve the two-state peace talks and explore the possiblity of a one state discussion.
they are ready for peace? it does not go good with two of their statments thats says that israel has to become arab country and that sirael has no right to exsist.
What type of one state solution to you have in mind?
Marky, now that is by far the best question someone has asked me today. I’m a Zionist, in the more traditional sense rather than a part of the secular movement. On the Israeli political spectrum I fit most easily in the Dati-camp which makes me far more radical than most middle-of-road Israeli supporters found in Canada.
I believe the most feasible solution to the conflict is to annex the West Bank in some form and extend full voting rights to all Palestinians who are willing to be equal citizens and fully participate in Eretz Yisrael with the understanding that it is the homeland of the Jewish people. I believe there would probably have to be a litmus test or loyalty oath instituted given the nature and length of the conflict. One thing no one has asked the Palestinian people to date whether they would want to consider joining – I wouldn’t mind see a reformation take place on the issue.
Now I have some caveats. I would not support the return of Palestinians to Eretz Yisrael, but even I would be willing to work on pressuring the various Arab governments to extend full citizenship rights to all Palestinians within their various territories. The truth is, even if a Palestinian state was established tomorrow, not more than a handful of Palestinians would be allowed to return under the Palestinian Authority. For a multitude of complex reasons. Geographically, the area we are discussing is small – nor does it possess the infrastructure or resources to accept the influx of 4 million+ Palestinians. An influx of that magnitude would be a humanitarian disaster of biblical proportions before 3 months had passed. It was a miracle that Israel was able to adsorb the Jewish influx, and it was not without great personal cost to all involved…just think of the state of the Jewish communities from Iraqi, Yemen and even Morocco post-statehood.
I wouldn’t extend it to the Gaza Strip owing to the nature of the political make-up there. Those Palestinians who refused citizenship could be compensated for property and the government could work about resettling them in another country. It’s a broad issue – and one that should be explored and discussed on both sides. I think a solution along the lines I am thinking of is far more feasible than the mythical 2 state solution which makes political hay in the papers.
Mor:
Are the Palestinians ready for peace? I don’t see it and with a corrupt and divided Palestinian leadership I don’t believe it is possible. How can the Palestinians make peace with Israel when they cannot even make peace with themselves? Furthermore, I see no signs that the PA has prepared it’s population for peace and the necessary sacrifices peace with Israel would naturally entail for them to make.
I am saddened but not surprised by the murders – the Arabs are pushing and pushing to see how far they can go without any consequences. I am constantly disgusted by the belief that if only Israel would give up more and more and more, then there would be peace? How much is enough -mass suicide? I haven’t seen one sign that Abbas is either ready or willing to made a real peace settlement and forget about Hamas.