Posted on 05/05/2003 5:39:14 AM PDT by SJackson
David Shalom 05 May 2003 Email this story Print this story
The Quartet of the EU, Russia, the UN and the US have a plan for "peace", a roadmap for peace in the Middle East, which they say is "not negotiable", which "both sides" must accept. The first, most obvious question that comes to mind is: What happened to sovereignty? Since when can foreign powers dictate what Israel has to do? Since when have foreign powers had a say on what we do in our own eternal capital, Jerusalem? The other question that begs to be asked is: Who are the "two sides"? The conflict in the Middle East has been between Israel and the entire Arab world. It has been caused by the Arab world´s aggression against the tiny Jewish state, seeing it as a thorn in the side of Arab and Islamic dominion.
The wars waged against Israel – five, excluding the Oslo War - have been based on the Arab world´s desire to eliminate Israel from the map. These wars have been waged by the Arab states and it is from these states that the territories of Judea, Samaria and Gaza (Yesha) fell into Israeli hands, after yet another war of Arab aggression in 1967. The premise that lands can be "returned" to the "palestinians" is of course a fallacy, since they were never theirs. It is also a false premise to believe that peace may be achieved by rewarding the aggressor. In most accepted historical norms, it is in fact the aggressor - the Arabs in this case - who must give up land for peace. Indeed, there is no historic precedent of the victor, as Israel was in 1967, giving land to the vanquished. Such a strategy is bound to fail, as it does not include any consequences for aggression. It is almost like saying to the Arabs that they have nothing to loose by perpetually attacking Israel, as they will always get back what they lost - and probably more.
The Roadmap details that in final status negotiations, set for 2005, Israel is to discuss a "fair solution" to the "palestinian refugee" issue. The Roadmap, and unfortunately most of Israel´s leaders, never talk about the true refugees, namely the Jews expelled from the Arab countries. The Jews of the Arab states had lived as peaceful citizens within most of the Arab lands since before the birth of Islam and even Christianity. Their private land itself was probably more than all of Israel’s state lands today. These Jewish citizens were ethnically cleansed from their ancestral home, and their land and property robbed by the Arab governments. In total nearly 1 million Jews were forced out the Arab states, most of whom came to Israel and make up 50% of Israelis today. The "palestinian" Arab refugees are numbered at 600,00 and the vast majority of them chose to leave of their own accord, in the vain hope that they could return after the Arab armies had annihilated the Jewish state. The government of Israel must defend the rights of all the Jews from the Arab lands. If the Arabs in Yesha are to have a state (G-d forbid) than the Jews from Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, etc. should be given states in each and every one of those countries. If the Arabs are to receive compensation, then the Jewish refugees should receive it even more so. The State of Israel should also demand financial compensation for every act of Arab aggression over the past 55 years
Recent research from the Hebrew university shows that most of those Arabs who fled in 1948 had actually come from families who had come to pre-state Israel as a result of the Zionist revival. This has been shown by tracking the origin of the surnames of the people who fled. For example, certain surnames indicate the towns in North Africa where these settlers came from. It is instructive to note that Arafat himself is reputedly of Egyptian origin, as is the now-discredited "palestinian academic" Edward Said.
The root of the conflict is Arab rejectionism, rooted in the dictatorial nature of every single Arab regime. Israel has become the scapegoat with which the Arab rulers may deflect the attention of the disgruntled masses from their own oppression, poverty, corruption and primitive way of life. By portraying Israel as the root of all Arab ills, these rulers have continued to spend billions of dollars on weaponry and palaces, while the masses remain hungry and illiterate.
For there ever to be peace in the region, the Arab states must realize that there are consequences for their actions, that aggression will not be met with concession, that the wars of the past 50 years have their consequences and that they will not gain any territory lost in such Arab-initiated conflicts.
The Israeli government must end the charade. Abu Mazen or Yasser Arafat are the terrorists. They can prevent terrorism, as we have seen them do when it is politically expedient, because they are the source of the terrorism. The PLO is indeed the largest of the Arab terrorist gangs. They are the problem not the solution. The terrorists must be fought and destroyed, not bribed with our heartlands.
The government must allow the conflict to be seen for what it really is - a war between Israel and the Arab states and not between Israel and the two million Arabs who fell under her sovereignty as a result of a war. Israel is indeed a David of five million Jews surrounded by a Goliath of 280 million Arabs. The government must make it clear that the conflict is not about land, the Arabs have 800 times Israel´s landmass, but rather about the racist ideologies that don´t see fit to allow Israel to exist in any borders.
The Arabs must stop incitement. They must learn to educate their children and not poison their minds with hatred. What is needed is a de-Nazification of the Arab populace, but this may indeed prove impossible without that much-tarred word, transfer. The transfer of the majority of the Arabs in Yesha, I feel, will ultimately happen if Israel is to have a future. What is certain, though, is that as long as the PA remains, there never will be peace. They are the authors of the conflict, they are the terrorists, they are the murderers and it is they who have to go.
-------------------------------------------------
David Shalom is a Chemistry undergraduate at Imperial College London.
Burst of reality Bump!
Dead on comment - but not politically correct. No one has the guts to speak the truth!
After listening to the President on Thursday, I understand what his reasoning is. He is looking for a domino theory to happen within the Palestinian state. First, a state founded on democracry. Then that democracy will bring hope, that hope will cause the hatred to give way, as the hatred give way the Palestinians will want to lead normal, peaceful lives raising their children, etc.
I just don't think that is going to happen until the terrorists and their infrastructure is destroyed once and for all and the sense of grievance that is perpetuated is removed and children are not indoctrinated in school that every evil that befalls them is because of Israel.
When all this happens... then maybe, just maybe, the Palestinians hatred will give way to peace.
The first, most obvious answer is: why doesn't that question also apply to the modern state of Israel, which was created by a UN decree?
The second answer is: when Israel can truly go it alone, then it can talk about sovereignty.
The third answer is: there's strategically too much at stake for Europe, Russia, and the U.S. to simply let the situation deteriorate into the mess it will become.
The fourth answer is: because Israel and the PA have demonstrated that they have too much enmity (and too much at stake) to resolve the issue on their own. If there is to be peace, it must come from outside.
And I say that as a supporter of Israel.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.