The Truth about The Treaty of Hudaibiya

http://www.jpost.co.il/Columns/Article-2.html

US Representative Jim Saxton (Republican-New Jersey) recently wrote an article criticizing Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority for various wrongdoings, and President Bill Clinton and Secretary Madeleine Albright for pandering to them. He wrote inter alia: "...how can anyone trust an agreement to the Treaty of Hudaibiya enacted by the Prophet Mohammed, in which a treaty lasts as long as political expediency dictates?"

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) demanded a retraction and an apology. CAIR said that Mohammed "never broke any agreement," citing several classical Moslem commentators in support.

Responding to the pressure, Saxton sent CAIR a letter saying he agreed with a 1996 U.S. News & World Report editorial stating that "The 10-year truce [of Hudaibiya] was broken... by the Meccans."

But he didn't owe them an apology.

In March 628, Mohammed and his Meccan rivals signed a 10-year truce at Hudaibiya. In January 630 "the murder of a Muslim by a Meccan for what appears to have been a purely private difference of opinion served as a casus belli for final attack and conquest of Mecca" (Bernard Lewis, The Arabs in History, Harper Torchbooks, 1966).

And "By sabotage, by deceit, by the terror of Mohammed's name, the city had been weakened; and it fell into his hands... like a ripe plum" (Robert Payne, The History of Islam, Dorset Press, 1959).

SERIOUS FLAWS WITH A PALESTINIAN STATE  (and Oslo Agreements)

(1) The most fundamental flaw is the renunciation of Jewish claims to Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. The right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel is God-given and cannot be renounced by a transitory Israeli government. The present government has no right to deprive future generations of Jews and Israelis of their legal patrimony.

(2) Yasir Arafat's PLO is incapable of providing Israelis with the cessation of violence they so dearly crave. There are ten rejectionist PLO factions plus Hamas and other Islamic fundamentalist factions that will continue to kill Jews.

(3) Without the presence of Israel's internal security force (Shin Bet) inside Judea, Samaria and Gaza, it will be impossible to halt terrorism or even keep it within present levels. The Israel Defense Forces maintain tremendous power but are of little importance in day-to-day terrorism.

(4) Arafat's signature on the agreement and the PLO acceptance is of no consequence as Arafat is a documented liar. Muslims are permitted to lie to to non-Muslims and break agreements with them under the Koranic law of HUDAIBIYA. Treaties and contracts with them are worthless.

(5) By virtue of this agreement, the Israeli government has validated Arab claims to the Land of Israel. Decades of fighting Arab propaganda and distortions of history are trivialized and discounted.

(6.) This agreement puts the status of Jerusalem on the negotiating table. Every previous government of Israel steadfastly stood by the principle of Jerusalem being non-negotiable.

(7) All of Israel's military and civilian communications will now be easily monitored from the hills of Judea and Samaria.

(8) While Israeli radar and military installations are not affected by this current agreement, the future is less certain. Eventually the Arab population will force the Israelis out.

(9) Whether they admit it publicly or not, Israeli leaders know that this is the first step to a Palestinian state.

(10) The "Palestinian right of return" has been acknowledged for the first time by the Israelis and could result in a flood of Arabs to Judea and Samaria.

(11) The inevitable increase in Arab population will result in tremendous pressure on Israel's water supply. As Arab wells are dug in the Judean and Samarian hills, the natural mountain aquifer that supplies much of Tel Aviv and the coastal plain with water will be serious depleted. Such depletion will cause the salt water of the Mediterranean Sea to penetrate Israel's coastal strip, thus destroying all water supplies. This process can be witnessed in California, where sea water has already penetrated five miles into the coast.

(12) Some 70% of Israel's population and industry is concentrated in a small strip of coast and greater Tel Aviv. That population will be immediately threatened by Kaytusha rockets. Fired singly from the hills of Judea and Samaria, and set with timers they will be virtually impossible to stop. The Israeli government plan to coordinate with the Palestinian police is akin to working with the fox to guard the henhouse. The Palestinian police are being recruited from among the terrorists who delight especially in murder and mutilation of bodies. Will they arrest and turn over a terrorist who kills Israelis and then escapes to Gaza?

(13) The Jewish residents of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza will no doubt be victims of ethnic cleansing. The Arabs will insist on a Jew-free country like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. The government has already begun confiscating the weapons of Jews, which could cause them to become vulnerable to massacre like the Bosnians.

(14) The air and seaports planned for Gaza will facilitate the entry of weapons and terrorists, threatening the security of Israel.

(15) The proposed "safe passages" for the PA will facilitate the movement of terrorists and weapons from Gaza to Judea and Samaria.