Yesterday’s Boston Globe featured an editorial that discussed their latest idea for resolving the Israel/Palestine question. In a nutshell (always a good tem to have handy when discussing the Glob, which is owned by the New York Times), they see the recent failures of both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority as good opportunities for both sides to make a break from the past and forge a new peace.
Nice, pretty, thoughts, filled with warm fuzzies and hapless idealism. Naturally, it’s the sort of thing that’s doomed to failure, and will take a lot of innocent lives (most likely starting with numerous Israelis) with it. That’s the usual pattern.
I have another idea. Why not start with something truly new and innovative, something that truly represents a radical break with the failed patterns of the past? Why not open this latest round of struggles for peace with something that’s never been tried before?
I speak of having the Palestinians make the first move, taking their very first action that speaks loudly of their determination for peace and represents a serious commitment in that direction.
I don’t have anything specific in mind. Perhaps they could declare that suicide bombers will no longer be honored, and their families rewarded. Perhaps they could very publicly round up and destroy a bunch of Qassam rockets. Perhaps they could say that those who plan terrorist attacks will be arrested and jailed for a very long time. Perhaps they could rename the Wafa Idris UNICEF Summer Camp For Children after someone besides a suicide bomber.
I’m not too fussy. I just want to see them do SOMETHING substantial.
The usual pattern of “peace talks” goes something like this: both sides make an agreement in principle. Israel takes several steps towards complying (often involving giving up land). The Palestinians make many promises. The Palestinians then say that their promises are too impractical to implement, and they can’t do it — but Israel has to continue with its commitments. Israel starts balking. Then there’s a big terrorist attack, Israel demands the Palestinians do something about it, the Palestinians say they can’t, and then the whole thing is off — but the concessions Israel made are demanded to be made permanent, and the Palestinians gain a bit more without having to give up a single thing.
Much of the world seems to insist that the Palestinian people want peace as much as anyone, and the Palestinian leaders echo that sentiment. It’s long past time for them to put up or shut up.
Call us peaceful or we will kill you!
Build a tall fence and let them decide when the Pals. want to join civilization. In the meantime, let them shit in their own cage, away from innocent Israelis.
David Perlmutter and I have an op-ed at Asharq Alawsat proposing a radical plan for peace in the region.
The Palestinians could have had their own state 30 years ago if they had wanted. They keep making the mistake of thinking that the Israelis can be worn down by violence, threats and rhetoric. When faced with genocide, Israelis will happily put up with this and more if it means their survival.
But the Israelis can be shamed and the Palestinians have yet to realize this and capitalize on it. If they produced one charismatic leader like Ghandi or MLK who renounced violence, and stood up and took blows instead of throwing bombs, the Palis could achieve wonders.
They might even convince someone like me that they deserve it.
By the way Jay, I miss you.
I reaaaaalllly miss you.
It seems the fence the Israelis built along the border with the West Bank has worked quite well at stopping terrorist attacks (knock on wood). In fact the Intifada has faded to a fizzle. Yassar Arafat’s dirt nap hasn’t hurt either. In fact, everyone seems to have forgotten or missed how much good his death has done. The Pals need to be forced into complete surrender, then there will be peace. Isolate them and cut off their aid.
The Israelis should destroy their nuclear weapons. That’s the first step. Then, they should follow Resolution 194 and allow the refugees to return to their homes, or pay those who choose not to compensation. They must then scrap all racist laws, meaning all the pillers of Zionism.
They should pay compensation to their victims and they should apologise for such things as Operation Locked Kindergarten and admit that such operations make them appear to be sick creeps.
The Palestinians always took the first steps. They recognised Israel and what did they get? The Jewish colonist population was doubled. Have the Israelis ever recognised the right of Palestinians to exist? Never.
Remember when the Nutty Yahoo took power, his party never said it would accept a Palestinian state, his party never endorsed Oslo, and yet there were no pressures, not threats against it. The Palestinians vote for Hamas and all of a sudden the party and the government is the same. Deux poids, deux mesures.
It’s amazing how people like you make impossible demands of people with no power at all and make excuses for a regime run by sadistic creeps, obviously because you consider them to be Chosen.
Of course according to Jewish and Christian tradition (not hyper-Zionism or Darbyist heresy), the Jews were chosen also to be held to a far higher standard than the rest of us, and were punished for not following these standards. Perhaps certain governments should be inspired by the Bible and act accordingly. After all, people who carry out “Operation Locked Kindergarten” can hardly be considered to be Godly.
By the way, why do you so-called conservatives support a country that steals private land and puts it under state control? Is it that the state allocates it according to ethno-religious criteria, and is thus racist, that this makes it all right?
If the Serbs had ever done anything like the Israelis…