The responsibility for ending the conflict with the Palestinians does not lie with Israel.
How can it when the most popular political party among Palestinians is Hamas, whose founding document calls for killing Jews and which contains language from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion?
How can it when the ‘moderate’ Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership, the official representative of the Palestinian people to the world insists that there is no Jewish people and refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state?
How can it when every time Israel withdraws from occupied territories, the response is war and terrorism?
How can it when Hamas, the PA and their allies don’t let up for a moment in their barrage of hateful antisemitic propaganda, lies about Israel and incitement to violence against Jews and Israel?
How can it when negotiations go nowhere because the PA won’t compromise on borders — insisting on “not one millimeter less” than the the boundaries established by the 19-year Jordanian occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, an occupation that began when the Jordanians killed or drove out every last Jew in the area — nor on a right of ‘return’ to Israel for millions of hostile descendants of 1948 refugees, an unprecedented ‘solution’ to the problem they and their allies created, which by the way would end the Jewish state?
How can it when in 2007 70% of Palestinian Muslims viewed suicide bombing as sometimes or often justified? When 76% of Palestinians have a favorable view of Hezbollah (Pew survey, 7/24/07)? And when 77% of Palestinians say that “the rights and needs of the Palestinian people cannot be taken care of as long as the state of Israel exists” (Pew survey, 6/27/07)?
But the US acts as though it does.
The Obama administration has, as far as we know, not made any demands on the Palestinians. It has not demanded that they recognize Israel as a Jewish state — although Prime Minister Netanyahu mentioned this in his recent meeting with President Obama. It has not insisted that the Palestinians stop their antisemitic incitement. It has not told the Palestinians that the ‘right of return’Â is off the table, although Obama has suggested in the past that in his view this is impractical. It has not even fulfilled its promise to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem and officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel — even though the seat of government is in undisputed West Jerusalem.
No, what the Obama administration has done is to demand that Israel stop construction of homes in existing settlements, even those which are neighborhoods of East Jerusalem that any reasonable border compromise would place in Israel.
And let us not forget that — even before they officially took power — Obama’s people forced a premature end to the Gaza war, saving Hamas and thus ensuring that the peaceful “two-state solution” it calls for cannot be implemented!
Technorati Tags: Obama administration, Israel, Palestinians
Israel can stand up to the illusion of plight put forth by the radical Islamists living in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, by persevering like Don Quixote.
Although superficially Quixote appears to be mad, his character is really battling and surviving through superficial and superimposed illusions of rationality, like mass industrialization of agrarian society and anti-social enclaves entrenching civilization in suppressive tyrannical rule.
The onus of responsibility on Israel does not have to be a burden. Somehow, it can be a bridge.
It does seem like madness is choreographing events which directly or indirectly still effect us all. Watching trouble unfold in the Middle East, shocked at the unimaginably obtuse opinions expressed and insane actions taken against Israel, I almost began to question my own sanity.
With a nod to ME’s post, “When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies, to be too practical may be madness — to surrender dreams, this may be madness… but maddest of all is to see life as it is, and not as it should be!” -Don Quixote, Man of LaMancha
Like the Jewish Nation, I can only fully focus on life as it should be, when considering Israel and it’s much maligned people. The head spins when one looks at the choices available to them and the realization that they are in the ultimate Catch-22 situation. No matter which choice they make, it forever endangers the dream of a Jewish homeland in its original location, and, sooner or later– their lives condemning both to death.
I have become personally involved emotionally, insofar as that is possible from this great distance, as I feel a growing sense of my own helplessness against the massive attack against Israel from nearly all quarters, words as weapons — used like bombs. By daily visits to the Israeli online news sites as well as receiving several email-format breaking news messages, and participation, as possible on those sites; also in user groups, which are being taken over everyday by the radical left, I can honestly say that I am getting a good idea of how the people of Israel are feeling as they face it all in real time. But only an idea of it. Shoot my foot off and I may come to an even closer understanding.
All Israel has ever asked of the world is to be left alone in peace to have and run their own country as they collectively see fit, in a democratic style — a very American-style political attitude, overlooked the quickest by Americans in positions of power who, logically, should be much more supportive. One recent afternoon, feeling extremely low and worried by events unfolding which threaten the whole existence of Israel,
I wrote a letter, a good one, to our California Senator Barbara Boxer, asking her to please be supportive toward Israel, to follow her heart, and to also do whatever she can toward protecting Israel’s interests — to do it for me, and for the many Californians who love Israel, Jewish or not.
Within a week, a majority of the Senate endorsed a message sent to President Obama urging him to show more restraint, and respect, for Israel.
I make no assumptions. I’m glad this happened, and just before his first meeting with Netanyahu.
Last week, I wrote my first letter to President Obama. A good one. If it weren’t so long, I’d post it. It was my personal letter of congratulations followed by some thoughts and historical references pointing out some reasoning I’d like him to consider, while dealing with Israel and the Rubik’s Cube also known as the Middle East.
I will say here that I asked him, for one thing, to consider our American Indians and how America would respond if they demanded back the land taken from them in battle, supported by surrounding nations, world opinion and a far more legitimate claim than that of the Palestinians, and then to see the parallel with Israel, the similarity, and how they’re responding. I asked him how we could make such demands in wake of our own history. I did not use the word hypocrisy, but let it hang there in the air
While I don’t say that either of these written communications on my part have or will influence policy one iota, I did do something concrete, and with my own hands, toward trying to help in some small way my adopted land and its people. I feel a tiny bit less helpless, and less of being only an observer.
One can only imagine the effect a nation-wide pro-Israel letter writing campaign, even written electronically and online, supporting Israel’s right to exist and self-governance, supported by, rather than intimidated by the American Government, and sent to Congressmen and women, and especially to the President, who has promised to stay in touch with the public, might have on policy. If the media became aware of it, and of the sentiments expressed, behind and, in these letters, they couldn’t resist bringing it to the attention of at least the AP, and hence the world.
I keep reading published generalities implying that the American public sides against Israel. I think that’s incorrect. I think we need be counted.
Take my word for it, it feels better than you expect.
DAL