It’s been nearly two years since Palestinian representatives and Israelis sat across a table from each other to talk about peace. As the latest round of talks got under way yesterday, it’s hard to imagine that the results this time will be much different than any other time. Has anything changed that might lead to a different outcome? Gaza is still being run by Hamas. The “moderates” sitting across the table from Israel – Fatah, Egypt and Jordan – refuse to do to take any action that would delegitimize the group of terrorists who rule Gaza. The much vaunted “two state solution” can hardly work when half of the proposed Palestinian state refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, sneers at peace talks involving their enemy and, just to emphasize their contempt, carries out terror attacks two days before those talks commence.
Mahmoud Abbas, leader of Fatah, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah II won’t talk about Hamas. Ignoring the terrorist organization and its goals is the accepted strategy among those hoping to create a new Palestinian state. But Hamas and what Hamas represents cannot be ignored, if only because the genocidal organization refuses to be ignored. If it were possible to placate aggrieved Palestinians, step one would have to be isolating and marginalizing Hamas. As long as the terrorist entity remains in place, it serves as a lightning rod for disgruntled and angry Muslims throughout the Middle East. How better to demonstrate that they truly represent a moderate alternative than for Abbas, Mubarak and Abdullah to condemn Hamas and call for all Palestinians to reject the terrorist organization and its agenda? But, rather than taking that step, the trio – along with President Obama – instead fall back on condemning violence in general. Not only do such tired platitudes serve to deflect attention from the real problem, they also serve to reinforce the conception that there is a kind of equivalency between unprovoked attacks on Israel and Israel’s response to such attacks. It’s self-apparent that committing random acts of violence in order to terrorize a nation is far different than employing targeted acts of violence to deter such attacks.
These are supposed to be “peace talks,” but history tells us that any discussion between Israel and those representing Palestinian interests are better characterized as “piece talks,” since the objective always seems to be taking away another part of Israel. Having given away the Sinai peninsula and the Gaza strip, as well as effectively ceding control of the West Bank to Fatah, Israel is no nearer to mollifying its enemies than ever. And what does Israel have to show for its sacrifices? A very tenuous relationship with Egypt and Jordan and not much else.
Yet, once again, international pressure has been used to force the sovereign state of Israel back to a bargaining table where it is supposed to agree to even more concessions. This is a death by a thousand cuts, which will serve Israel’s enemies just as well as anything that murderous fanatics like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can come up with to eliminate the state they loathe. It is hard to envision a true, lasting peace in the Middle East given the ideological divide that separates Judaism and Islam. Still, if there is any chance at all that a Palestinian state and Israel could co-exist side by side in harmony, that theoretical relationship shouldn’t require Israel to do anything more or promise anything more than it has already done and promised. What is vitally needed is for “moderate” Islamic leaders to officially recognize that terrorist organizations like Hamas are misguided malefactors pursuing a reprehensible agenda. Leaders like Abbas, Mubarak and Abdullah won’t take that step, either because they quietly sympathize with Hamas’ goals, or – more likely in my opinion – because they are afraid of the violent consequences that would follow if they condemned the terrorist organization.
Palestinians and their apologists understand all too well how this particular game is played. So long as they continue to assume the role of an oppressed, aggrieved minority, they can continue to pressure Israel into making concession after concession that effectively threaten to put the nation’s existence in more and more jeopardy. For the most part, the world sympathizes with the Palestinian cause. The most significant and powerful exception has been the United States, at least until Barack Obama took office. Now, Israel’s many enemies have been emboldened by the sort of American president they have always hoped for: a man who pays lip-service to the importance of Israel, but who simultaneously sends signal after signal that he sympathizes with Israel’s opponents.
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