Opinion

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Editorial

Fighting for Peace

W

eve supported a negotiated
two-state solution for many
years, even
though we're still waiting for a credible
Palestinian negotiating partner who can
deliver the goods. And, ironically and
tragically, a successful war against Hamas
is a prerequisite for a credible and durable
Israeli-Palestinian peace.
It was just three weeks
ago that Hamas spurned
Israeli Prime Minister
Olmert's entreaties to extend
a tacit six-month ceasefire,
choosing instead to escalate
rocket, missile and mortar
attacks against civilian tar-
gets in Israel.
Hamas was dead wrong
when it figured that Israel
had no stomach for war,
but its strategy of using
Palestinians as human
shields and conflating
Hamas' future with that of all Palestinians
may still reap the dividends of recognition
and support. And that would be a tragedy
for the cause of peace.
But so far, the reliable rhetoric of the

anti-Zionists on the Arab street, in parts
of Europe and even parts of Dearborn —
genocide, Holocaust, massacre, war crimes,
Nazis — has not prevented strong Western
condemnation of Hamas and a refusal to
provide it recognition and support.
That is encouraging. What is really
needed now is for Israel to have the time
to carry out its mission because not only
will that protect southern
Israel, but also will make
peace more likely.
If the world stops Israel
from stopping Hamas,
atwo-state solution is dead.
What the U.S, European
Union, United Nations, the
Quartet, and the majority
of Israelis and diaspora
Jews see as an ultimate
outcome of negotiations
will not happen.
Look at what Israel has
reaped from territorial
withdrawal already. Israel withdrew from
southern Lebanon and Hezbollah has used
it to target Israel. Israel withdrew from
Gaza and, ever since, Hamas and other ter-
rorist groups have used it to target Israel.

If the world
stops Israel
from stopping
Hamas, a two-
state solution
is dead.

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If anyone believes,
or expects, that Israel
would withdraw from
further portions of
the West Bank, as well
as the Golan Heights,
without being allowed
to protect its citizens
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used as a base of
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them, they are only
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fooling themselves.
Now is the time,
when an international
pariah and terrorist
organization fires on
Israel, to let Israel
www.drybonesbiog.com
know it will be sup-
ported.
that it is not about a Palestinian state or
But as serious as the Hamas threat is,
Palestinian lives, but about weakening and
the real issue here is Iran. Through its
dividing the West.
terrorist proxies and its feverish pursuit
Sure it sounds Orwellian, but there will
of a deliverable nuclear weapon, Iran
be no peace without the ability to wage
seeks regional hegemony to confront the
war in the defense of democracy and free-
United States and Europe. The seeming
dom. And there will be no two-state solu-
irrationality of Hamas firing into Israel
tion without the international community
in the face of the Israeli military machine
only becomes rational when one considers backing Israel as it defends itself. ❑

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Reality Check

A Letter To Henry

D

ear Congressman Waxman:
Now that the collection of
prize boobs in the Senate have
failed in their attempt to secede from the
Union and destroy the U.S. auto industry,
it may be time to discuss a few things.
Because I'm afraid the automakers are not
out of the woods yet.
In your new post as chairman of the
House Energy and Commerce Committee,
you will be having a lot of dealings with
the industry and some of your ideas about
automobiles are a tad ... well ... peculiar.
You seem to believe Americans crave
green cars, that Detroit got itself into this
pickle by refusing to listen to them and
you can run the auto companies better
than private managers by loading them
up with more mileage requirements and
emission standards.
I'd like to make a few observations
about that.
I know you are a dedicated environ-
mentalist, and so am I. In fact, I feel very
strongly about protecting the environment

major industries — movies.
in California and the west Los
It really stinks.
Angeles district you represent;
It seems to me that British,
just as much as you do about
French, Italian and even
making cleaner cars.
Indian filmmakers are turn-
Therefore, I would suggest
ing out products with fewer
an immediate freeze on federal
design flaws and greater
disaster relief funds involving
residual value than what gets
homes built near fault lines
churned out of Hollywood.
and on hillsides and canyons
Georg e Cantor
Most of them seem to be
susceptible to brush fires and
Col umnist
aimed at those with the intel-
mudslides.
ligence level of a 10-year old.
I see no reason why taxpayers
They get high marks for blowing things up
in Michigan should support people who
and chasing each other around the land-
insist on building homes where no homes
scape. Not so much on creating characters
should be. If they are dumb enough to
the audience cares about and relates to.
keep going back to these areas, let nature
It is increasingly rare that I can settle
take its course.
back after the first five minutes of one of
I don't know how much this careless
these movies and say to my wife, "This is
construction has damaged the ecology of
actually meant for grownups."
southern California. But as an environ-
Can you please see what you can do
mentalist I am concerned, and as a tax-
payer I'd prefer that your constituents keep about that? I'm sure you know a lot more
about the film business than you do about
their hands out of my wallet.
cars. At least, I hope so.
I would also like to make a few corn-
I don't know where you find empirical
ments regarding the quality of one of your

evidence of a hunger for green machines.
But if it turns out to be wishful thinking,
Americans fail to rush out and buy them
and the industry crashes and burns, I
don't suppose you would accept the blame.
Because your heart is pure, and that's what
it's all about, isn't it?
If Congress seriously wants to reduce
consumption and dependence on import-
ed oil, all it has to do is raise federal taxes
so that pump prices are $5 a gallon or
more. But it's much less risky to blame the
auto companies and keep piling on regula-
tions that will drive them deeper into the
financial hole.
One final note. Lose the mustache. It
makes you look like you're playing the role
of the crooked art dealer in a Humphrey
Bogart movie. Now that's when they made
good movies, and they didn't have to blow
up a lot of stuff, either.
Yours sincerely,
G. Cantor.

❑

George Cantor's e-mail address is

gcantor614@aol.com.

January 8

e

2009

A27