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SUKKOT MESSAGE

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efore an international audi-
ence at the United Nations
General Assembly in New
York, President Obama sought a
renewed push for comprehensive
Israeli-Arab peace talks.
So far, so good.
But after reading the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency account of his Sept.
23 speech, I wondered why he seems to
want Israelis to bring more to the table
than their Palestinian neighbors.
The time has come to re-launch
negotiations, without preconditions,
that address the permanent-sta-
tus issues: security for Israelis and
Palestinians, borders,
refugees and Jerusalem,
Obama said.
He said: "The goal is
clear: two states living
side by side in peace
and security — a
Jewish State of Israel,
with true security
for all Israelis, and a
viable, independent
Palestinian state with contiguous ter-
ritory that ends the occupation that
began in 1967 and realizes the poten-
tial of the Palestinian people."
JTA inferred that the reference to
preconditions targeted Palestinian
negotiators who seek a total settle-
ment freeze before renewing talks.
Obama's explicit commitment to com-
prehensive talks rebuts Israeli efforts
to confine talks for now to borders.
Obama further said he would seek
peace "between Israel and Lebanon,
Israel and Syria, and a broader peace
between Israel and its many neighbors."
Most notably, he underscored a
change in emphasis in how America
deals with Israel.
"The United States does Israel
no favors when we fail to couple an
unwavering commitment to its secu-
rity with an insistence that Israel
respect the legitimate claims and
rights of the Palestinians," Obama
said.
"And nations within this body
do the Palestinians no favors when
they choose vitriolic attacks over a
constructive willingness to recognize
Israel's legitimacy and its right to exist
in peace and security."
The seeming equality of that state-
ment is appalling.

Israel operates from a forced posi-
tion of self-defense. Palestinian lead-
ers are either terrorists themselves
or Zionist haters who have no regard
for Israel's sovereignty as a Jewish
state. Official Palestinian policy still
contains anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish
teachings.
While Israel wants to talk borders
and security, the Palestinians prefer
white-hot issues like settlements and
refugees. Any talks would be fruitless
as long as the Palestinians demand
part of Jerusalem, the eternal capital
of the Jewish people. The Israeli gov-
ernment would never bargain away
the City of Gold.
If you're not convinced that Israel
lacks a legitimate peace partner, consider
the Palestinian Authority
president's blunt analysis
of the political stand-
off: Israelis and the
Palestinians have what
he termed "no common
ground."
In an interview pub-
lished Sept. 24 in the
London-based Arabic
newspaper Al-Hayyat,
he stated: "We don't want to come out
with a crisis with the Americans or
create a crisis. But in the meantime,
we can't go on unless there is a clear
path. The road must be defined so we
can know where we are going."
The road will be blocked as long as
Abbas calls on Israel to permanently
freeze all construction in West Bank
settlements. As a goodwill gesture,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu offered a six-month freeze
on approving any new settlement
construction. Controls on settlement
expansion make sense, but not an out-
right freeze. The West Bank consists
of Judea and Samaria, both biblical
Jewish areas. The Palestinians would
still control more than 90 percent of
the territory under Israel's blueprint
for a Palestinian state.
This Sukkot, as American Jews take
stock of how the ancient Israelites
lived in huts while wandering in the
desert before reaching the Promised
Land, let us harden our resolve to
stand with Israel. I'm all for peace talks
— but not hollow talks to nowhere.
Chag sukkot semeath — wishing
you and your family a happy holiday
ripe with personal well being and also
world peace.
Shabbat shalom as well! I 1

Israel operates
from a forced
position of
self-defense.

