points of view
Disingenuous from page 41
about the large land tracts consumed by
Israel's security wall. The wall was the
direct result of years of terrorism against
Israel covertly sanctioned by Palestinian
leaders, Yes, the wall has divided Arab-
controlled portions of the West Bank.
But to suggest the wall has destroyed
Palestinian family life is absurd. The Fatah
party, the Palestinian Authority's top
party, which governs the West Bank, and
the PLO, which Abbas chairs, are to blame
for the Palestinian people's plight.
"very existence and threatens its collapse."
He set this backdrop against an Israeli
political discourse that he believes bran-
dishes extremist positions and incites reli-
gious conflict. His memory is foggy; Israel
has never excoriated Islam as a faith, but
P.A. TV, the Palestinian Authority's offi-
cial television station, regularly espouses
hatred toward Jews.
Abbas conveniently sidestepped how
Israel supplies badly needed fresh water,
jobs and medical care to his people.
Palestine outside the bounds of nego-
tiation, then proclaimed the PLO and
Palestinian people have never stopped
extending "our hands to the Israeli people
to make peace.
"We realize that, ultimately, the two
peoples must live and coexist, each in their
respective state, in the holy land: he said.
That sounds engaging, but it's reflective
of Arafat's 1974 U.N. General Assembly
urging: "Do not let the olive branch fall
from my hand."
We know what that empty plea brought.
Way Off Base
A Nagging Matter
Abbas imagines a Palestinian state ripe
Abbas tried to make the case that Israel
Abbas did have a point in condemn-
with citizen security, rule of law, civil
arbitrarily refused permits to build in
ing West Bank settler militias that have
freedoms, women's rights, governmental
eastern Jerusalem while intensifying a
wrongly targeted Palestinian homes,
transparency and, amazingly, "pluralistic
decades-long campaign of demolish-
schools and religious centers. Unprovoked
democratic choice."
ing and confiscating Palestinian homes.
and criminal settler acts that cause
This "dream" would be a gateway to
Palestinian owners and residents were
Palestinian death or destruction is deserv-
reviving peace talks were his government
thus displaced under "a campaign of
ing of the full weight of Israeli law. Neither not preaching Zionist hatred in its news
ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian
innocent Palestinians nor their property
media, music videos, school textbooks
people," he said.
should be attacked and held responsible
and mosques. It would take at least two
Balderdash.
for Palestinian aggression.
generations to rid Palestinian society of its
Ethnic cleansing is a term with real
Abbas argued that "the escalation of set- anti-Semitism — a depressing reality no
meaning in Rwanda, Sudan or Kosovo, not
tler attacks" is "with the collusion of the
matter what any future talks yield.
in Israel, America's closest Middle East
occupying forces and the Israeli govern-
Abbas seems more obsessed with extol-
ally. Just as borders, security, settlements,
ment." He doesn't buy that the vast major-
ling infrastructure improvements and
refugees and water rights are, the fate of
ity of settlers who engage in battle do so
the Palestinian right to sovereignty than
Jerusalem is a final-status issue subject to
solely to defend their communities, not
solving the Palestinian fiscal crisis and a
Israeli-Palestinian negotiation.
perpetrate war crimes.
culture of hate.
In case Abbas forgot, Israel reunited
International attempts to salvage the
Concluding, he said it would be futile to
Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967. The peace process would fail until the policy of restart talks "without clear terms of refer-
Jewish News has long held that Jerusalem
war, occupation and settlement coloniza-
ence." Fair enough. But to dismiss nego-
should remain the undivided and eternal
tion" is harnessed, Abbas said.
tiations as long as "the occupation army"
capital of Israel; if Israeli leaders choose a
"Israel continues to be permitted to
wreaks havoc over borders and demo-
different course, Arab expansion in that
evade accountability and punishment, and graphics is, well, a stall tactic ... purely.
holy city should only come once final-
some continue to obstruct the undertak-
He asserted, "We say before the interna-
status issues are settled.
ing of decisive positions regarding its
tional community: 'There is still a chance,
violations of international law and cov-
maybe the last, to save the two-state solu-
Twisted Reasoning
enants," he said.
tion and to salvage peace."'
Abbas blasted Israel for blockading the
From Madrid in 1991 to Amman in
But, he continued, nego
Gaza Strip and targeting Palestinian civil-
2012, every initiative, every conference
tiations without preset
ians through assassination, air strikes and
and every new round of talks was derailed parameters would result in
artillery shelling. He said Israel persists
over Israeli settlement expansion, he
a "reproduction of failure
with its "destructive war of aggression"
insisted.
and again provide a cover
begun three years ago on Gaza.
for entrenchment of the
Lost once more on the man who rose
Hollow Planks
occupation, and would
to Palestinian Authority president in 2004
Abbas further affirmed:
finish off an already dying
when Yasser Arafat died is that Gaza not
• The PLO and Palestinian people would peace process."
only has sent thousands of rockets and
renounce violence and reject terrorism in
missiles toward Israel's Negev towns over
all its forms and adhere to all agreements
israel's Response
the years, but also has received weapons
signed by the PLO and Israel. (So why
Israeli Prime Minister
via Sinai tunnels to exact violence against
hasn't such action already happened?)
Benjamin Netanyahu got it
"the hated Zionists."
• The PLO would resume peace talks
right in his remarks shortly
Abbas lobbied for a lifting of Israel's
were it to have international legitimacy
after Abbas descended the
sea blockade on Gaza, the release of
and Israel were to cease all settlement
podium. He called for a
Palestinian prisoners (who he called
activities. (Both demands are subject to
"demilitarized Palestine to
"soldiers in their people's struggle for
negotiation, not automatics!)
recognize the one and only
freedom, independence and peace") and
• The PLO seeks international support
Jewish state'
the loosening of restrictions on citizen
not for delegitimizing Israel, but rather "to
In 2005, Israel left
movement, which he argued has slowed
gain legitimacy for the cause of the people
Gaza looking for peace by
economic growth, neighborhood develop-
of Palestine" and overcome Israel's "logic
returning to 1967 borders,
ment and crop cultivation.
of ruthless force (Then why has delegit-
dismantling settlements,
"Israel's overall policy," he said, "is
mizing Israel become a hallmark of the
uprooting thousands of
ultimately leading to the weakening of
Palestinian cause?)
Jews and bulldozing syna-
the Palestinian Authority, undermining
gogues in the process. But
its ability to carry out its functions and
Wayward Thrust
once handed the keys to
implement its obligations." This, he said,
Abbas, the guy who repeatedly has tried
Gaza, Abbas promptly fum-
threatens to undermine the Authority's
to gain U.N. recognition for a state of
bled them into the clutches
"
"Israel is prepared
to have a Palestinian
state in the West Bank,
but we're not prepared
to have another Gaza
there."
- Benjamin Netanyahu
of Hamas, proxy for Iran. The P.A. then
was no more in Gaza.
Using the Gaza model, what's to prevent
a rainstorm of rockets and missiles from
the West Bank should Israel summarily
depart that territory?
"Israel wants to see a Middle East of
progress and peace," Netanyahu said. "We
want to see the three great religions that
sprang forth from our region — Judaism,
Christianity and Islam — coexist in peace
and in mutual respect."
But as Netanyahu explained before the
U.N. General Assembly in 2011, cities in
Israel's center "are a few hundred meters,
or at most a few kilometers, away from the
edge of the West Bank." The Israeli Likud
party leader asked: "Would any of you
bring danger so close to your cities — to
your families? Would you act so recklessly
with the lives of your citizens? Israel is
prepared to have a Palestinian state in the
West Bank, but we're not prepared to have
another Gaza there. And that's why we
need to have real security arrangements
— which the Palestinians simply refuse to
negotiate with us."
Sadly, I have little confidence that fruit-
ful peace talks will ever resume until new
Palestinian leadership committed to diplo-
macy and reality, not poppycock, arises.
Dry Bones
42
October 18 • 2012