By Ted Belman
“Israel is continuing to expand settlements and undermining the chances of achieving peace,” Abdullah said in a speech before Arab leaders at the 28th Arab League Summit in Jordan.
The world generally accepts this idea and so does everything it can to stop Jewish building in Judea and Samaria. Even Pres Trump is on board with the need to do so.
What, in essence, they are saying is that the only path to peace is the two-state solution and so the possibility of it must be preserved at all costs. No one in the international community doubts, for a moment that ultimately it can be achieved or that, when achieved, it will bring peace. This is so even though history and logic say it will never happen.
Those Israelis who argue against the two state solution do so because they fervently believe that such a solution would bring war not peace.
The world pressures Israel to be passive and to not change the status quo no matter how long it takes to reach agreement. It allows the Arabs to continue to demonize Israel and to build world support for its agenda but doesn’t allow Israel to defend itself literally or to better its negotiating position as the Arabs are doing. They insist that Israel be a sitting duck.
Israel should reject the strictures. Israel has no obligation to accept the two-state solution or to refrain from building Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria. Arab intransigence should come with a price. Israel has the right to exact such a price.
Israel should adopt the policy of building aggressively to establish facts on the ground and to pressure the Arabs to make an agreement on Israel’s terms. The longer they wait the tougher the terms.
Remember, Israel has no obligation to create a Palestinian state nor to refrain from building. Only American pressure has prevented her from building.
Israel hates the two-state solution on offer so why should she preserve it. Its crazy.
Unfortunately Pres Trump is working to achieve an agreement between Israel and the Arab region. This gives the Arabs a veto on any solution other than the Arab Initiative. Furthermore he has yet to force the PA to stop inciting violence or to reduce US aid to them. In effect he makes their intransigence possible.
He knows this. After all he is the master of the deal. He knows that without pressure no one will compromise.
What he should do is support Israel’s preferred unilateral actions. Let the Arabs moan and groan. They’ll come around. They would have no choice and certainly no veto.
Ted, you are correct. Israel needs bold leadership!
Yes, Israel should proclaim that a 2 state idea or experiment is a non starter. The conditions for it to succeed are just not there. I call it an idea or experiment because nobody knows if it’s “the” solution or a solution at all! Besides no-one really believes (deep down) it could lead to peace with the Arabs or with the Muslim world for that matter. All those proposals and tricks (Oslo, unilateral retreat from Gaza) are only meant to weaken Israel and make her abandon more land to the Arabs. The “Salami” example..once you start cutting off slices you will not be able to called it your “Salami” anymore! It’s lost, it’s gone..no possibility to backtrack, reverse the situation etc.
Now is the time to plan and prepare to build while planning and preparing for demolition of the illegal structures underwritten by The EU et. al.
At some point, it will be proven that Trump’s deal is dead. Then, at that time build like crazy and the embassy had better be moved lest Trump lose his electoral base, no not us, The Evangelical Israel Support.
That goes for military moves over the borders. Unless you want terrorists crawling through tunnels from Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, perhaps Jordan.
Israel has 3.5 years to create it’s new reality.
The procrastination must and will end.
What happened to the Iran Deal? Israel needs to create it’s future, now. Tell Trump how it must be. Apparently they need to be told, unfortunately.
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I never read his book.
The title seems like it could grab the attention of frequent-flyers who like to browse the bookcase in the gift shop, between flights, or maybe those who fall for that week long, negotiation seminar frequently advertised in in-flight magazines.
Some businessmen, like Buffett, are so trustworthy that merely a handshake will consummate the deal. Then there are those, notoriously located in those Middle Eastern, Arab countries, with whom every deal seems to necessitate an endless stream of relatives and middlemen whose palms first need to be greased.
Let’s just say that this guy is no Buffett.
exactly right sovereign states make their own policy the world says nothing when Russia or Turkey steal land, not to mention plenty of Muslim murder and mayhem in their own lands and other areas like Sahara and Iran’s meddling in the Gulf states, it is just Tiny Israel
the world pressures time and time again, the fake palestinians have
proved they are incapable of getting along with each other never mind Islam’s hate for everybody not Muslim
You’re right, Ted. I think Trump will eventually come around as your last point that the Arabs will come around as they won’t have a choice is something the author of “The Art of the Deal” will likely come to realize himself.