On Palestinian Statehood and Its Advocates

By Prof. Paul Eidelberg

On July 10, 2013, attorney Daniel Tauber, Director of Likud Anglos, authored an article that appeared in the Jerusalem Post under the title “It’s no bluff: Netanyahu means it.” Mr. Tauber explained that Netanyahu does indeed endorse the creation of a Palestinian state in the land of Israel, as he expressly avowed in his Bar-Ilan University speech of June 14, 2009.

On May 20, 2009, the month before Netanyahu delivered that speech, the present writer penned an article entitled “The Absurdity of a Palestinian State: The Lesson from Egypt” (the lesson conveyed by Dr. Daniel Pipes). Here is what I wrote:

Daniel Pipes is one of the foremost experts on the Middle East.  He lived and studied for three years in Egypt. He supported the Israel-Egypt peace treaty of March 1979. As a man of intellectual integrity, however, he admitted in a New York Sun article of November 21, 2006 that it is time to recognize ‘The Failure of the Israel-Egypt Treaty.’ He set forth the following facts: 

(1) “Ninety-two percent of respondents in a recent poll of one thousand Egyptians over 18 years of age called Israel an enemy state. In contrast, a meager 2% saw Israel as ‘a friend to Egypt.’”

(2) “These hostile sentiments express themselves in many ways, including a popular song titled ‘I Hate Israel,’ venomously anti-Semitic political cartoons … and terrorist attacks against visiting Israelis. Egypt’s leading democracy movement, Kifaya, recently launched an initiative to collect a million signatures on a petition demanding the annulment of the March 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty.”

(3) “Also, the Egyptian government has permitted large quantities of weapons to be smuggled into Gaza to use against Israeli border towns. Yuval Steinitz, an Israeli legislator specializing in Egypt-Israel relations, estimates that fully 90% of PLO and Hamas explosives come from Egypt.”

(4) “Cairo may have no apparent enemies, but the impoverished Egyptian state sinks massive resources into a military buildup….” 

(5) “This long, ugly record of hostility exists despite a peace treaty with Israel, hailed at the time by both Egypt’s president Anwar El-Sadat and Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Begin as a ‘historic turning point.’… I too shared in this enthusiasm.” (Emphasis added.) 

(6) “With the benefit of retrospect, however, we see that the treaty did palpable harm in at least two ways. First, it opened the American arsenal and provided American funding to purchase the latest in weaponry. As a result, for the first time in the Arab-Israeli conflict, an Arab armed force may have reached parity with its Israeli counterpart.”

(7) “Second, it spurred anti-Zionism. I lived in Egypt [Pipes continued] in the 1970s, before Sadat’s dramatic trip to Jerusalem in late 1977, and I recall the relatively low interest in Israel at that time. Israel was plastered all over the news but it hardly figured in conversations. Egyptians seemed happy to delegate this issue to their government. Only after the treaty, which many Egyptians saw as a betrayal, did they themselves take direct interest. The result was the emergence of a more personal, intense, and bitter form of anti-Zionism.” 

(8) “The same pattern was replicated in Jordan, where the 1994 treaty with Israel soured popular attitudes. To a lesser extent, the 1993 Palestinian accords and even the aborted 1983 Lebanon treaty prompted similar responses. In all four of these cases, diplomatic agreements prompted a surge in hostility toward Israel.” 

 (9) “Defenders of the ‘peace process’ answer that, however hostile Egyptians’ attitudes and however large their arsenal, the treaty has held; Cairo has in fact not made war on Israel since 1979. However frigid the peace, peace it has been. To which I [Daniel Pipes] reply: if the mere absence of active warfare counts as peace, then peace has also prevailed between Syria and Israel for decades, despite their formal state of war….” 

(10) “Does a signature on a piece of paper offset Egypt’s Abrams tanks, F-16 fighter jets, and Apache attack helicopters. I think not. In retrospect, it becomes apparent that multiple fallacies and wishful predictions fueled Arab-Israeli diplomacy among which is the naïve notion that War can be concluded through negotiations rather than by one side giving up.”


Pipes concludes:“The time has come to recognize the Egypt-Israel treaty usually portrayed as the glory and ornament of Arab-Israel diplomacy ­as the failure it has been, and to draw the appropriate lessons in order not to repeat its mistakes.” 

The present author drew the following lesson from Dr. Pipes’ article: “…since the Israel-Egypt treaty of 1979 is a failure [i.e., since] the Egyptians continue to hate Israel and the Egyptian government persists in its bellicose attitude toward the Jewish state – why should any rational person expect the Arab Palestinians to abide in peace with Israel if given an independent and sovereign state?   

I therefore concluded [four years ago on May 20, 2009], that only fools and scoundrels in Washington and elsewhere would advocate Palestinian statehood.?

January 14, 2018 | 17 Comments »

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17 Comments / 17 Comments

  1. @ Bear Klein:

    No of course I don’t, but I am totally against giving any Arab a path, however long and difficult, towards citizenship. This would be aiding the greatest danger to Judaism and Israel. Many of the Israel Arabs already support terrorism either implicit or explicit and they are becoming increasingly more radicalised.

    None of this matters because the way the Arab is constructed, the way he’s brought up, taught, envenomed by the Koran, he can at any time become active. So the fewer Arabs in Israel the better by far, and with NO path to citizenship.

    Of course my comments are general, not particular, and we’ve seen it, that there ARE some few Arabs who love Israel and are loyal and true. How about their children and later progeny……Eventually it will break out somewhere, at a time unexpected, and all the machers will be zum-zumming around writing learned articles, going to enormously expensive seminars, and conferences, which will tell them exactly what they already knew from past experience.

    Like they are doing today, and did last year and 20 years ago. Jews will do stupid things, the most clever of them. What stupidity could be worse than Oslo…Before that was the stupidity of the European Jews who thought they’d survive the War. Far, far worse in reality and effect, unique in fact, but Oslo is along the same lines, the utter stupidity of putting our fate in the hands of others.,

    I know I’m not being practical according to today’s political situation, but what I advocate has been done many times by other nations in the not too distant past, and if anyone needs a solution like this, it is the Jewish Nation. We need tough, hard-hearted, hard brought up, determined Jews in charge, like came originally from Eastern Europe, who had been through it for multi-generations, to be in charge today.

  2. @ Bear Klein:
    I was referring to the Belman/Mudhar plan. All it takes is for President Trump to agree to make it happen. I realize it’s a long shot, just as much as expecting the U.S. President to ever recognize Jerusalem or cut funding to UNRWA. I realize those things will also probably never happen, as well, but …

    “a girl can hope.”

  3. @ <a href="#comment-633560001

    Sebastian, I agree with your first paragraph that process or something similar will need to be done.

    Jordan becoming a democratic secular state at this point in time seems extremely remote. 22 Arab countries and only Tunisia has had one peaceful transition of government based on a democratic election. Only a small amount of Arabs and none in power appear to have true democratic desires.

  4. @ Bear Klein:
    “less is more.” (fewer, really.) Practially speaking, though, first you have to take out the terrorists and impose martial law. Then, when it’s safe for them to accept your offer, you offer compensated emigration and then see how far you can get with that. As each area becomes free of Arabs, you open it up to Jewish settlement and apply civil law. That’s a plateful or three, right there.
    If Jordan becomes a democratic secular Palestinian state with equal rights and a right of return for all pals, that will really speed things up.

  5. @ Edgar G.:
    Do you believe it is feasible or likely that any Israeli government will remove every single Arab?

    I do not, so I believe it is prudent and practical to come up with ideas that have a possibility of being incorporated. So my concept is trying to find those Arabs who will demonstrate their desire co-exist and provide a carrot for them. All stick will backfire. Is this without problem of course not.

  6. @ Bear Klein:

    I agree with many of your stipulations, but as a whole, anything which includes giving Arabs residency, provided that they swear loyalty and do service and etc. is an absolute no-no. What oath would any Arab keep except his oath to Muhammed, (rhymes with mushummod) to slaughter Jews “if he should ever get the chance”.This has been proven over and over. What service would he do willingly except as a vehicle to kill Jews. He can’t be prevented from going to his mosque and there he will be indoctrinated. No Arab can ever be trusted indefinitely. We son’t know when the virus will come out in the most friendly and helpful minion of Islam.

    Not a single Arab should be allowed to remain, except those who will be carefully scrutinised ALL the time, and not many of them. We don’t need any at all, because Jewish Labour should be made attractive. I’m speaking just generally, and my main point is…. NO ARABS….!!

  7. @ Bear Klein:
    I agree. But, also, under the areas that remain under military occupation, Jordanian and Ottoman law must no longer be applied by the military. New codes based on common sense must be devised as McCarthur did with Japan. But, one very important point: Unlike Bush in Iraq, McCarthur never gave away U.S. sovereignty and control over every inch of Japan, even when he experimented with giving them some local decision-making. Any decision made by Japanese was subject to review and revocation by him or his subordinates. Also, Stephen Plaut suggested that villages that carry out or tolerate terror would be isolated incommunicado and completely cut off with no say over anything. Every village would be on a black list or a white list.

    Democracy, by definition, is not a universal right. Only citizens are entitled to it. In fact, in the US, felons are deprived of the right to vote for life!

    There is no reason why Israel needs to give the vote or equal civil rights to non-citizens under military rule and be considered anything less than a democracy.

    And many countries in the world that hypocritically denounce Israel, do, in fact, define democracy that way, in practice.

    While, in Israel, in areas where pals can’t vote for Israeli officials, not being citizens, they have the theoretical right to vote for their own local leaders, who, of course, become dictators for life.

    The problem is not too little liberty for the pals but that there is too much.

  8. I advocate the following which is a step by step approach which takes from the best of Sherman’s plan and Bennett’s plan. The intention in the very long run of annexing all of Judea/Samaria with a significantly reduced presence of Arabs.

    New Paradigm for long term peace and stability for Israel

    If you want peace it is time to forget being politically correct and proportional in fighting Palestinian terrorism. It is time to be determined to win the conflict decisively and not just say the conflict will continue forever. It is not acceptable that every few months or years that Palestinians shoot rockets at Israelis, blow up bombs, kidnap children or resort to other forms of violence against Jews in Israel.

    Two states in the Land of Israel west of the River Jordan is a formula for war not peace. The Palestinian (Arabs) have for 100 years not accepted the permanent presence of the Jews.

    Israel has a legal, historical and moral right to the land of Israel west of the Jordan River.

    1. However, except for a small amount of people on the right Israelis do not want to incorporate large amounts of Arabs into Israel. The public does not want a bi-national state.

    2. To be able to buy Arabs properties and facilitate their peaceful emigration (buying them out) the terrorists must be jailed, deported or killed otherwise they will exact revenge on the families of those leaving or those leaving before they actually leave. They have a death sentence for selling properties to Jews.

    Once you accomplish number 2 above an NGO working with the government should start enacting an humane assisted program of Arab emigration starting with East Jerusalem and Arab villages in Area C near Jewish Towns. Learn as you go and what problems come up. This will be fraught with problems imagined and not imagined. Just like a franchiser learns by first working on a few locations before expanding widely.

    Annex Area C by applying Israeli Civil Law.
    Help the Arabs there emigrate.

    Register the people there. Ask do you want to stay and demonstrate loyalty to the Jewish Democratic State of Israel.
    This will require learning Hebrew; your children will be required to provide civil national service at age 18 to 20.

    You will be required to inform on anyone planning terrorist acts including family members. This will be a condition of residency!
    If after 10 years of residency they wish to apply for citizenship they may. There then will be at least a two year period to investigate if they have successfully fulfilled the requirements of residency prior to bestowing citizenship. If they and their immediate family have met the conditions citizenship can be bestowed upon them.

    Once Israel has successfully integrated Area C it can then work on Areas A and B. Unless you can be sure you know how to successfully help Arabs emigrate overseas and integrate others why would anyone in their right mind make the approximately 1,500,000 Arabs (of Area A/B in Judah & Samaria) Israeli residents yet alone citizens. This is a terrorist’s dream, to be able to freely travel all over Israel with an Israeli ID card.

    Walk before you run and go step by step in this super risky proposition of incorporating a massive amount of Arabs into the State of Israel. If you can be highly confident that you can help large amounts of Arabs emigrate then you could start annexing parts of Area A (a City at at a time). Israel should NOT bring an Arab Trojan Horse into Zion. If you can NOT make sure a large amount of Arabs will emigrate, not do annex these areas and make these people residents!

  9. @ Felix Quigley:

    I think we are talking about really fundamental issues here. It is very clear that the capitalist class is selling out to Islam.

    One of the issues is will President Trump be able to prevail? Just imagine the set back if he is over thrown in some way!

    The issue of Israel and the Palestinian Arabs is tied up now completely with some very fundamental issues in the world. rethink everything.

  10. The speech in which Abbas dug his own grave
    While wishing the POTUS’ “house be destroyed” in traditional Arab fashion, Abbas may have destroyed his own house, the Palestinian Arab one built of cards.

    Trump pulled Jerusalem & refugees off of the table

    Abbas understands that his house of cards, lacking Jerusalem and refugees, is about to collapse and disappear and with it all the plans to destroy Israel. The feeling that he has lost his compass is what made him lose his temper and abandon the discretion that has always characterized his behavior, leading him to return to the depths of Arabic culture with an imprecation aimed at Trump –”May your house be destroyed.”

    Quotes and linked article are by Kedar.

    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/21558

  11. After Abbas speech, Bennett says the ‘era of a Palestinian state is over’
    Following PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech calling Israel a “colonial project,” Education Minister Naftali Bennett says “the era of a Palestinian state is over.”

    Speaking at a Knesset faction meeting of the right-wing Jewish Home party, Bennett says Abbas “has lost his connection with reality.”

    “Abu Mazen and the idea of a Palestinian state are passing from the world,” he says, using Abbas’s Arabic nickname.

    Bennett says “the era of sovereignty has begun” and calls for annexing chunks of the West Bank.

  12. Sebastien

    And Professor Eidelberg called out Sadat for what he was and the phony peace treaty for what it was in 1979, not just with 20/20 hindsight almost 40 years later. It’s sad that he has to cite Pipes to be believed long after most of the horses have fled.

    But the fact that the Israeli ruling class actually made a “peace” deal with Sadat is the issue in this sense…in what way has the Israeli ruling class moved on from that?

    It should be a given that all Arab leaders inthe end are wanting to destroy Israel because the ideology of Islam is stronger than any temporary alliance, say the Saudis against the existential danger to all of Iran, and previously of ISIS

  13. Everything that is written has to be analysed

    Bear Klein

    “Today Abbas appears to be calling for an intifada to rid themselves of Israel and the colonists sent by the Europeans (he means us Jews I believe). He has said Oslo is over and they need to obtain their state by other means.

    So currently there is no real livelihood of an actual Pal State anywhere.

    Why is this so certain or how is it any different to any other point in time since 1948?

    So Israel needs to actively come up with where in Judea/Samaria it is going to annex at the present and what the new paradigm is going to be for dealing with the Arabs in Judea/Samaria.

    How is this any kind of strategy…at best it is tampering with the problem…as Martin Sherman would warn you

    The PA will mostly likely either implode or be destroyed in the very near future.

    And on what do you base this?

    It is precisely these kinds of “great intellectual feats” that are so dangerous

  14. And Professor Eidelberg called out Sadat for what he was and the phony peace treaty for what it was in 1979, not just with 20/20 hindsight almost 40 years later. It’s sad that he has to cite Pipes to be believed long after most of the horses have fled.

    https://afsi.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/SadatsStrategy_Eidelberg1.pdf

    or

    https://www.amazon.com/Sadats-strategy-History-making-Eidelberg/dp/0969000103

    To paraphrase U.S. Civil War General William Tecumsah Sherman with a contemporary Israeli twist:

    War is Chelm.

    There were also no “Island of Peace Massacres” in Jordan before that treaty after Israel won the Six Day War.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_Peace_massacre

  15. Today Abbas appears to be calling for an intifada to rid themselves of Israel and the colonists sent by the Europeans (he means us Jews I believe). He has said Oslo is over and they need to obtain their state by other means.

    So currently there is no real livelihood of an actual Pal State anywhere. So Israel needs to actively come up with where in Judea/Samaria it is going to annex at the present and what the new paradigm is going to be for dealing with the Arabs in Judea/Samaria. The PA will mostly likely either implode or be destroyed in the very near future.