By announcing plans for the construction of thousands of units east of the green line and showing no signs of backing down, the PA has no choice to but to hit Israel with all they’ve got. This is a classic showdown. This battle will determine the winner. If Israel backs down, she is finished. She will be forced to capitulate on all matters. If she stands her ground and continues building unabated and takes the heat and the sanctions, she will have won the right to build and the war.
Not only will Israel be staring down the PA, she will be staring down the international community. This is Israel’s second war of independence. Ted Belman
Emboldened by their newly upgraded status at the United Nations, the Palestinians are talking of filing war crimes charges against Israel, staging mass demonstrations in the West Bank, encouraging the international community to impose sanctions, and ending the security cooperation that has helped preserve quiet in recent years.
These plans, combined with growing international impatience with Israeli settlement construction, could spell trouble and international isolation for the Israeli leader. In a series of interviews with The Associated Press, a number of Palestinian officials all voiced a similar theme: Following the UN General Assembly’s recognition of “Palestine” as a nonmember observer state in November, the status quo cannot continue.
“2013 will see a new Palestinian political track. There will be new rules in our relationship with Israel and the world,” said Hussam Zumlot, an aide to President Mahmoud Abbas. Although the UN vote did not change the situation on the ground, it had deep implications. Opposed by just nine countries, it amounted to a strong international endorsement of the Palestinian position on future borders. It also cleared the way for them to join international agencies to press their grievances against Israel. Netanyahu has accused the Palestinians of bypassing direct negotiations. “One would hope we will in fact see in 2013 the re-emergence of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiating process,” said Netanyahu’s spokesman, Mark Regev. “There is no substitute for direct talks.
You’re not going to make peace in resolutions at the United Nations or other international forums.” Palestinian officials say they are hopeful that a formula for restarting peace talks can be found after Israel’s election on Jan. 22, perhaps through a new initiative from President Barack Obama. The Palestinians have begun to speak of a trial, six-month negotiating period.
Azzam al-Ahmed, a top aide to Abbas, said Arab diplomats will present the plan in Western capitals, Russia and China next month. But with the Palestinians insistent on a settlement freeze, and opinion polls forecasting a new hardline Israeli coalition headed by Netanyahu, expectations are low. Long, tough battleThe Palestinian officials said they will not rush toward any punitive measure, but they are determined not to stand pat. “We have to prepare ourselves for a long and tough battle,” added Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Palestinians’ top decision making body. “We will use all the political tools available.”
Among the options being considered is halting cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian security forces in the West Bank. The cooperation is widely seen as a key element in preserving the calm in the West Bank in recent years, in sharp contrast to the heavy fighting a decade ago. “There will be no security cooperation as long as there is no political horizon,” said Mohammed Ishtayeh, a Palestinian Cabinet minister. The Palestinians also talk of increasing “popular struggle,” the term they use for demonstrations against Israeli soldiers. Such face-to-face confrontations frequently turn tense, with protesters throwing stones and troops firing tear gas and water cannons, and run the risk of growing more violent. Perhaps most troubling to Israel, the Palestinians also want to use their upgraded status on the world stage to push for international action against Israel. Officials say they will move to join the International Criminal Court, where they hope to pursue war crimes charges against Israel for its settlement activities. Although the road to taking legal action in the ICC appears to be long and complicated, it nonetheless has made Israeli officials jittery.
More construction in Ma’ale Adumin? “We are going to pursue this policy to reach a point of having the international community impose sanctions on Israel,” said Qais Abdelkareem, another PLO official. This Palestinian agenda, while ambitious, is likely to encounter stiff resistance from both Israel and its international allies. Israel has a number of tools at its disposal, including possible military or economic pressure on the Palestinians. Israel’s allies in the West, particularly the US, will also likely shield it from any attempt to impose broad international sanctions, at least in the near term. Uproar caught Israel off guardBut there are signs that international patience with Israel is wearing thin. An Israeli official said the extent of the international uproar over its recent settlement construction plans had caught officials off guard. “Something has changed,” he said. “Clearly a line has been crossed.” He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing closed diplomatic meetings.
Yossi Beilin, a former deputy foreign minister and peace negotiator, said there is “no way” the status quo can continue and that Netanyahu “understands that this situation where the US is the only one to support Israel cannot go on forever.” He said Netanyahu, after pandering to hard-liners during the election campaign, will likely try to bring in a centrist party into his coalition after the vote to give the government an image of Moderation. “Reality might impose itself in such a way that we will find him doing things, like maybe an interim agreement with the Palestinians or something that seems now unexpected,” Beilin said. “He will make small steps to appease adversaries. And to Netanyahu, the whole world is an adversary.”
@ dweller:
As usual another of your BS ADAGES
In most fights size, weight and strength win out. Pincher vs Siberian Husky is only one of thousands of examples.
David vs Goliath is a nice folk Tale but in reality were it true it would be an anomaly not the rule.
But keep em coming so I can shoot them down.
@ Bernard Ross:
Not really, but not for the reason you might think.
If it were up to me, my first inclination would be to
hunt ’em down
round ’em up
& take ’em out
— and I don’t mean take ’em out to lunch.
Looked like they were doing it themselves for a little while, in Gaza, 2007.
Time to turn off the hydro, the water, close entry from jordan, cell and land line comunications, send all the arab workers home, dissallow use of the NIS, collect all weapons thhe yanks provided, armed transport etc. see how long they survive. no imports nor exports allowed through. break the camels back.
dweller Said:
OK, then can we just agree on the WB terror groups?
dweller Said:
That’s very cruel to the undeserving cats but not too cruel for the deserving Hamas and Fatah.
@ Bernard Ross:
“Doubt”? — I’m quite sure of that, but I had my tongue firmly implanted in my cheek when I said it. It just seemed so fitting; poetic justice.
Well, but I think now you’re speaking of more than just the W-B terrorist groups originally mentioned — but all Palis in the heartland provinces, irrespective of active affiliation or lack of same. That’s a much taller order (and far more distasteful), and I really don’t see it happening; certainly not in peace time [“peace time” defined here as “in the absence of an outright shooting war“].
Cromwell’s men were reputed to have introduced the Irish to Britain’s tender mercies by occasionally tying together the tails of a couple of cats & hanging them over a clothesline. . . .
@ Bernard Ross:
It’s a pity that Israel, aside from fighting for it’s life, must be asked to lead the way to encourage the straggler Jews to ‘sign on’, instead of All Israel in the Disaspora… getting a
CLUE, and raise our resounding voices in one accord to support all of you who are holding down the
perverbial ‘Fort’… for us… who also have a true share in the Inheritance of the land granted to
us by The Eternal Himself.
I would have hoped that the Spritual leaders (Rabbi’s) among the new Sanhedrin (?) as well as
The New Jewish Congress via the ‘Declaration of our Existance and Rights and National Identity’ … would have worked together to light the flame and lead the way, to blow the shofar and call Israel Home. The silence is giving the Liberal Left JINOS a voice, whereby there should have No Voice At All. Let all who are on the LORD’s SIDE, come to me, said Moses. Blow the shofar and wake the dead among us. We also are dying a spiritual death in the land of same sex marriages and a Tower of Babel Regime who tells God to stay out our affairs.
We need a King David in Zion.
What is the opinion here among you? Do you feel that a clarion call for the diaspora to return now, would be prudent and prophetic?
Please let me hear your thoughts on this.
Thank you.
Davida Geller Rosenberg
“Anti-Semitism needs to be eradicated once and for all.”
It will never end. It’s part of human DNA already.
the phoenix Said:
I agree 100%. I only got most of the story in the last 10 years and I am 68 and read. I primarily blame the succeeding GOI’s as most diaspora jews will take their cues from Israel and Israeli’s) on matters concerning Israeli(if it weren’t for Israeli left, and narurei karta types, the diaspora would follow the right). If it is not happening there it most likely wont happen elsewhere.
Israel shall stop to afrad from those illegal invandors plasetlinians, charge them for war criminales too from 1920 1st Prgrom in Jersulalem under British Role up to day, we Jews don`t have lawyer to hit those bloody muslism
Ted is correct all the “theys” will have to go. They are the Oslo partners. The Arabs islamics and those that act here on their behalf.
I concluded long ago and so posted that the most contundent message the Jewish people can deliver is to simply demolish the unJewish camp. All of those in any way aligned with Oslo and its derivatives must be sumarily set aside. No need to egnage on drect confrontations with the Atabs or anyone else.
FIRST. Clear the deck within. Now.
Without doing that, there is no way to act as need be against external enemies.
@ Ted Belman:
Ted, you got that right.
The world will be a lot better if it accepts the truth.
Unfortunately the truth is the anti-Semites of the world could care less about the Palestinians, they don’t like the Jews. The Pals are only an instrument used by them.
The liberal left Jews of the world are no help, in fact they in their ignorance only fuel anti-Semitism.
Anti-Semitism needs to be eradicated once and for all.
Israel needs a super PR program to bring the truth to the world, the truth the liberal left media will not report.
I believe Jon Voight said it best
I have yet to hear or read anything Jews have done throughout history to warrant this hatred.
In spite of all the hatred G-d remains with His people.
I coined the phrase “There’s no diplomatic solution” as a retort to the Left’s “There’s no military solution”. The only solution is “They must go” as unpalatable as that is, but truth is truth.
Bernard Ross Said:
just started reading “the balfour declaration” by jonathan schneer.
from the very few first paragraphs it ‘s been made clear that the british,true to their nature, were involved in double crossing negotiations so as to betray and not honor the pledge made on november 9 1917…
it is insane to think that majority of OUR people do not know how badly we were swindled by ALL nations from the get go. and this lack of knowledge leads to a behaviour of one who is afraid to do as he pleases in his own house and instead, is perpetually tiptoing around like a timid guest that does not wish to disturb the landlord.
i believe that once critical mass is achieved in terms of knowledgeable people that know and CARE about the jewish history, they will DEMAND to kick the squatters and undesirables that polute the land.
in other words, the late rabbi kahane’s message will be carried on:
THEY MUST GO!
dweller Said:
I doubt that Tunis would want them and it would be expensive and require the agreement of Tunisia. Also, it takes planes. I like the idea of Israel seizing a buffer zone across the border of any nation with who there is no peace(Gaza, Lebanon or Syria). Convoys of trucks driving across the border,Dropping them off on the other side and giving them a complimentary road map to the nearest town. Gaza might be preferred for the entertainment following when fatah and hamas unite in gaza. This model has a beautiful simplicity to it. Also, IDF drivers already know the routes and methodologies for transporting large masses of people.
There are serious sanctions being applied to Israel coming from everywhere. We need innovative leadership from Israel’s government, with vision and creativity. To date we have nobody to measure up to that description.Without intelligent leadership , Israel will continue to proceed on a downward trajectory.
@ Laura:
Also many Jews inside and outside Israel are adversaries!
@ Bernard Ross:
Perhaps they could be dropped off in Tunis
— since that’s where they were brought back from.
@ andrew morris:
Are you assuming that the two are mutually exclusive?
If there is a solution, of any kind (and I do not concede that there is, but IF there is)
— then it will most certainly, and inescapably, have a military component. That’s sheer common sense.
@ L. Mansfield:
It’s never about the size of the dog in the fight.
— It’s always about the size of the fight in the dog.
The right of jewish settlement of the west bank was not exercised by Israel and therefore assumed to be waived by the jew swindling international community. The international community is pissed off because they understand that the Jews have a legal right to settle and this would jeopardize their plans. “Use it or lose it” was the governing principle. Israel should state that this right was not waived but in the past there was a willingness to make sacrifices for peace, that past has now proven to be a failed paradigm and now settlement should begin in full swing.
RE charges at ICC: Israel can bring charges also for the years of terror. It can also refuse to recognize the charges as not coming from a state.
Non cooperation in security should result in a cordon around palestinian areas with no right of travel except to leave Israel. Furthermore, as a second material breach of Oslo the PLO, fatah, and militant PA hierarchy should be deported as they were only allowed into Israel under Oslo. Sanctions from the International community should be followed by deportations of the arabs from the west bank. The arabs will have to go where someone will feed them and be responsible for them but that will not be in Israel. Sanctions will mean the last compromise with the west is finished. Sanctions will mean all bets are off. In any legal or diplomatic attack on Israel it is the Pals who must be seen to suffer as a result. Sanctions have been withdrawn when the population it is trying to serve instead suffers.
Whatever happens, I believe that Israel should come to no agreements prior to the “arab spring” playing out and the smoke clearing. GOI should put all negotiations on hiatus until then. If Pals act to formalize their state on the ground then Israel should formerly annex all of C even if only to preserve its rights in a dispute.
andrew morris Said:
andrew, think alexander the great, and the solution to the extremely complicated impossible gordian knot…
L. Mansfield Said:
UNITED yes. it is the constant/eternal divided house syndrome that is the problem (imo)
@ the phoenix:
“there is no diplomatic solution”, does that imply that there is only a military solution? If that were the case Israel’s security problems would have been over 40 years ago. Beware of those with simple answers to highly complicated problems. The mid east is in a quagmire of many conflicting claims, that are religious, economic and involving all the important world actors.
@ the phoenix:
Is Israel ready to take on the world? You are darn tootin ,We Are. What is six-seven billion opponents? For Israel, its a piece of cake
Indeed it is.
@ Ted Belman
the caption under your blog headline says it all and the sooner it is realized and acted on accordingly, the better.
“THERE IS NO DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION”
Arabs have always been at war with Israel and this war continues unabated. Israel must recognize this as a fact by dispelling the idea that peace is possible while their Arab neighbors maintain their state of war. If the Arabs are at war with Israel then Israel must respond by no longer funding Arabs and stopping the free flow of goods to enemies. When they are really hurting (as opposed to the fake crocodile tears they use for propaganda to arouse the sympathy of international anti-Semites) then they will either negotiate or, if they can find greener pastures, leave for good. I hear that Syria, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are in need some re-building and there is employment aplenty. The Gulf is rich and could absorb at least 2 million refugees. Turkey has a lot of compassion for Arabs and so I wonder if Recep Tayyip Erdogan would extend his heart to Arabs in need of a home? He has lots of passion for terrorists breaking the law to endanger Israel!
“Yossi Beilin, a former deputy foreign minister and peace negotiator, said there is “no way” the status quo can continue and that Netanyahu “understands that this situation where the US is the only one to support Israel cannot go on forever.” He said Netanyahu, after pandering to hard-liners during the election campaign, will likely try to bring in a centrist party into his coalition after the vote to give the government an image of Moderation. ”
…yosi beilin?
…’peace negotiator’?
…netanyahu ‘pandered to hard-liners’? (as in electoral promises BEFORE elections, to be BROKEN and totally reversed AFTER the elections… “by bringing in a centrist party [perhaps even ‘meretz’ for ‘proper balance’] into his coalition after the vote to give the government an ***image*** of Moderation. “)
the stench of this, is unbearable!
Perhaps the PA should have thought of the consequences of their continual rocket barrage on Israel. They can no longer stand in Israel’s way. The UN declaration has no bearing on Israel’s rights and I firmly believe further annexations are required to fortify and protect her people.