T. Belman. I take exception to this advice. But it is not a departure from the past but a reaffirmation of past policies. Yes Hamas is not our friend, nor is the PA. It stems from a defeatist attitude. Israel permitted the creation of Hamas in the 1980’s believing that it would be a counter to Fatah. Big mistake. And now she wants the PA to be a counter to Hamas. The PA cannot be salvaged. It is too far gone. Other options should be explored such as Mordechai Kedar’s Emirates Plan or my Jordan Option.
Israel Security Agency chief Ronen Bar reportedly told ministers that PA is in a difficult situation and should be strengthened.
Ronen BarShin Bet communications
Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Ronen Bar told the political-security cabinet at an annual intelligence assessment this past Sunday that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is in a difficult economic and governmental situation, and that there is a fear it could collapse, Barak Ravid of Walla! News reported on Thursday.
Two ministers who attended the cabinet meeting told Walla! that Bar added that Israel must work to strengthen the PA. The Shin Bet and the Prime Minister’s Office refused to comment on the report.
A minister who attended the cabinet meeting said that the Shin Bet chief noted that strengthening the Palestinian Authority was important in order to both strengthen stability in Judea and Samaria as well as to weaken Hamas.
Senior IDF officials who also gave an overview to the ministers during the meeting conveyed the same message and also said that action should be taken to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, Ravid’s report said.
Meanwhile on Thursday, Channel 12 News reported that Defense Minister Benny Gantz is expected to meet next week with PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
This would be the second meeting between Gantz and Abbas this year, and comes against the backdrop of a series of lone-wolf terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, including one fatal attack.
The purpose of the latest meeting is to strengthen Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, so that Hamas will not be strengthened in Judea and Samaria. Several proposals for security and economic cooperation that will assist the PA in its day-to-day operations will be presented.
Gantz previously met with Abbas in August to discuss measures to strengthen the PA’s economy. Following the meeting, Israel agreed to loan 500 million shekels to the PA.
A senior official in the government criticized Gantz following his first meeting with Abbas, saying he “only cares about his own political interests” and “is behaving like a government within a government.”
The Defense Minister, however, insisted that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was aware of his meeting with Abbas and approved it.
And here’s another excellent plan.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/10/palestinian-authority-textbooks-encouraging-violence-found-on-teenage-girl-arrested-in-jerusalem-stabbing/
The best thing about full military occupation prior to 1993 was that the IDF controlled what they were allowed to see and hear over the air, in print, and in mosques.
Somehow this censorship must be re-imposed. Is there a way to do so without having to commit forces to run and police every aspect of their miserable lives, at great risk? That’s my question.
Not to mention comical Woke insanity like this:
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/the-knesset/knesset-committee-chairwoman-insists-female-soldiers-must-serve-with-male-prisoners-they-just-need-bodyguards/2021/12/02/
I agree with all the comments. Also, maintaining military mobility in the face of the threat of potential invasion by Iran from Syria or its proxy, Hezbollah from Lebanon, is probably also a factor in the decision making process. Any attempt at nation-building would also certainly fail because of the rule of liberals with the civil and human rights of the enemy population foremost in their minds, and always under the threat of lawfare from European frenemies who have been allowed too much freedom to interfere in Israel’s internal affairs. Western Europe and Japan could never have been denazified after the war under these conditions. Mobility of forces and flexibility of response is the most that can be asked for. Same for the US. That’s how Trump kept us out of new wars and won the war with ISIS. He untied the hands of special forces just enough and had them work with local forces only focusing on defeating the enemy, not nation-building. It was quick work. Israel is having similar success against Iran in Syria. I just read that 75 percent of Iran’s military stores in Syria have been destroyed by the IDF.
@ TED-
I thought that is exactly what I have said, but only with more detail. So I completely agree with you, it’s purely a matter of what’s best and easiest until the time (when it isn’t.) is right.
(At the same time, Israelis, including government often suffer from complacency and laziness.)……….and there is always some potentially imminent danger cropping up.
“Expedient” might be the best term. Other posters -some of them- tend to disagree.
@ Edgar
I think that most of us agree with your first paragraph. But all of us including yourself, I am sure, see it only as a stop-gap measure until it is propitious for Israel to put an end to it. As much as it costs us to subsidize the PA, it would cost us more for Israel to replace the PA.
I want to thank all of you for your comments here. They are all very informative.
I have often said that your comments contribute greatly to the appeal of Israpundit.
I’ve always understood, -and read many times- that the reason that Israel allows the PA to stay on it’s feet, is because, if they allow or make it collapse, Israel itself will have the enormous task of policing, supplying social services, and much much more, for a rebellious, intransigent, hating population of about 3 millions. With the PA still there, they do all this, however poorly, and Israel has no responsibility to shoulder except keeping them in place.
And the IDF can go (and stay) anywhere in YESHA whenever they need to.
In other words, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages by a large enough margin to make it feasible. To me, it’s logical, although I far far prefer the Jordan Option, as described by Ted and Mudar Zahran.
They certainly have done enormous amounts of work on it, including investigating and describing the costs involved with housing etc, the prefabs, and the cost per unit in Jordan, as well as Egypt, 2 places where the YESHA Arabs could kill each other off with a large degree of impunity.
The move to save the PA is a continuation of a policy in which no sound solution is sought and a continuation of temporary measures is preferred while more dominant concerns are addressed. The issue is not Hamas over the PA or vice versa but rather should Israel rip the bandage off this weeping wound and expose the underlying infection to a certain reality and required remedy, or should they simply place another new shiny bandage upon the issue and hide the reality behind a new boon to PA which will neither save it, nor resolve the underlying issue at hand, namely that the corruption and propaganda of a fully warring faction is more popular with the population being ruled than the Israel prop which is both dysfunctional and too defeated to succeed with even a stately sum thrown at its feet. Half measures are useful as temporary solutions, but at what point does it become realized that the temporizing support of the PA, is not temporary, but the solution to the Gaza question. It seems that the bolstering of the PA is the new proletariat which simply never goes out of style, regardless of who holds power in Jerusalem.
Additionally, it is a deeply immoral proposition to ask a nation to reward the murderers of their public. It was a clever move to use the PA to offset Hamas, but the reality is that the Israeli public are being asked to subsidize the fallen state of the PA. Jews will be paying Arabs who have killed Jews and who reward those who are currently killing Jews. This is not only immoral and illegal, it is insane. Any ridiculous claim that the funds will not be used to this effect denies the fungible nature of finances and is beyond any point of rational discussion. The route that has been put in place to satisfy successive American administrations has now come full circle. Israel should not allow the murder of her people to be funded by Israeli shekels.
‘Where, Then, Shall We Go?’
by Isaac Kohn
Monday, August 22, 2005
(The year is 2020. The ultra-liberal Ein-Kavod Party has governed Israel since the last elections.)
The General Assembly of the United Nations had never seen such a capacity crowd. Every one of the 191 member states was represented. Thousands of reporters, photographers and cameramen jammed the media gallery. Anticipation rose to a boiling point. The babble of languages created the sound of rushing waves.
“Please be seated,” the president of the General Assembly, Sir Emyr Jones Parry of England, urged the assembled. Silence engulfed the room.
“Distinguished delegates,” Sir Emyr began, “this special meeting of the General Assembly was called in order to hear what I can only describe as the most incredible proposal ever put forth in these hallowed chambers. Please welcome the esteemed prime minister of Israel, Oren Avidan. Without further ado I give the floor to the distinguished Mr. Avidan.”
The applause was scattered and light, though this time none of the Arab or Muslim delegates walked out. They sat stone-faced as Avidan walked to the podium. The prime minister took a sip of water and began to speak.
“Distinguished delegates. I am here with a unique plan unanimously accepted by the Knesset, and approved by leaders of the U.S., the EU, and other nations that were consulted.
A soft murmur rose from the news gallery.
Avidan continued.
“The implementation of this plan will finally bring about that long-elusive peace we`ve all been looking for. We tried wars, terror, agreements and disengagements. Plans were devised, suggested, created and discarded. Israel disengaged from Gaza and uprooted twenty-five flourishing, vibrant communities. That, of course, proved too small a gesture.
“So, as you all know, as a result of U.S. prodding and the relentless wave of terror unleashed on our major cities, Israel implemented three additional phases of disengagement. We uprooted the entire Samaria and Judea territories. The Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Ma`aleh Adumim were evacuated. The third phase saw Israel relinquishing control of the entire area captured in the 1948 War of Independence.
“Accepting UN resolution 33217, Israel dismantled and destroyed its Dimona nuclear reactor, surrendered control of the Jordan River, the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Because of those unilateral moves, Israel is now an area smaller than that allotted her by the UN in its Partition Plan. Yet peace is not here.”
Some delegates shifted in their seats; most looked on with anticipation.
Smiling, the prime minister went on:
“For the last nine months, Israel has done a thorough analysis of its detrimental impact on the world. We debated, argued and have come to a solution. Israel has decided that its 72-year experiment in statehood has failed. All it managed to do was antagonize the entire world.
“Therefore, Mr. Secretary General, distinguished delegates and leaders, in Israel`s name I thank the UN for giving the survivors of the Holocaust the opportunity to establish a state and govern their own affairs. Looking back, Israel should have been satisfied with the world`s generosity and the hospitality of the local Arabs.
“Instead, it pains me to admit, we became belligerent and greedy. In May 1948, almost immediately after we declared a Jewish state in Palestine, the Israeli army added to the territory allotted it under the partition plan by easily besting the rag-tag armies of our neighbors. Adding insult to injury, Ben-Gurion actively encouraged — psychologically as well as militarily — the Arab population to flee, which eventually resulted in the miserable refugee camps.
The time here is too short for me to detail our sins and shortcomings — the unprovoked wars, the demolitions of homes, the violation of other nations` sovereign territory and airspace, as in the 1976 Entebbe incident and the 1983 preemptive aggression against Iraq`s nuclear reactor.”
At this point a perceptible buzz went through the crowd. Delegates turned to each other in disbelief. Egypt`s prime minister turned to the Palestinian president, a broad smile splashed across his face. A loud “Allah akhbar” was heard from the Syrian delegation.
“Order please!” a voice boomed from the loudspeaker.
Prime Minister Avidan resumed his address:
“For the last seventy-two years my country has been a thorn in the side of every country in the UN. Even our friends in Washington have grown sick and tired of our intransigence. We ignored or violated every UN resolution designed to put an end to the state of belligerence. Israel`s army and security agencies crossed every red line in our pursuit to destroy those we labeled our enemies.
“Distinguished delegates, Israel`s experiment as a state has failed. There is no other conclusion. As such, we have notified high level officials in Washington, Europe and right here at the UN of our final and irrevocable decision. To implement it, we need your individual cooperation, and I thank you in advance.”
Avidan paused and looked around the hall.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Israel has decided to dismantle itself.”
His words were met with stunned silence, followed by a series of muffled gasps and whispers.
“My esteemed colleagues, do not look perplexed. Let me repeat. Israel has decided to dismantle itself. The Knesset will be dissolved, and I will resign my position, as will every cabinet member and government minister. Within the next eighteen months, with the help of our friends in the family of nations, Israel will completely cease to exist as a sovereign nation. Every Jew will be allowed to take whatever he or she can carry in a suitcase and leave the country. Within this allotted time period, every Jew will return to his or her country of origin, where he or she can once again set solid roots and…..”
A babble of voices ripped the silence. Delegates stood up shouting. “Never! Niet! No! Nein!” The babble was deafening. The French ambassador to the UN ran to the podium and grabbed the mike from the startled Israeli. Yelling into the mike, his heavily accented voice thundered above the noise.
“No! No! No! We have enough Jews in France! We don`t want more Jews to return to our shores. We can`t afford to further antagonize our Muslim population. No! Never!”
A state bordering on pandemonium ensued. Delegates stood up, many gesturing wildly. An eardrum-shattering chorus of voices shouting “No!” in every language and dialect shook the room. Hundreds of security personnel, buttressed by dozens of New York City police officers, rushed in to restore order.
Twenty minutes later, quiet reigned again. The German chancellor requested permission to speak.
“Dear Mr. Avidan,” he began. “We regard you with the utmost respect. What you`ve done to bring this moment to fruition can never be put into words. The world owes you a tremendous debt. In the name of the German people we thank you and the people of Israel for such a brave move. I`m sure I speak in the name of every nation represented here when I say that the steps you`ve outlined today represent a giant step forward in the quest for world peace. We graciously accept your unprecedented gesture and I bow my head at the sacrifice you are making. Israel will never be forgotten for what it was and will forever be remembered for what it has done here, today. We all salute you.”
The Arab delegates squirmed uncomfortably in their cushioned bucket seats, as did the French and Russian representatives. They were always wary of the Germans.
“Having said that,” the chancellor continued, “we wish to correct, or should I say delete, your last provision — that of every Jew returning to his land of origin. No, Mr. Avidan, speaking for the German people only, we`re very sorry but we cannot accommodate that part of your plan.
Hundreds of delegates from all corners of the world nodded their heads in vigorous assent. It was clear the sentiment was virtually unanimous. The Israeli prime minister, ashen-faced, turned to the German chancellor.
“I don`t understand. We are the most liberal, dovish party that ever ruled Israel. And we are doing the utmost for world peace. Before the establishment of Israel the world yelled at us to ‘Go to Palestine.` Then, when the State of Israel became a reality, you shouted ‘Get Out of Palestine.` And now that we are willing to get out of Palestine, where exactly do you suggest the Jews of Israel ought to go? Where, then, shall we go?”
The chancellor said nothing, but a smile, barely perceptible, formed on his lips as he left the podium.
*****
Isaac Kohn, special to TheRaphi.com, writes from Brooklyn, New York and is the senior vice president at HealthPoint Acquisitions Inc.
@Bear. Amen! The Israeli elite’s support for the PA is self-destructive madness. @Reader. You are probably right that members Israel’s ruling elites believe they can always leave Israel and get cushy jobs elsewhere. As a result, all too many of themare willing to betray their own people and their own state by a sort of phased withdrawal from Eretz Israel.
Their [the Israeli “elite”] motto: “Olmert’s volte-face was reflected in a keynote speech he gave to the left-wing American-based Israel Policy Forum in June 2005, when he stated, “We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies.””
https://www.jwire.com.au/the-tragedy-of-ehud-olmert-in-retrospect/
The Emirates Plan by Mordechai Kedar is total crap but the interview with him is great because of all the interesting Arab culture info.
I can’t figure out why Israel owes anybody anything after the British chopped off 78% of the planned Jewish National Home and handed it illegally to Abdullah from Mekkah, and after they locked up the Jews in Europe to be slaughtered by the Germans without any access to their “Jewish National Home”.
In fact, even if all the Gaza, Green Line, and Judea and Samaria Arabs move to Jordan, it will still remain unfair to the Jews in terms of the territory, so why no one even mentions this?
The Israeli “elite” decided to give up on Zionism and create another Arab state in Judea and Samaria more than 30 years ago (I guess they are hoping to run away with their American visa waivers after turning off the lights).
This is why they freeze the settlements, do not supply water and electricity to the Jewish settlements, build very little and slowly within the Green Line, and slow down aliyah worse than the British in the 1939 White Paper.
Thanks to the handy COVID excuse, the new olim no longer receive their Teudat Zehut at the airport but must make appointments at any available location in the country and wait for over a month for an appointment.
Israel got to the point when they have an organization of 300 former IDF generals whose sole task is advocating for a Two-state Final Solution!
This is when the Diaspora is under a tremendous threat of rapidly rising antisemitism and when Israel needs aliyah like air to breathe.
Yes, even the Emirates plan is better but is it actually possible??
The PA is made up of Fatah which have killed more Jews than Hamas. These people are the enemy. They currently fear Hamas more than Israel so they provide the Shin Bet with intelligence and cooperate in stopping Hamas operations. That is why they talking about strengthening them.
Strengthening them is very dangerous. Trouble is no one is ready to take over Area A of Judea/Samaria in Israel. So the idea is to strength the PA so it does not fall apart and become run by Hamas like Gaza???? I guess that is the idea. That is not actually a solution but a band-aid on a sore that eventually will become so infected a limb could fall off.