THE SKINNY ON THE PROBLEM SUSTAINED BY THE WORLD

UCI Article - Defining the Problem to Reach a Viable Solution

Warren Manison - Jan 14, 2010
UCI Press Release

It is time to recognize that all this thrashing around to "negotiate" a peaceful resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict can never succeed without resolution of the underlying cause - namely, the refusal of Palestinians and the Arab world to recognize and accept a Jewish state in what they believe to be a total Muslim region. There are 22 Arab states and only 1 Jewish state. Yet this one Jewish state is being denied an opportunity to exist despite more than 3,000 years of history in its own land and despite clear verses in the Koran that "Jews should dwell securely in the land of promise" (Surah 17:104); and again in Surah 7:137 that "We made a people, considered weak (i.e. the children of Israel), inheritors of the lands in both east and west, lands whereon We sent down Our blessings. The fair promise of thy Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel..."

The fallout from this refusal has been an Arab sense of shame and jealousy that they have not been able to eliminate an Israel that has achieved the highest standard of living and shown the greatest economic progress of any nation in the entire Middle East. Tragically, the Arab nations have been the losers, unable to benefit from an Israel willing to share its technology and economic know-how with their Arab neighbors.

Many, including in the American government, seem to think that if only there was a settlement of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, there would be peace in the Middle East. Nothing could be further from the truth. The history of the continuing refusal is replete with failed opportunities on the part of the Palestinians to achieve peace. Like the famous Abba Eban said - "The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity". The list of missed opportunities includes:

1) Refusal to accept the League of Nations's British Mandate that created a Jewish area and an Arab area carved out of the old Ottoman Empire

2) Rejection of the United Nations partition plan of 1948.

3) Rejection of the Oslo Peace Initiative in the 1990s.

4) Refusal to abide by the Road Map in 2002 to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and cease incitement to violence

5) Refusal to reciprocate Israel's abandonment of the Security Zone in Lebanon.

6) Refusal to demonstrate peace with Israel is possible following the Israeli evacuation of Gaza.

How can peace be achieved in the face of these missed opportunities, the failure to change both the PLO Charter (adopted by the PA) and the Hamas Charter calling for the elimination of the state of Israel, and continuing incitement to violence in mosques, schools, TVs, newspapers and radio stations? More recently, demands have been made on Israel to cease construction of homes in its capital, Jerusalem, because, as the Palestinians keep saying "We demand East Jerusalem as our Capitol". It is as if they have a legitimate right to this city, no different from their false claims for areas of the West Bank. In fact, Jerusalem has never been the Capital of any Muslim entity, even during the time of the Ottoman Empire. Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran while the Jewish connection dates back 3,000 years. In fact, there has never been a Palestinian Arab state. The vast majority of Palestinians are offspring of huge waves of Arab immigrants into the area from neighboring Arab states during the 1920s and the 1930s.

What does all this mean? Clearly, no concessions, no agreements, no treaties, nothing will satisfy the aspirations of the Palestinians save the elimination of the state of Israel as codified in their Charters. Adoption of the so-called Saudi Peace plan is now being touted as a solution to the conflict, implying recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. This plan requires that Israel accept Palestinian "refugees", retreat to the indefensible 1967 border, and surrender East Jerusalem to Palestinians to be their capital. It is obvious that implementation of this plan would place Israel in jeopardy demographically, leave Israel with no defensible borders and the nightmare of a divided Capitol. A close examination of the plan raises the specter whether Arabs are practicing an Arab technique known as "Taqiyya", which permits deception of perceived enemies of Islam in order to further Muslim goals.

It is obvious from history alone that peace will remain elusive under the circumstances elaborated previously. Perhaps it is time to examine another alternative that might bring an end to the continuous confrontation - a total separation of the two people. As difficult as this appears to be, the only resolution has to be resettlement of Palestinians to the homelands from whence their forebears came in the 1920s and 1930s. This has to coincide with acceptance and recognition of a Jewish State of Israel in the region followed by perhaps years of verification through action, not words. Palestinians and their Arab brothers must cease their incessant world wide political attacks on Israel, their incitement to violence and hate, and their constant efforts to delegitimize the state of Israel.