“From 1948 to 1992,” Ettinger writes, “Israeli prime ministers…usually fended off U.S. pressure to make ‘painful concessions’…. A government that sacrifices strategic goals in order to avoid pressure strays away from the legacy of Israel’s Founding Fathers. A government that [is unwilling to] assume a tactical, short-term, limited cost required to retain political/diplomatic and to advance strategic, long-term, essential goals, thus forfeits the trust of its citizenry and the respect of its allies and the international community.”
In truth, if Israel succumbs to European pressure, it would negatively impact the PA population: it would either encourage further radicalization and pressure upon Israel, thus reducing the already slim chance for peace – or it would lead to despair and lack of confidence in PA leaders, risking an “Arab spring” on our doorstep, perhaps along the lines of Egypt and Syria.
A retreat to the pre-1967 lines would transform Jerusalem into an enclave connected to the coastal plain by a 2-4 mile wide corridor. It would reduce most of Israel to a sliver of land 9-15 miles wide, leaving Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport and 80 percent of Israel’s population and infrastructures at the mercies of katyushas launched from atop the mountain ranges of Yesha.
Last but not least, let us quote the PA Minister of Religious Affairs, who said, in the presence of PA chief Mahmoud Abbas, that any PA agreements with Israel are similar to the prophet Muhammad’s “10-year truce” he signed with the tribes of Mecca, which he violated just two years later by attacking and conquering them. “This [pact] is the example and the model,” the PA Minister said – echoing many other PA leaders over the years.
Attorneys can sign a comprehensive and informed letter of protest to Catherine Ashton at www.unitycoalitionforisrael.org/aa/alert.php?id=107. Others who wish to help in the campaign to keep Jerusalem Jewish and Israel safe and sovereign, send an e-mail to [email protected] or visit the Keep Jerusalem-Im Eshkachech website at www.keepjerusalem.org.
