Clearly, Prime Minister Netanyahu once again is being subjected to massive pressure from other countries around the globe, most particularly the United States. Peace talks are dead because of Arabs intransigence, not because of Netanyahu’s refusal to compromise. PM Netanyahu and Israel had been bending over backwards to reach peace with the Arabs. There is nothing to apologize for when Palestinian representatives reject every offer.
Today, when Israel tries again to sound conciliatory it means trying again to repeat the oft-failed appeasement of the rest of the world. For sake of appeasement, we still seem unable to stand tall and unequivocally declare that SAMARIA AND JUDEA ARE JEWISH LAND. They will be Jewish forever. Period.
When we plead only to retain an IDF security presence in parts of Judea or Samaria, we effectively admit that this is some ancient Arab land, and we are merely concerned about Israeli security. Safety is important, but less important than the fact that the land is our own Jewish land. Every square mile of Samaria and Judea is full of Jewish historical artifacts: ruins of temples, statues, castles and ancient cities, engraved stones, mountains, river and towns whose names appear in the Jewish bible. Everything there is Jewish history and culture through and trough. It is not Arab, it is Jewish. Together with Jerusalem, it is the cradle of the Jewish nation.
Yes, Arab economic migrants came in large numbers in the last hundred and fifty years [for example, Golda Meir wrote in the 1920s that “the Arab population of Palestine had doubled since the start of settlements there. Attracted by the economic opportunities, hordes of Arabs were migrating to Palestine from Syria and neighboring countries all though those years.”]
But this doesn’t make the land Arab. If tomorrow one lets hundreds of thousands of Romanians move into this land, it will not become part of historic Romania. Saudi Arabia will stay Arab even if some other people migrate in, attracted by well-paying jobs in the oil industry. Many Filipinos currently live and work in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, but these lands are not being claimed by the Philippines. In fact, Arabs are a minority in Kuwait, yet Arabs would never waver in declaring loudly and clearly that these are Arab lands.
PM Netanyahu needs to avoid appearing as if he is speaking from both sides of his mouth. People like Obama, shamelessly takes advantage of that.
Netanyahu, please don’t be a diplomat. Be a statesman. This is what Israel needs today more than anything else. Stand tall and strong. Don’t worry about antagonizing Obama, the EU, BDS proponents, the UN and others. Our detractors will always find a way to blame us for something, from settlements to fighting against Moslem terrorists. Appeasement never works. To the contrary, it emboldens and provokes our enemies. Say clearly that an undivided Jerusalem is the Jewish capital and Arabs will be thrown out from Judea and Samaria if they are unruly guests in that Jewish land. They are welcome to stay only if they obey the common rules like everyone else. Giving up on Judea and or Samaria is an appeasement.
Some Americans will not like it; they will threaten us and pressure us. The world will work itself into a frenzy, but it will pass and we will gain the respect of a lot of people. Most importantly of all, we will let people who are sympathetic to our cause see the clarity of our position.
England and France tried to appease Hitler and ended up with World War II. Netanyahu tried to appease Obama for six years and where did that get us? Obama has embraced Iran and is trying to isolate Israel.