by Eli Hazan
Any
honest observer would praise U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for his
efforts to make peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
That said, his recent comments at the Munich Security Conference merit scrutiny and through analysis.
"Today's status quo
... cannot be maintained. It's not sustainable. It's illusionary.
There's a momentary prosperity, there's a momentary peace ... [which]
will change if there is failure," Kerry said. As if directly attacking
Israel, he continued, saying, "There's an increasing delegitimization
campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it.
There is talk of boycotts and other kinds of things. Are we all going to
be better with all of that?"
Kerry is wrong. The
attempts to delegitimize Jews and Israel have been around since time
immemorial. What we do as Israelis to advance peace and coexistence has
nothing to do with the way people treat us around the world. History,
primarily recent history, has demonstrated this truism. Israel's
withdrawal from Lebanon; the generous offers articulated by former prime
ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert; the 10-month construction
moratorium in Judea and Samaria. Time and again, Israel has been willing
to make concessions only to face skepticism and severe criticism.
Some of the
manifestations of this formula were on full display with the Goldstone
report, whose author later said the document should have been more
even-handed, and during the Second Intifada, when Israel's critics
denied its right to self-defense in the face of Palestinian terrorism
that killed thousands. That is why Israel has tried to find alternative
support that would offset that sentiment. Kerry must keep in mind that
Canada is behind us, as are other nations with which Israel has managed
to forge ties with and which understand Israelis' intelligence,
creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. These nations include some of
Turkey's neighbors, as well as others around the globe.
Kerry is
misleading. The Palestinian Authority has been experiencing momentary
prosperity as well. If the Palestinians decide to revert to terrorism in
the wake of a failed peace process, Israel will not stand idly by.
Terrorism would have the Palestinian economy tank. Just recall Israel's
successful maneuvers to crush the Arafat-sponsored terrorism in the
early part of the last decade. Should the need arise, Israel could do
the same thing this time around.
Kerry would be
well-served by recalling what former Foreign Minister Abba Eban once
said, about how the Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an
opportunity. Their actions have proved this statement. If Kerry wants to
see that, he should take a closer look at what the intra-Arab dialogue
has focused on: the sacredness of the 1947 borders -- namely, the
Partition Plan -- not the 1967 borders. He should have trained his
arrows on those who have repeatedly tried to derail the peace process.
He should have lashed out, repeatedly, at the PA for the hatred it has
been propagating in schools and in the Palestinian media.
Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu put his premiership on the line when he agreed to
enter the talks. Kerry knows that and he conceded that point when he
spoke in Munich.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu has
taken very tough decisions to move this down the road, very tough
decisions," he said. He must remember that we Israelis safeguard our
interests and are willing to rise to the boycott challenge. We have
shown that we have what it takes.
Eli Hazan
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=7231
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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