by Uri Heitner
Those who believe the Arab Peace Initiative speaks of two states for two peoples are wrong. It talks about a Palestinian state free of Jews, but will the state next to it be a Jewish one? Not at all, because the initiative demands the right of return, which would lead to Israel being flooded by millions of Palestinians.
In a new
campaign, around 170 former high-ranking Israeli security officials are
calling on Israelis to vote in the upcoming Knesset elections for
parties that would commit to adopting the Arab Peace Initiative. I have
great respect for these ex-officials, who dedicated large parts of their
lives to defending Israel's security, but history has shown that having
such a background is not a guarantee of political wisdom. The security
establishment has failed the country many times, particularly regarding
our understanding of our enemies and our adherence to false concepts.
Belief in the flawed
intelligence concept that Egypt and Syria would not attack Israel before
certain conditions materialized led to the failure that was the 1973
Yom Kippur War. And in the early 1990s, then-Military Intelligence chief
Uri Sagi espoused a new concept that peace with Syria could be achieved
by giving back the Golan Heights. Many security and political officials
adopted this concept. Just think about if, God forbid, Israel had gone
through with that. We would today have the Islamic State group
controlling the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Therefore, with all due
respect to former security officials, their words must be apprised
critically. We must ask questions before buying anything they are trying
to sell.
Regarding the Arab
Peace Initiative, the new concept of the aforementioned 170 ex-security
officials is a disastrous one. The Arab Peace Initiative demands an
Israeli withdrawal to the June 4, 1967 lines in all sectors, entailing a
pullout from all of the Golan Heights, Judea and Samaria and east
Jerusalem. Anyone can understand the implications of such a withdrawal
-- the Tel Aviv area would come under fire from Palestinian terrorists
in Judea and Samaria while northern Israel would be well within Islamic
State's range.
Those who believe the
Arab Peace Initiative speaks of two states for two peoples are wrong. It
talks about a Palestinian state free of Jews, but will the state next
to it be a Jewish one? Not at all, because the initiative demands the
right of return, which would lead to Israel being flooded by millions of
Palestinians.
Israeli supporters of
the initiative point to the fact that it says the solution to the
Palestinian refugee issue must be "agreed upon," but they ignore the
rest of the sentence, which says that the solution must be in accordance
with U.N. General Assembly Resolution No. 194. This is the resolution
that established the basis for the demand for the right of return. So
any "agreed upon" solution based on it would be about the nature and
pace of implementing the right of return, and not about whether there
should be a right of return at all.
What makes the
initiative enticing to some is what it seemingly promises -- regional
peace. But in reality, the Arab nations acting as a bloc precludes of
any flexibility by an Arab partner in bilateral negotiations. The
initiative is simply a dictate based on a united position of Arab
countries, from which there can be no deviation.
The Arab Peace
Initiative was first proposed in 2002 and readopted in 2007. Since then,
the Middle East has undergone many changes, including the spread of
general instability, the collapse of nations, the disintegration of
artificial borders and the rise of global jihad. Does one need a
security background to understand the irrationality of taking an
existential gamble at this time on this dangerous initiative?
Uri Heitner
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=11545
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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