There is only one test for the PA, deal with terrorism

Submitted by Jonathan Pfeffer, Sep 17, 2003 at 03:05

Dear Mr Pipes

I think that you overstate the need to require a Palestinian acceptance of Israel. It may be a nice gesture but hardly of any substance to Israel. In this conflict, what a party thinks or even says is not-importance. Israel must deal with the Palestinians on issues of substance. For too long Israel has negotiated away substance for gestures. What the Arabs must deliver but seemingly cannot deliver any time soon is the policing of terrorists. They can't deliver because no Palestinian entity has ever taken the big step of moving from a council of loosely associated revolutionaries to a responsible government.

Israel has given the Palestinians every opportunity to figure this out on themselves. Apparently there is always an excuse. "We were about to do it, when you bombed the militants", "We were about to act but you (Israel) violated the agreement". Whenever we cut through and remove all obstacles, the PA has faltered. Why? Because the PA has not yet taken the big step. To many Palestinians, if not most Palestinians this big step of fighting terrorism would be a betrayal of their fellow terrorist revolutionaries, one that they are nowhere near considering right now.

You know after 911, I must admit, I was a little worried that when GW Bush asked Mullah Omar to turn in Osama Bin Laden, he would actually comply. Then where would we be? The Taliban would still exist, Al Quaeda would be saved and Osama sacrificed. Now I realize that the US State Department really knew what they were doing. There was no way Mullah Omar could turn over Osama. These guys were soul mates. All Talibania would crumble as a result of this betrayal. The truth is that Omar was thrilled with 911. Osama became the envy of all Militant Islamia and to turn Osama in to the Great Satan would be the equivalent of Punches Pilot turning in Jesus Christ.

So it is obvious that until the PA turns on the terrorists, all Palestinian negotiations is a rouse and certainly a waste of time for Israel. This of course has little to do with the acceptance of Israel by Palestinians. If the PA could say that they accept Israel and leave the terrorists in place they would. The only way peace with the PA or any other Palestinian can be achieved is if and when they "take care" of their own terrorists.

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