A Rose By Any Other Name

Submitted by Keefe Goldfisher (United States), Jan 25, 2017 at 15:00

Not an expert, but I recall that the Saudis have offered in their persistent relic Saudi Peace Plan to give Israel the sort of recognition it desires if Israel would but grant the Palestinians a state--the one-way version of this 3-way plan. The Saudis have used their oil revenues to lobby Europe to be the scourge of Israel and Jews that they have become, to build madrasas the world over that defer to Wahabism in MacDonalds-stylefranchising and are the source of funding for the education of imams who have been placed in nearly all American mosques and the litigious approach of CAIR in the US and the continuing funding of the delegitimizing of Israel on university campuses. The Saudi Peace Plan is impracticable when coupled with these other efforts, even--or especially--when coupled with other players like Turkey and Iran or Qatar, as it resembles nothing so much as taqqiya and stealth jihad. The vast forcible removal of Sunni Arabs from Iraq and Syria whose sponsorship by the Saudis could not stave off Iran, may seem to make them less implacable, but their actions do not seem to have changed. As they are unlikely to beat back the Iranian advance, there is very little that will appear sincere about trying to engage the Israelis. Fear sobers them, but does not change their stripes.

Shrinking from victory is a wrong course. Disengage Europe, defang Russian intervention and the Saudis still would have no reason for any peace parlay.

These plans are what people dream up to avoid victory and deterrence. Trump should avoid this course of action at all costs, as should the Israelis. Every olive branch to Israel's enemies that is rejected needs to be turned into a swift counterpunch before the next offer, because it is , at the end of the day, barely in our interest for folks who are barely our friends. Trump is just the sort to pull this pressure tactic off.

Avoiding hardening the other sides' views does not seem a hazard any greater than their quondam views.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".