Anti-Semites will always complain

Submitted by There is NO Santa Claus (United States), May 28, 2020 at 09:35

Anti-Semites will always complain about anything Israel does to its benefit. The West Bank remains a strategic imperative for Israel.

I prefer to defer the issue to Israelis. However, I have two points I'd like to make:

1. Annexing a portion of the West Bank might just put the squeeze on the PA to get serious about negotiating.

2. Any annexation of the West Bank by Israel can be reversed by negotiation between Israel and the Arabs.

3. If the PA had been negotiating seriously with Israel, this subject might never have seen the light of day.

For all too long, the Arab negotiating tactic has been to scream at the White House (whoever its inhabitant was/is at the time) to "Make Israel stop ! " , "Make Israel ", etc. The whole premise of U.S. diplomacy post-Oslo was to foster direct negotiations between Israel and the Arabs; not be an intermediary to force either side to make concessions. No actions were to be taken unilaterally. However, the PA has side-stepped this requirement for decades without much, if any complaint from the White House.

For years Israel was chastised for failing to negotiate directly with the PLO. Now Israel stands openly willing to negotiate with the PLO. Still, anti-Semites complain and now it is the PLO/PA that refuses to negotiate directly with Israel. Nobody seems willing to chastise the PLO for that refusal.

Since the PLO/PA established these post-Oslo rules to their advantage, maybe the time is ripe for Israel to do the same. If people don't like it, they should remember that direct negotiation between the PA and Israel would halt the momentum of the discussion rather quickly. The question is: Does the PA really care?

Or... is the PA content with maintaining their strategy of screaming at the White House to: "Make Israel stop this!" knowing that (regardless of how President Trump reacts) Donald Trump will not be President of the United states forever.

In the event Israel actually goes through with this annexation, I hope the President reacts by saying to the PA: "If you don't like it, negotiate directly with Israel and work out an agreement that is more favorable to you."

I'll repeat: If the PLO/PA were actively involved in direct negotiations with Israel, this issue would never have seen the light of day.

Sincerely,

There is NO Santa Claus (aka TINSC)

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