Victory here requires resolute national self-assertion

Submitted by Dave (United States), Aug 10, 2022 at 19:53

Ever notice the difference between leftists and rightists when it comes to conflict resolution? Leftists always seem to frame the problem as one which requires an understanding of the root causes of an opponent's hostility and then trying to assuage him. Rightists tend to discard this Dr. Phil approach in favor of boldly asserting one's own national self-interest, with force if necessary.
Which approach is best depends on the nature of one's opponent. The understanding approach works best with a civilized opponent who values mutual respect and understanding. Examples would be a dispute between Canada and the US over fishing rights, a hospital worker's union dispute over benefits, or requiring a country to beef up airport security before allowing flights to land.
Then there are opponents who are utterly deaf to methods of civilized persuasion. Examples are the disastrous Munich Agreement that Neville Chamberlain negotiated with Hitler, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the endless, counter-productive negotiations with Iran over nukes, and the Oslo Accords, which, according to Ephraim Karsh, resulted in "the bloodiest and most destructive confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians since 1948".
Listening to the leftists, one would never think that the Palestinians are anything but victims whose rights and aspirations have been denied, and that once those rights and aspirations are satisfied, there will be peace. Yet, so far, the evidence is that the Palestinians are in the immune-to-persuasion category. Indeed, the constant drumbeat of hatred and accusations from Abbas and his cronies is impressive in its one-sided cant. They and their leftist allies never talk about the rights and aspirations of Jewish Israelis, who simply don't count to them. Given their worldwide political support and consequent chutzpah, Palestinian groups such as the PA, Hamas, and the PIJ don't even make a pretense of conciliation.
Victory will be hard because the Left is still powerful in Israel and the West, but resolute, national self-assertion can overcome these obstacles. That's the only way forward to victory.

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