If Israel Wins It, Keep It.

Submitted by Frederick J. Bainhauer III (United States), Dec 6, 2005 at 01:00

Israel has always been praised by the UN for giving back land won in wars and conflicts that have always been provoked by Israel's neighbors. Every time the land has been given back in the hope that just maybe a permanent peace would follow. Each and every time Israel has been denied the prospect of peace.

Holding onto each and every piece of land that has been won by Israel in the past would have sent a message to Israel's enemies that "If you play, you're going to pay." Israel has managed to win the Sinai, S. Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, as well as the Golan Heights, in the past. Unfortunately, with each victory has come protests from the UN and the Arab world that Israel was racist or the occupation of these hard won lands is somehow illegal.

It is time for Israeli prime ministers to realize that trading "land for peace" just to win brownie points with the UN, is a cheap substitute for having actual security barriers and zones that protect Israel's physical security. The UN may throw a bone to Israel once in a while, but it pales in comparison to actually possessing land.

If Israel's neighbors and the Palestinians want a lasting peace, they should all address the issue of property and land that was taken from Jews in Arab countries as part of any permanent peace.

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