69 million page views

No, It's not (And probably never has been)

Reader comment on item: Is the road map still relevant?

Submitted by Ron Thompson (United States), Jan 18, 2007 at 10:44

In reading all the Burning Issues #21 comments, the one that most struck me was this:

"There is something deeply troubling about the ongoing obsession with the 'road map' among diplomats and decision-makers."

For I think it remains a huge positive danger to Israel, the US, and the West to even pretend, whether for reasons of cynicism, convenience, a misguided peace ideology, deference to Arab 'sensibilities', or whatever, that there is ANY prospect that the 'road map' will ever lead to an Israeli/Palestinian peace.

Consider the following analogy.

It is pretty widely recognized that it was a colossal mistake for the United States to have gotten itself into a position in Iraq where anything like success is not in its own hands, but depends on the incompetent, unreliable, or even outrightly hostile Maliki (so-called) government. Allowing this to happen was an elemental and needless violation of any statecraft worthy of the name.

And yet for decades, and especially over the last 15 years, the US, Israel, and their friends (to the extent they have any real ones) have willingly, or witlessly, left the initiative on the Palestinian issue in the hands of the ....... Palestinians. No amount of equivocation, wily cunning by Arafat, or escalating violence and now genocidal shouting-from-the-rooftops by Hamas (now joined in full cry by Iran) has caused any apparent serious questioning of this veto power in the hands of a leadership which has been raised since infancy on Hate. And which is continually empowered and reinforced by the ... what, denial, wishful thinking, refusal .... to consider that the Palestinians, in all their various 'leadership' hues, DO NOT WANT a State, if the price of that State is a genuine acknowledgment of Israel's right to exist, and in peace.

Now granted, if this obvious reality should become conscious and part of public thinking in concluding that there is never going to be a Palestinian State in the West bank and Gaza, there is a major problem of timing - how and when to SAY this. Perhaps after another round of Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran-sponsored violence. But somehow, somewhere, I hope somebody, ideally a broad combination of voices in Israel, the US, and maybe even Europe (perhaps after another shocking attack there which is carried out in the name of the "injustice" of the Palestinian situation), the whole idea of any Palestinian sovereign State will be expressly rejected, and talk will shift to how to 'compensate' the removal of the populace. (Such compensation to be perhaps paired with compensation due the hundreds of thousands of Jews disinherited of their possessions and ethnically cleansed from various Arab and Moslem countries in the 1950's).

Ron Thompson

Submitting....

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".

Submit a comment on this item

<< Previous Comment      Next Comment >>

Reader comments (23) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
ROAD MAP STILL ON SCHEDULE - LIVNI AND PERES SPEAKING IN DAVOS [64 words]nabil shawarmaJan 25, 2007 14:2174500
The true roadmap [178 words]JoshuaFeb 11, 2007 23:2474500
roadblock to victory [139 words]lindaJan 25, 2007 01:0774443
Hillary in 2008? [30 words]Abe LevineJan 23, 2007 13:1874265
Is the Road Map relevant? [86 words]RaamJan 20, 2007 02:4573716
Precursors to Peace Twixst Palestine and Israel. [188 words]Frank K. HooverMar 1, 2007 18:1973716
Conflict mediation and the dangreous cycle [186 words]Asaf GolanJan 19, 2007 07:4773624
Was the road map ever relevant? [142 words]Michael BJan 19, 2007 03:4973592
Obstacles to a solution [385 words]Tracy WJan 19, 2007 01:2973576
No, It's not (And probably never has been) [447 words]Ron ThompsonJan 18, 2007 10:4473477
Paraphrasing Kristol [31 words]BenjaminJan 18, 2007 08:3873469
From all, for all [169 words]David W. LincolnJan 18, 2007 01:5173424
Is the road map still relevant? [95 words]Another AmericanJan 17, 2007 23:3973409
Appeasement not a roadmap. [191 words]clarence puckettJan 17, 2007 23:3873408
A road map to never-never land [80 words]Carol SolfronkJan 17, 2007 22:2673399
Great Temptations [205 words]DrewJan 17, 2007 20:4373385
Roadmap [217 words]Ernie LofthouseJan 17, 2007 19:4873381
The road to nowhere [227 words]Guinther SchiffJan 17, 2007 18:0873373
Roadmap [79 words]Daniel R. BallesterosJan 17, 2007 15:0973350
Roadmap [7 words]Another AmericanJan 17, 2007 23:5573350
Any hope of peace with Palestinians is delusional [89 words]h.yazdiJan 18, 2007 18:2573350
You are right my friend. [62 words]vigilantFeb 4, 2009 12:4773350
By Their Deeds One Can Know Them [110 words]DavidJan 17, 2007 14:5473348

Follow Daniel Pipes

Facebook   Twitter   RSS   Join Mailing List

All materials by Daniel Pipes on this site: © 1968-2024 Daniel Pipes. daniel.pipes@gmail.com and @DanielPipes

Support Daniel Pipes' work with a tax-deductible donation to the Middle East Forum.Daniel J. Pipes

(The MEF is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Tax-ID 23-774-9796, approved Apr. 27, 1998.

For more information, view our IRS letter of determination.)