Is It Time Yet?

Submitted by Ron Thompson (United States), Mar 17, 2007 at 19:39

Daniel Pipes and others have noted that there are more and more strident demands that the eliminate-Israel position be recognized as legitimate in any debate on the Palestinian/Moslem conflict with Israel.

Why is there still no consideration for the No-state-and-population-removal-with-Compensation solution for Palestinian intractability and violence? To not raise this as an issue - to go yet further and prevent oneself from even thinking of this position, is to be in the wearying and draining position of fighting with one hand tied behind your back.

It also leaves a permanent VETO power in the hands of the rejectionists. If I were a rejectionist of the existence of Israel, I can't think of why I would possibly change in the face of this terminal timidity. Indeed, I'd feel I was slowly winning, and would gain confidence in every debate in which the defenders of Israel supinely repeated their call for 'Two states living side by side in peace', while I howled incessantly for Israel's destruction.

This debate will get more dangerous if the Saudi initiative gains any traction (i.e. the EXACT pre-67 borders as the basis of "peace").

On the one hand, like cats detecting catnip, there are huge numbers in the West ,of both good and bad will who will jump on this as the most obvious common sense and the great hope for a final 'breakthrough'. It will regarded as a great opportunity and huge concession by the wonderfully magnanimous Saudis that only pure malevolence could refuse to rush to embrace.

On the other hand, the offer is almost certainly purely cynical, meant either to offer what it knows Israel cannot accept, or if by some absurd chance is accepted by a second Barak, to simply provide a better positioning for a militant Palestinian entity to fight another war.

Either way, the most reckless course for the friends of Israel is to continue to accept as a basis for discussion the Two State premise, no matter how relentless the other side is in making it directly and indirectly clear that all they want is a One State solution.

So is it time yet to drop the dangerous and irresponsible premise of a Palestinian State?

Ron Thompson

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