Pursuing the `peace process' mirage..

WHY ISRAEL WON'T HAVE PEACE WITH THE ARABS ANYTIME SOON.

The remarks by Iran's President Ahmadinejad calling for Israel to be `wiped off the map' seems to have shocked the so-called `international community'. I can't imagine why. Iran has been pretty open about it's ambitions regarding Israel for some time now.

Speaking on the sidelines of a large anti-Israel rally in Tehran after the remarks went public, , Ali Larijani, who shapes the foreign policy of the new government and heads the Supreme National Security Council, described the protests and international indignation over Ahmadinejad's comments on Israel as "all smoke and no fire".

"They cry scandal because they know that a world without Israel is a dream of more than a billion and half Muslims of the planet," said Larijani.

Based on the virtual abscence of any criticism of Ahmadinejad's call for a new Holocaust from the Arab world, he's probably not far wrong.

This ties in nicely with a small news item in the UAE's Gulf Times I noticed that pretty pretty much underlined something I knew already, but in a uniquely clear and simple way.

On my website, Joshuapundit.blogspot.com, I profiled the diplomatic hoo ha that occurred in the wake of Israel's evicton of Jewish inhabitants from Gaza and Ariel Sharon's subsequent visit to the UN. With all the hubbub,has anyone noticed that not a single Arab Muslim nation opened relations with Israel that didn't already have them? And the few who made positive noises about increased ties backed off rapidly?

Tunisia is a moderate Arab nation, and hardly an enemy of Israel. In the course of Sharon's UN visit
Mohammad Ghannouchi,Tunisian Prime Minister, talked openly about closer commercial ties and invited Israel to attend the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) being held in Tunis. As soon as that news got out, Ghannouchi was forced to issue a quick disclaimer while visiting the UAE with a commercial delegation(which appeared 9/30/05 in the Gulf News, as well as other places) stating that it was just a quick pro forma invite and that it didn't signify actually having `relations' with Israel.

Moreover, Ghannouchi stated that Tunisia would stick to the Arab Peace Plan adopted by the Beirut Summit in March 2002.

That `peace plan' for those who've forgotten, was created by the Saudis and endorsed by Arab leaders in Beirut. It promised Israel recognition and "normal ties' with the Arab countries- without defining what normal ties meant- if the Jewish state fully withdrew to the pre-1967 borders and allowed the return of all refugees to their homes in` Palestine.'

In other words, the Israelis retreat to indefensible borders, give up land legally purchased from the Arabs like Gush Etzion, agree to divide Jerusalem again, and make refugees out of thousands of their countrymen..while letting in hordes of homicidal Arab `refugees' into what's left of Israel. In exchange for that, they get `recognition and normal relations', whatever that means..at least for as long as the country survives! Sounds fair, doesn't it?

Ghannouchi went on to say that Tunisia had no probelems with Israel, but that any relations would only happen " if our Palestinian brothers are satified and after Israel agrees to the conditions set by the Arab leaders in Beirut for peace with Israel."

And the Tunisians are hardly alone. Our allies, Jaafari in Iraq and Karzai in Afghanistan are on record as stating that there will be no relations with Israel until the Palestinians are happy...and our ally Musharref in Pakistan caused violent riots in his country last month by even suggesting exchanging ambassadors with Israel! Don't even ask about the rest of the Arab world. The countries that aren't avidly calling for Israel's annihilation are all sticking to the Saudi plan..which would basically accomplish the same thing.

If even moderate Arab nations are going to insist that Israel commit national suicide as a prerequisite for `normal relations', including those fledgling democracies America is so proud of nurturing, the prospects of Israel living in peace next to the Arabs anytime soon aren't exactly something I'd count on.

Before I met my wife, I once was involved in an affair with an extremely attractive woman..the kind of girl who turns heads when she walks into a room and makes all of your male friends wonder what she could possibly see in you. Aside from being drop dead gorgeous, she was fun loving, amorous and exciting.

As I got to know her better, I realized that along with these qualities, she was dishonest in the extreme and saw nothing wrong in lying even about small matters, had highly questionable ethics that could best be described as amoral, and was totally untrustworthy and unreliable in every way. In short, all that beauty was little more than a mirage. I remained in denial about it for awhile, but once I realized this, I understood that any kind of real relationship with her was not only impossible, but actually detrimental to my happiness even in the short term..so I opted out and moved on.

Israel is in kind of the same place now that I was then.

For years, Israel has been `dating' that beautiful mirage known as the peace process, remaining in denial and hoping that with a few little changes and concessions here and there, a little patience, a little understanding, things will all work out. The Arab world's reaction to things like Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and Ahmadinejad's remarks ought to be a clear indication of what the chances of that are!

It's time Israel looked reality in the face and realized that it ain't gonna happen, at least not in the foreseeable future. And conducted itself accordingly. Denial, as they say, isn't a river in Egypt.