Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority have what they think is a clever scheme up their sleeves.
Abbas and the Arabs who identify themselves as Palestinians have announced that the PA is going to go to the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly on Sept. 15 to demand a resolution that Israel be forced to provide “a clear and defined timetable for withdrawing from the Palestinian territories.”
By 'Palestinian Territories' , Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas/Fatah mean all of Judea and Samaria as well as half of Jerusalem, an area now inhabited by something like 500,000 Jews who would be forced to become refugees
And if the UN doesn't give Abbasa what he wants? Threats and blackmail.
PA 'commissioner for international relations' Nabil Shaath said that PA leader Abbas has issued an order for the Palestinians to prepare the paperwork to go to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and demand that it try Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated against the Palestinians if they don't get the UN resolution they want.
In an interview on Palestinian television, Abbas said he insists on “bringing the Israeli occupation to an end” and establishing a Palestinian state that would exist alongside Israel in peace.
Sure it will. Especially with Hamas involved. You can trust Mahmoud Abbas's word on that.
“The only thing remaining for the negotiating teams is to outline the borders between the countries,” Abbas said. “We will not agree again to designating areas A, B, C. We want for every country to know what [its] borders are. Israel is the only country in the world without clear borders.”
Abbas is actually incorrect in that last statement ( there are numerous border disputes ongoing throughout the world) but I actually like his idea, for once. In fact, I've been saying Israel ought to unilaterally delineate its borders for years.
I think it would be a great idea.
Israel should immediately announce that its going to give Abbas what he wants. Israel's newly declared and annexed borders will include all of Area C, where only a few thousand Arabs live that's under full Israeli sovereignty anyway.. The borders will also include the strategic Jordan Valley, again mostly populated by Israeli Jews, and essential for ensuring that Abbas can't import any nasty toys he shouldn't have from say, Iran. And they would also include any bits of Area B necessary to demarcate a clear and defensible border between Israel and 'Palestine'..Jericho, and part of the area surrounding Hebron perhaps. By the way, 98% of the Arabs whom identify themselves as Palestinians live in Areas A and B. Talk about your attempted land grabs! Abbas would be left with Area A, the part under Palestinian sovereignty per Oslo (which the PA never abided by anyway) where the majority of the Arabs whom identify themselves as Palestinians live, and the parts of Area B not necessary for Israel's security needs.
Jerusalem? How about the fifth of never?
Israel should announce this formal adoption of its new borders before Abbas goes to the UN on September 15th. And Israel should add three additional things:
So Abbas will get what he asked for..clearly designated borders and his Jew free reichlet, 'Palestine.' It won't be what he wants or says he can accept, but tough tahini.
And the UN? As I write this, Abbas and Hamas/Fatah are crying about how broke they are because no one, not even the EU let alone the Arabs has forked over more than a small amount of the funds pledged for the Hamas/Fatah government...and as we all know, 'Palestine ' has received more aid per capita over the years than any other developing nation in history, but virtually none of it has been used to build an economy. One of the longest and most successful scams in world history may finally be coming to an end.Perhaps the PA can dip into its private multi-billion slush fund created by skimming and stealing donor aid and use it for the people it was intended for. I'm sure Abbas and his cronies from the Fatah Old Guard would gladly want to replace the money they umm..'borrowed' for 'Palestine'. Ri-ight.
If the 'international community' doesn't even trust Hamas/Fatah enough to fund them, do you actually think they're going to do anything concrete to enforce Abbas's attempt to blackmail Israel? For that matter, can you recall the last time the UN did anything really effective? I can't. When it comes to pimping for 'Palestine' the international community relies on Israel taking them seriously. A simple 'no thanks' would clarify things quite a bit, and given Israel's vibrant economy, any hot air and worthless paper that comes out of the UN would have a lot less of a negative impact on Israel than people imagine in the long term.You see, Israel has a future. And countries with a future don't need to live on their knees or in a perpetual defensive crouch.
And try as Abbas and his friends might, the fact that 'Palestine' is a dysfunctional kleptocracy with no future can't be blamed on Israel. It will always be one no matter how much aid money they get. So indeed, Israel should give Abbas exactly what he's asking for - end the so-called 'occupation' and all Israeli connection with this new 'Palestine' and let them make a go of it. Let Qatar pick up the tab as 'Hamas/Fatah's new mark if they're stupid enough to fall for the con.
I doubt Netanyahu has the stones to do it, but it's time someone called this superannuated mafioso's bluff. Long past time.
7 comments:
I think I like your plan. At least it sounds like a good one, if I'm understanding it correctly. Essentially Israel establishes the borders that it needs for its security maintaining lands where Jews are the majority, relocating Jews from areas where Arabs are the majority, and maintains control of Jerusalem and areas vital to ensure that the Arabs are less able to attack Israel.
I certainly hope and pray Mr. Netanyahu has the "stones" to do something like this. I'm pretty sure America's leaders do not have similar stones but Israel has been faced with existential threats from the day the modern state was founded. Perhaps this has forged the necessary "stones." As for America, it now faces existential threats from multiple sources and its power is weak relative to these sources. Perhaps, in time, America's leaders can develop such "stones." I just hope and pray the nation will survive long enough to develop these stones and that G_d will see fit to deliver us from these enemies.
I'm not sure I'd refer to this as a "bluff." The Arabs can exert enormous pressure on America and the EU nations in any number of ways, if they really want to get this done. They are further aided and abetted by the fact that many American and EU nations leadership want to get this done. After all carving up Israeli land and giving it to Arabs has been the centerpiece of American foreign policy for a number of years. The EU nations have been in lockstep with this. I'm not so sure they are going to give this up so easily.
With that said, militarily at least there is nothing the EU nations can do and there is very little America can do in this regard either. America could withhold foreign aid. As I've pointed out on this site and others many times, Israel and America are both better off without the foreign aid any way. To that I'm tempted to say BRING IT ON!! We do need Israeli cooperation. I would not want to lose that.
The biggest military threats to Israel come from Iran and their allies of Russia and China. Would they actually intervene militarily in this situation? While it seems unlikely, it would be prudent to be prepared for this. The same thing applies America as well except America is much more likely to be attacked.
As for Israel's vibrant economy, this definitely seems to be the case. This is an absolutely amazing accomplishment!! When facing a multitude of existential threats from multiple sources over so long a period of time, it's absolutely astonishing that Israel has managed to build such a vibrant economy. America and the EU nations would do very well to study this and see what we/they can implement. Are they smart enough to do so? With the current leadership I'd say "no" but that can change!!
I agree Israel has a future. Does America? If it continues on its current course, no. If it changes course now, there is a less than 25% chance it will still exist in three years. At least by changing course, it may still have a fighting chance. The beauty of democratic governing systems is they do allow for the opportunity to change course very quickly!! G_d could yet see us through this. I pray that he does!!
Much better to abrogate Oslo, reject totally ANY two-state solution, dismantle the PA & expel Abbas & his cronies, give municipal autonomy to cities & towns in Area A under clan leaders, and extend Israeli law to all of Judea & Samaria. The Civil Administration would be abolished & all building restrictions removed.
It's way past time to end this farce.
Here's why I don't agree, Habibi.
And I'm borrowing something, I think, from Arik's playbook.
Everything I know about him convinces me that he knew the Gaza disengagement would end up a mess with Hamas taking over.
If he'd been PM instead of Netanyahu or Olmert, after the coup when Shalit was kidnapped and the rockets started he would have immediately sent the IDF in to capture Gaza,ground he knew intimately. He would have decimated Hamas and taken it over for Israel.
He could then point to the EU, UN and Bush and say 'See, we did what you wanted. Just look at how badly it turned out! Can't risk that again.'
What could they have said?
The same applies to Hamas/Fatah and Judea and Samaria. If you take it all away from them now, Abbas and his fellow mafiosi get to pose as victims, and the usual groupies will be singing the same tune.Plus, it unites a notoriously disunited bunch of people. And also, unless your going to get rid of the entire population, Israel inherits a million and a half people who will be difficult to deal with..unless you want to continue to have refugee camps in Judea and Samaria, which I think is a bad idea since they will be run by UNRWA.
OTOH, Giving them a clearly defined state and pursuing the 'divorce' strategy, I suggested means that the 'international community' feedback will be limited. They won't 'recognize' Israel's new borders. They'll condemn it. They'll issue a UN GA resolution (non-binding) condemning it. Who cares? The facts on the ground are already in place, no one is going to change them and Abbas can't say he no longer has a 'Palestine' or bitch about being occupied with any credibility, although of course he will.
Very few will listen, let alone pay for the privilege.
Three scenarios:
1)If Israel removes the IDF from 'Palestine' and stops protecting Abbas's fat behind, it probably becomes Hamasistan in a matter of days, and a rocket attack likely ensues.
If that happens. then Israel has the justification to go in as you suggest and retake all of Judea and Samaria.
2)If Hamas doesn't take over, Abbas and his friends own a flat broke, powerless little reichlet that will likely collapse in a matter of months anyway.
3) Or (remote chance) they smarten up, realize that they need good relations with Israel simply to survive and become a lot more reasonable to deal with.
Maybe it happens after Abbas and his Fatah mafia flee and new leadership emerges that's far more pragmatic than Fatah or Hamas.
With any of these scenarios, its a win for Israel, the end of the balagan and the end of the PA, nu?
Yeh hi yeh beseder, lo?
Chash Dam,
Rob
BTW, Anonymous (T?)I have a source inside the PA(and boy, I'm glad this person isn't running things)who suggested exactly what you've suggested...dismantle the PA, and put the burden entirely on Israel to pay for the food, medicine, utilities, schools, roads, everything, while hostile guerilla groups turn the IDF's occupation (a real one, this time)into a living nightmare to the point Israel would have to succumb, give into the Arab's demands and pull out.
Creating a small powerless reichlet where Israel controls the borders but has no responsibility for the day to day is far, far better in my view.Besides, that way the blame for conditions and mismanagement goes to Fatah.
Think it over.
I suppose the discussion is moot for now since Netanyahu will take no new initiatives, he's clinging to the status quo & cannot break with the Oslo paradigm. Perhaps he's running out the clock until Obama is out of office, trying to keep his coalition together at all costs. As usual, we are reactive, defensive.
The PA is bankrupt. Hamas is far more popular in Judea & Samaria than Abbas. He can't officially break with Hamas & the idea of him actually re-taking power in Gaza for more than 10 minutes is ludicrous.
The EU & the Obama administration do not care if ''Palestine'' is ruled by Hamas. I actually believe the Obama administration prefers that outcome.
In the meantime, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, & Jordan are becoming only geographic locations on an out-of-date maps. And Iran continues on its way to becoming nuclear.
You make many valid points but I believe that eventually, we will have no option but to completely annex Judea & Samaria.
Somehow, we will deal with the Arab population, preferably through emigration of the majority.
.
Terry
Nachon,Terry.
Personally, I see a good possibility of new election after High Holidays. Lapid is going to lose seats, Hatnua will likely be a memory like Kadima and Jewish Home and Israel Beiteinu will gain seats. It remains to be seen whether Bibi is able to control Likud.
The electorate has moved right. If Obama dislikes Bibi, can you imagine him dealing with Liberman or Bennett...LOL!
You're right that Obama hearts Islamists. That's the single unifying characteristic of his foreign policy, such as it is.
I honestly don't know what's going to happen with Iran. Obama sees them as allies against Islamic State, but he's too clueless to realize that they have their own agenda that has no place for him or America in the region.
It might very well be that Bibi pushed through the cease fire to concentrate on Iran...we'll see.
As far as annexation, it may come to that eventually. But it's far better to do that a bit later, I think, after things fall apart if that's how it goes. Meanwhile, I still think it's better for Israel to take the initiative rather than keep playing defense.
And to create a manageable 'Palestine since there's really no place for them to go. Jordan certainly doesn't want another 1.5 million Arabs whom identify themselves as Palestinians!
Of course, Jordan's on borrowed time anyway.
Well, we're in for an interesting year, no?
L'Shana Tovah Tikutavu, and may Hashem continue to protect Eretz Yisrael, as well as you and yours.
An interesting year indeed.
Gam l'shana tova.
Post a Comment