Mr. President…Not Bad…But Let’s Hope It’s Not Too Little, Too Late…
by Gerald A. Honigman
Mr. President, I heard you speech at the United Nations today and listened very carefully to your remarks about Israel and the “Palestinians”–Arabs, by another name (most of whom came from elsewhere), already possessing almost two dozen states who only renamed themselves the latter as an afterthought decades later in order to deny Jews their one, sole
state. Read http://www.teapartytribune.com/2011/07/23/anticipating-september-the-real-injustice-regarding-palestine/ to see what I mean.
What you said today was not bad–actually pretty reasonable. The only problem was that it was a few years late in the coming and was preceded by actions and words by both yourself personally and those associated with you which worked to undercut the very peace you claim to want between Arab and Jew in the region.
As one example, you used the magic word, “compromise” today; yet, until now, that’s not the message that you have been sending. And, by their own words, Arabs interpret compromise as meaning that they do all the taking while Israel does all the giving…Mr. Obama, you have encouraged them in this line of thinking.
Long before you were elected to the presidency, you were repeatedly quoted, stating that Israel would be crazy–your exact words–to reject the Saudi Peace Plan. Amongst other things, that plan calls for Israel to return to the UN-imposed, ’49 armistice lines which made it a mere 9 to 15 miles wide at its waist, where most of its population, industry, and so forth are located. And, after Israel consents to becoming once again virtually invisible on a world globe, it’s next expected to allow millions of alleged Arab refugees to overwhelm Jews in their minuscule, resurrected nation.
That Saudi plan basically became your own, and only recently you and the rest of your crew repeatedly browbeat and otherwise disrespected Israel’s leadership for not groveling and caving in far enough to your and your Arab friends’ demands. Shame on you all…Indeed, you brought shame on America in doing this.
While Israel had been promised that its fragile, indefensible armistice lines (which only invited repeated attacks) would finally be replaced by far more secure, more defensible real borders by the final draft of UNSC Resolution 242 after the Arabs renewed attempt on its life in 1967, you simply expected the Jews to once again bare the necks of their children to those who would deliberately slaughter all of them, if given half a chance, the way that five members of the Fogel family–may G_d rest their souls–were butchered in the night not long ago…the 3-month old infant decapitated. Every time Israel loosened up security, dismantled checkpoints, and such to show flexibility and make gestures for peace, such atrocities soon followed.
There is no room for wishful thinking here.
Nations fight wars and acquire territories thousands of miles away from home in the name of national interests…the lands in question here are in Israel’s very backyard and front and side porches and on territories with thousands of years of Jewish history and land ownership attached to them.
There is thus no substitute for a true compromise on the concrete issues–especially on matters concerning that territorial buffer in the disputed (not “purely Arab”) lands which 242 envisioned. The areas in question in Judea and Samaria–aka “West Bank” only since the 20th century–were indeed non-apportioned territories of the Mandate where all peoples–not just Arabs–were allowed to live. Former American Presidents and other leaders such as Johnson, Reagan, and Shultz, and all of the final draft of 242’s architects were quite explicit about this. To say, as you have, that your position does not deviate from theirs is simply not true.
Mr. President, your words and actions, unfortunately, have spoken loudly and clearly–despite your periodic attempts to keep domestic Jewish funds flowing into Democrats’ cashboxes via foggy doublespeak. You can’t say you want Israeli security and then insist that Israel return to those Auschwitz/armistice lines. Such words are meaningless…and the Arabs know this.
Had you used the language you used today in the United Nations earlier with your Arab buddies (instead of leading them to believe that you would simply make the Jews say uncle on all of this) and let them know that they would get no support from America unless they changed their own above absurd interpretation of “compromise” to the actual meaning of the word instead, perhaps the situation would be significantly different right now…
Perhaps the Arabs would have finally realized that in order to create their 22nd state–second, not first, in the territory of the original April 25, 1920 Mandate of Palestine (Jordan sitting on most of it all since 1922)–that they too would have to meet the Jews half way. That’s what a real compromise, after all–like the one you mentioned today–entails. Sadly, however, that’s not what you nor those around you have been doing–and Israel’s murderous, rejectionist opponents have read you loudly and clearly. Understandably, Arabs thus expected Israel to be virtually offered up–1938, Munich-style–on a silver platter for “peace for our time” instead.
Mr. President, while there still may be time for you to at least partially redeem yourself on this crucial matter, it’s hard to imagine the hour being much later.
In the past, “negotiations” that you now call for meant one thing…Jew arm-twisting.
No more.
You took a long overdue step today at the United Nations. Thank you…
But, if those negotiations indeed resume, you must follow up your call for true compromise with taking actions which will finally open Arab eyes as to the real meaning of that word. The Jews have shown, by their own repeated costly concessions for peace, that they need no further instruction on such matters.