As Western and U.N. leaders continue to try and force more and more compromises on the Israelis so that "peace negotiations" can get under way again, they continue to miss the essential self evident truths of the situation.
If Chairman Arafat will not restrain the various Palestinian groups from acts of terrorism for even a mere 10 days, what is the point of negotiating? This clearly exposes his intention to attempt to force his deal on Israel by means of terrorism. This very thing was clearly forbidden by the original Oslo Agreement. The present round of terrorism has already made the Oslo Agreement null and void.
On the other hand, if Arafat is unable to restrain the various terrorist groups, then he has no credible authority to negotiate a peace agreement. If he is unable to restrain the terrorist factions now, how could he restrain them after the agreement?
Since there are many Muslim terrorist groups within the Gaza and West bank areas that have vowed not to accept any peace agreement with Israel, and since Arafat either will not or cannot restrain them, what is there to negotiate? Why is Israel even bothering to play along with this charade?
These facts should be self-evident to any rational, unbiased observer. But the leaders of the West just can't or will not recognize the obvious. Even the U.S. president and secretary of state continue to let Arafat set the agenda for what should be negotiated. They should not allow Arafat to stall for time over a ceasefire by quibbling over whether it should be preceded by a period of one day, three days or 10 days of nonviolence. What is the point? If Arafat does not have the desire or the wherewithal to halt the shootings, car bombings, suicide bombers and mortar attacks for a mere 10 days, what is the hope of a permanent peace? Israelis have held their fire in the face of relentless acts of terrorism.
In exchange for a dubious promise of future peace, Israel is being asked to give up land that is vital for its defense if the promises are not kept. Indeed, once the deal is done, Israel's very existence becomes dependent on the Palestinians keeping their word – something that has not been done in the history of the Palestinians' dealings with Israel. In the final analysis, Israel will have allowed a determined, well armed army into the very heart of their country, with the ability to smuggle in thousands of trained terrorists and heavy weapons.
The Palestinians have yet to reciprocate with peace for the many things Israel has already given them. Indeed, they have taken advantage of every concession given them to form an armed police force and stockpile weapons. They have used the free access into Israel given to Palestinian workers to infiltrate suicide bombers and car bombs.
And when former Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered Arafat almost everything he asked for at Camp David, he turned it down out of hand. It may not have been everything Arafat asked for, but it was about 94 percent of it. In any event, it was more than any Israeli leader will ever be able to offer again. It should have been evident then that there was nothing more to negotiate. That offer represented 90 percent compromise on Israel's part and about 10 percent on the Palestinians' part.
Somehow lost in the details of the euphoria of the original Oslo Agreement is the fact that Israel is under no obligation to negotiate with the Palestinians at all. The contested land was won in the course of several wars launched against them by the Muslim nations. These wars were all attempted with the view to annihilate Israel as a state.
Israel was in a far more secure position before the "peace negotiations" started. The idea of a permanent peace is a wishful illusion of the liberal Israelis who fail to learn from their own history. Not once have the Palestinians or the surrounding Muslim nations shown a true desire for peace. Instead, they have consistently shown the intention to ultimately destroy Israel. Their rhetoric and actions confirm this continually.
It is far past time for those who care about the continued existence of Israel to recognize these self-evident truths and to prepare and act accordingly. Israel must accept the fact that the Muslim nations view it as a cancer in the heart of the Islamic world – that their mere existence in what they consider their holy places is a sacrilege that must be removed. The hard reality is this – if they want to remain a state, they must keep defensible borders and maintain a superior military force.