PS to "What peace?"

Sometimes, in trying to be laconic, precision is sacrificed. To be sure, the description of the EU as "Arab-appeasing" in the prior post does not mean that it is not "traditionally antisemitic" as Russia or the Muslim-dominated UN. This point has just been illustrated by the EU's Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, a Belgian, who noted that, regardless of religiosity,“Lay Jews also share the same belief that they are  right. So it is not easy to have, even with moderate Jews, a rational  discussion about what is actually happening in the Middle East.” Upon hearing some concerns, he explained that his comments were wrongly interpreted as antisemitic, and he regretted that. He did not think it would be offensive - and the EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton did not either. She too was confident that he "did not intend any offense" - why, indeed, antisemitism should be offensive, especially in Europe? At the same time, she was "encouraged by the positive outcome of the launch of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority." No surprise, considering that the only "outcome of the launch" has been the murder of four Jews (five; one of the women was pregnant) and severe wounding of another one. Seven orphans. I hate to think what can make Catherine Ashton happy.

What peace?

Another "Peace talks" charade has just started. Charade, because it makes no sense. Peace talks assume there is a war and there are warring sides, states. One cannot call "war" attempts of a terror gang (PLO, Fatah, Hamas, etc.) to kill Israelis and blackmail them into accepting the Arabs' desire to destroy Israel.

There is no war. There is continuous unrest and terror acts of the Arabs, which are ideologically motivated and can cease only if the ideology has no support. A nationalist ideology could be satisfied by attaining statehood if that ideology included the idea of Israel as a Jewish state. It does not seem to, as it is not a truly nationalist ideology. This ideology, from the start, has been focused not on the creation of a state but on the elimination of Israel. PLO was founded in 1964, before any "occupation" excuse for its terror. If Arabs had a goal of creating a state, they would have done that by now, taking one of the many opportunities they have had and rejected. The Islamic ideology, both embedded in the Palestinian Arab "nationalism" or in its pure Hamas form, in general predominant, does not allow a Jewish state at all, inasmuch as "Palestine" is Islamic waqf. There is nobody on either Fatah or Hamas side both capable and willing to suppress either ideology. Any "peace" they may achieve will consist, as usual, of Israel's irreversible tangible concessions and reversible and non-enforceable empty Arab promises. Non-agreement is fraught with Arab violence. Agreement is fraught with Israeli losses and Arab violence. I'd be happy if proven wrong.

Suppose, however, that this is a war. Isn't it the same war wherefore the Oslo accords were supposed to bring peace? That was the only justification for reimporting the career terrorist Arafat and his coterie, Abbas included. Evidently, it has not worked, if "peace talks" are needed again, after Oslo and all the rest of later talks. What would make anybody think it will work this time?

Oslo accords as well as all the later "peace" negotiations with terrorists have failed for the same reason as the most famous negotiations of this kind, Munich 1938. The "land for peace" principle did not work then and only stoked Hitler's ambitions. That should have been enough to condemn and forget this approach, particularly when dealing with spiritual descendants of Hitler. Instead, it is history that has been forgotten.

Finally, Abbas does not represent even the "Palestinian authority" (that's why he mentioned PLO and only PLO in his speech) and is nobody's "president" as of January 2009. Hamas holds sway over Gaza and over the minds of Arabs in Judea and Samaria. Both Hamas and Abbas's Fatah are terror groups committed to Israel's destruction. The way they compete for hearts and minds is by indiscriminately killing Jews. Those, however, are just small details for "peacemakers" of the Quartet, traditionally antisemitic Russia and the UN, the Arab-appeasing EU, and the US of Reverend Wright's capable pupil.