Israeli Confidence-Building Measures: A Bloody Track Record
Above all, there is an overarching reason Israeli gestures fail: as do Palestinians as a whole, Abbas’ Fatah Party — which controls the PA — has never accepted Israel’s existence as a Jewish state and has loudly proclaimed that it never will. Abbas has said it plainly (“I do not accept the Jewish state, call it what you will”) as have other PA officials. Numerous polls, like the July 2011 Palestinian Center for Public Opinion poll, demonstrate this fact (61% rejection against 34% acceptance of Palestinian statehood in peace alongside Israel). Unsurprisingly, the PA has yet to make good on its 17-year old obligations under Oslo to arrest terrorists and to end incitement to hatred and murder against Israel.
Israeli gestures that are divorced from a genuine process of give and take also cause harm: they bolster a Palestinian entitlement mentality that militates against moderation. The other week, the PA even rejected a unilateral Israeli offer to free 30 Palestinian prisoners and cede further powers to the PA in parts of the West Bank in order merely to resume negotiations. Internationally, Israeli gestures enable the misapprehension that Palestinians have done all they need do, and that the ball is therefore in Israel’s court. Indeed, merely to talk of the need for Israeli confidence-building measures serves to keep the real issues of Palestinian rejection, terrorism, and incitement off the agenda. And where Israeli concessions do not occur or are rejected, the conclusion is that the Israelis, rather than the Palestinians, are unwilling to do what is necessary to make peace.
There is no sign that the Obama administration wishes to take note. It is a fully paid member of the church of believers in the prophylactic virtues of Israeli pliability. There are, however, some signs that the Netanyahu government is seeking to finesse the latest wave of pleas for confidence-building measures.
An official in Netanyahu’s office has said:
The idea is not for Israeli unilateral confidence-building measures. Rather, we are ready [to act] within the framework of a peace process that is working for mutual confidence measures.
Just so. Israeli confidence-building measures — unilateral giveaways — are proven failures. Barring a transformation of Palestinian politics and society, they always will be.
of Israel’s unilateral gestures is her cpnstant, unwavering willingness to participate in negotiations in the first place.
Kick the habit, Israel. How? Cold turkey. Just say no.
“Last October, Israel freed 1,027 Palestinian prisoners — including hundreds of convicted terrorists — in exchange for kidnapped Israeli serviceman Gilad Shalit. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal greeted this not as a step on the road to peace but as a great victory over Israel.”
I will never, ever, understand these lopsided prisoner exchanges with the Israelis. It probably only encourages future acts of terrorism against Israel and it makes the Israelis look like they are desperate to make a deal, regardless of the cost. I shudder to think what would happen if there was a major war in the area and they start losing a large number of men that become prisoners of war. They would probably have to take every Palestinian alive just to get all of their troops back. I hope they know what they’re doing.
One and all-the author rightly used the ‘disengagement’ from Gush Katif (Gaza)in 2005 to prove one of his primary illustrative points-gestures/concessions/confidence building = appeasement. To wit, appeasement NEVER works.
As such, it would also be instructive to point the readers to my op-ed on the subject, an article I wrote upon the sixth anniversary of the ‘disengagement’, but which more aptly should have been called by the leadership, the expulsion/destruction.
My focus paid tribute to all those who suffered, and continue to do so, due to its (insane) execution, as well as to explain how/why it happened, thus giving it much needed context.
I refer the readers to google(links do not always work when posted)-Adina Kutnicki + The Bitter Fruits of Disengagement. It was published at The Jewish Press and elsewhere in Aug 2012.
Peace between The Arabs and The Jews will be achieved when the Arabs and The antisemite Useful idiots in the west stop insisting that 1948, 1956, 1968 and 1973 Israel victories over the Arabs are just a dreams. NO AREN’T stop dreaming.
Confucius say “He who negotiates against himself loses”.
But the confidence measures do work. They increase the Palestinians’ confidence that the Israelis will march into the sea.