The U.S. and U.K. are again cozying up to the “two-state solution,” but rewarding the Palestinians with statehood is like inept parents indulging an insolent, disobedient child. It’s the easy way out, and damaging consequences are sure to follow.
In the shadow of Hamas’s massacre of Israelis and the resulting war, there should be no rush to an overhasty “solution.” World leaders must not recognize a Palestinian state that is unwilling to make a lasting peace with Israel. The troublesome child should not be allowed to terrorize mom and dad with bad behavior rewarded with toys and candy.
We should recall Abba Eban’s pithy observation that the Arabs “never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Israel needs a mature partner for peace. Statehood cannot be a payoff for murder and rape. It must be remembered that Israel’s total withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 was followed by the election of Hamas to power. Endless rocket attacks and hundreds of miles of tunnels led to the Oct. 7 massacre. Singapore-on-the-Mediterranean didn’t materialize.
A recent Gallup poll showed that only 25% of Palestinians want a two state-solution. The same survey showed that, after Oct. 7, only 25% of Israelis want it, down from 61%. In modern dating parlance, both sides are “just not that into” the two-state solution.
We must be honest about the jihadist Jew-hatred embedded in the Hamas and PLO charters, as well as Palestinian Authority schoolbooks and its “pay-for-slay” policy that gives financial rewards to terrorists. It is not surprising that Reuters reported a recent survey showed 72% of Palestinians approve of the Hamas massacre.
Sam Harris, a respected neuroscientist, philosopher, author and podcaster, recently spoke the truth about the realities of Islamic hate: “The problem for Israel, and for the whole world, is that jihadism is more dangerous than Nazism. Jihadists are Nazis who are certain of paradise. They are Nazis who are eager to die and have their children die because they actually believe in martyrdom. They don’t just sort of believe in it. They don’t merely hope that it’s true. They absolutely believe that dying while attempting to kill infidels, or apostates, or Jews leads directly to paradise.”
This election year, America needs moral clarity and diplomatic courage. The question of winning the sizable Arab-American vote in Michigan should not dictate President Joe Biden’s foreign policy. Our leaders must appreciate that the West’s war against the jihadists is an existential “clash of civilizations.” There must be no return to the Obama-era policies of capitulation to Iran and other jihadists. Future administrations must marginalize the Obama disciples embedded into key positions in the Executive Branch and the State Department.
The rabid pro-Hamas “demonstrators,” most of whom do not know which “river” or “sea” they’re chanting about, are simply a mob of woke agitators roused from their leftist, Arab-funded hiding places. Their intersectional hatred must be seen for what it is.
The liberal-left scramble to craft a “solution” to this conflict, demanding a premature Israeli-Hamas ceasefire and petitioning for a premature Palestinian state, is akin to arsonists who want to be praised for throwing a bucket of water on the fire. For decades, they have heaped opprobrium on Israel and now advocate for a dangerously quick fix.
America’s wimpy Iran policies were adopted to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars that funded Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Arabs, known for respecting strength and taking advantage of weakness, saw an opportunity. Let’s pray the Houthis’ drones and cruise missiles do not penetrate our ships’ defenses. Let’s pray even harder that somehow Iran is prevented from developing an arsenal of nuclear weapons.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in the face of another Arab aggression, counseled then-President George H.W. Bush, “Remember George, this is no time to go wobbly.” That admonition, in the context of our Middle East strategy, sounds like very good advice.