Russian version
We need the guts to say no to Rice
- Информация о материале
- Автор: Isi Leibler
THE JERUSALEM POST Oct. 16, 2006
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his successor Ehud Olmert justified
unilateral disengagement on the grounds that we were obliged to take initiatives
to break the impasse in the absence of a Palestinian peace partner.
In order to implement this, 7,500 Israelis were uprooted from their
homes and even now, a year later, most have yet to be permanently resettled.
Subsequent events, climaxing with the Lebanon war, demonstrated the disastrous
repercussions arising from this policy.
Today our enemies are emboldened. Some even believe their dream of
destroying the Jewish state may now be realized.
Yet worse is in the offing. Facing enormous pressure from allies whose
support they seek for the impending confrontation with the Iranians, Washington
- which had hitherto steadfastly endorsed our refusal to negotiate with
terrorists - has tilted its policy to appear more "evenhanded."
Once again it is urging us to bolster the "moderate" Mahmoud Abbas,
president of the Palestinian Authority.
THE REALITY is that despite wearing a suit and tie and talking to Westerners
like a moderate, Abbas is simply paying lip service to a two-state policy
- with the caveat that it must incorporate the "right of return" of Arab
refugees; a prescription for our demise.
More importantly, before Hamas won the election Abbas reigned over
a regime whose central pillars - cultural, religious and educational -
were based on sanctifying the murder of Jews as a supreme religious and
national objective.
Mothers of suicide bombers appeared on official PA TV exulting the
martyrdom of their sons; PA broadcasts of sermons in mosques called on
congregants to kill Jews; schools, kindergartens and summer camps brainwashed
children into accepting suicide bombers as ultimate role models.
While occasionally condemning violence in remarks to the Western media,
Abbas hailed families of suicide bombers as heroes and personally authorized
them to receive a $250 monthly stipend. A recent PA Ministry of Culture
book of the month honored Hanadi Jaradat, the suicide bomber who blew up
21 people at a Haifa restaurant. Wafa Idris, the first woman suicide bomber,
has become a Palestinian role model for feminism. Football teams are named
after "martyrs."
At least Hamas is honest about its evil intent to destroy Israel. But
the reality is that Abbas's Fatah movement's armed wings are responsible
for murdering far more Israelis than Hamas has.
TO MAKE matters worse, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is now
actually urging Abbas to form a unity government with Hamas. The only obstacle
is that Hamas insists on retaining its weapons and adamantly refuses -
even insincerely - to express an incantation implying that it could ever
accept the existence of the "Zionist entity."
Rice had previously coerced Sharon and his defense minister Shaul Mofaz
into handing over control of the Philadelphi route between Sinai and Gaza
to the Egyptians. Not surprisingly, the Egyptians reneged on their undertakings
and a massive flow of armaments and terrorists have been pouring into Gaza
along that route.
Yet today the Americans are pressing Israel to ease security requirements
at all checkpoints for "humanitarian reasons," in order to bolster Abbas.
Rice had previously insisted that Israel endorse the transfer of weapons
to Palestinian security forces to strengthen the PA. Although reluctant,
Olmert agreed to do so in May on the grounds that "we need to help Abu
Mazen." Rice has announced that the US will also fund the expansion of
the Abbas Presidential Guard from 2,500 to 6,000 troops.
Nobody, including our own government, seemed concerned that since Oslo
weapons provided to Palestinian security personnel had been used to murder
Israelis. Nor has the government drawn attention to the fact that Abbas
is still trying desperately to persuade Hamas killers to merge with the
PA security, which already incorporates Fatah murderers.
ONE GAINS the impression that all the lessons of the Oslo disaster,
including the pledge not to provide concessions without reciprocity, are
being placed in cold storage.
Like a sick parody, we are once again operating on the premise that
the PA - even as Kassams rain down on the south - is once again going to
become our peace partner. And, worst of all, our government is trying to
spin this sad reversal into a victory!
All this, of course, raises the oft-quoted analogies to the pre-WWII
appeasement. In fact, the current situation may be worse.
In the 1930s, the Nazis had yet to demonstrate the full extent of their
intent to implement mass murder. Today, however, the Islamic fundamentalists
have already displayed a track record of murder and make no secret of their
intentions.
The Iranian threat to wipe Israel off the map with a nuclear weapon,
now emboldened by North Korea, creates a scenario for the next potential
Tisha Be'av. Israel may soon be pressured to assume the role of Czechoslovakia
in 1935, which was sacrificed on the altar of appeasement to enable the
cowardly Europeans to achieve an illusory peace with the Nazis.
That betrayal gave birth to the Hitler of the Holocaust. Appeasing
the Islamo-fascists now could also lead to untold consequences.
We have just ended a war in Lebanon which was ignited by the kidnapping
of Israeli soldiers by Hizbullah shortly after an earlier kidnap of a soldier
by Hamas. All three soldiers still remain in captivity - yet we are being
urged to negotiate with those seeking to form a coalition with all the
kidnappers. According to reports, we have already conveyed a willingness
to exchange 1,000 terrorists for one soldier; but Hamas rebuffed us.
We are currently being led by people who seem to have forsaken any
vestige of common sense. Lacking the confidence of the nation they are
incapable of resisting unreasonable demands from our American friends because,
as lame ducks, they desperately need to cling to the coattails of the American
administration.
IF REALPOLITIK obliges us to take steps that may weaken our security,
we should at least do so under protest and inform our supporters of the
dangers that such demands will impose on our future. By implicitly endorsing
the nonsense being promoted about our moderate Palestinian "peace partners"
we are paving the way for more demands and concessions that will undoubtedly
cost us dearly in the future.
At the very least, we should be launching information campaigns to
expose the hypocrisy and deceit of our fraudulent peace partners and reminding
the world that appeasement emboldens and encourages terrorists everywhere.
The writer chairs the Diaspora-Israel relations committee of the Jerusalem
Center for Public Affairs and is a veteran Jewish international leader.
Russian version
Russian version
An introduction to MAOF
Haim Goldman
Haim Goldman
Dear Friends,
Would you believe that the undersigned has anything in common with
-- Professor Victor Davis Hanson (Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University),
-- Dr Charles Krauthammer, (Washington Post, Time, The Weekly Standard),
-- Caroline Glick (Deputy Managing Editor of the Jerusalem Post),
-- Jonathan Tobin (Executive Editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent).
Amazingly, the editors of the MAOF website decided that the missives of the undersigned are worthy of translation and posting along the articles written by these distinguished authors.
The first letter was published without the consent of the undersigned.
However, after thorough examination of the laudable attitude of MAOF and of the excellent contents of the website, the undersigned had most graciously granted his permission for publication of his missives in both English and Russian.
“Analytical Group MAOF” [1] is an organisation founded about ten years ago by Russian-speaking Jewish intellectuals. The attitude of MAOF is definitely pro-Zionist -- unambiguously and unapologetically.
One of MAOF’s primary purposes is providing information and analysis about Middle-Eastern and world affairs as well as about Israel’s history, values and dilemmas. In addition to extensive publication activity in various media, MAOF also organises excursions and seminars. While the vast majority of the contents of the MAOF website is in Russian, texts originally written in English are provided in the original [2] as well as in Russian.
There are arguably about 250 millions of Russian-speakers worldwide and many of them do not read English. The indisputable motivation for the author’s permission was to grant those millions of disadvantaged people the grand benefit of reading the author’s ruminations. If the author is ever maliciously accused that his tacit motivation for authorising the publication was his craving to be listed along with the above-mentioned distinguished writers, his plea will definitely be “nolo contendere”.
The editors of MAOF expressed their gratitude by granting the undersigned a privilege that no other author got – the opportunity to review and correct the Russian translation before publication. The original letters of the undersigned are at [3] and their Russian version is at [4]. At of today, only two letters are posted but several other letters are pending translation.
You are kindly ENCOURAGED TO RECOMMEND the MAOF website to your friends and colleagues worldwide, particularly those who speak Russian. Those who do not enjoy the benefit of proficiency in the exquisite Russian language can find many thought-provoking and inspiring articles about Middle-Eastern and world affairs in the English section [2].
Sincerely,
Haim Goldman
28.10.2006
REFERENCES:
[1] http://maof.rjews.net
[2] section.php3? sid=37&num=25
[3] authorg.php3? id=2107&type=a
[4] authorg.php3? id=2166&type=a