Thursday, August 15, 2013

The Two-State Solution: A Case of Everybody and Nobody

By Tuvia Brodie


Benjamin Netanyahu has a problem. He can’t say, ‘no’ to the President of the United States. He can’t say, ‘no’ to the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Stories circulate that the United States has been disclosing secret intelligence that damages Israel (see israelmatzav blog, “Targeting Israel,” August 4, 2013; and Jonathan Tobin in Commentary Magazine as reported in love of the land blog, August 2, 2013).  The United States says it is Israel’s best friend. But its behaviour suggests otherwise.  
Still, Mr Netanyahu cannot say, ‘no’ to the United States when the US demands he surrender land to people who speak openly of destroying Israel.
Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, never wavers. When everybody talks ‘peace’, he pads his anti-Israel resume by honoring terrorists who murder Jews (Gil Ronen, ‘Fatah honors terrorist for Murdering 61 Israelis,’ Arutz Sheva, July 25, 2013). When new ‘peace talks’ were announced, Abbas declared that there would be no ‘Israelis’ in his new ‘Palestine’ (“Abbas: there will be no Israelis in ‘Palestine’”, news brief, Arutz Sheva, July 30, 2013).
In a region where religion is important, Abbas rejects religious freedom. In a world that advertises ‘Human Rights’, Abbas denies Rights to Jews.
Mr Netanyahu cannot say ‘no’ to Abbas.  
Obama and Abbas unite: the Arabs must have peace. But neither criticizes Muslim clerics who call to kill Jews. Neither comments on Arabs attacks against Jews during ‘peace’ talks. Neither speaks of vicious anti-Jew TV programs during the holy month of Ramadan (see “Khaybar: deception is the creed of the Jews, conspiracy their religion,” elderofzyion blog, August 1, 2013).  
Obama and Abbas may speak of peace. But neither bothers to explain how vicious Arab Jew-hate can lead to peace.  Apparently, they don’t care.
President Obama insists that Mr Netanyahu surrender Judea, Samaria and parts of Jerusalem. Netanyahu can’t say, ‘no’. Mr Abbas wants to do ethnic cleansing against Jews. Netanyahu can’t say, ‘no.’
Abbas shows everybody maps with ‘Palestine’ in place of Israel.  Nobody speaks out.
Nobody cares.
To prepare for peace, Obama makes demands on Israel. Abbas does the same thing.
Nobody pressures Abbas. Nobody cares.
Everybody demands peace. Nobody asks how Israel can transfer 450,000 Jews to bring that peace—and remain viable.
Nobody cares.
Mr Netanyahu acts as one who yearns to find acceptance in a world where everybody scorns him. He acts like he cares about what everybody thinks. His problem is, nobody cares what he thinks.  
In our Tanach (Jewish Bible), G-d tells Israel it will be different from everybody. Israel will stand apart. Israel doesn’t have to care about what everybody thinks. Israel’s job is to care about G-d.  
King David understood this. He stood strong before a scornful Goliath. He confronted his enemy by speaking G-d’s name. He became King.
Mr Netanyahu does not speak G-d’s name to his enemies. He does not follow King David.
G-d is greater than everybody. But it is everybody whom Mr Netanyahu appears to fear most.
Everybody laughs at G-d.  Mr Netanyahu sees that. Everybody tells him he must listen only to them. He hears that. He acts like he fears their rejection. But the more he acts like he fears everybody, the more everybody rejects him.
Instead of turning to G-d like a King David, he turns to everybody else. But nobody is interested in him. They just want him to surrender land to those who hate him.
When he tells everybody such surrender is dangerous, they  scowl. Nobody cares if his surrender is dangerous.  
Even Jews don’t care. For example, Tzipi Livni, the chief Jewish negotiator for the new peace talks, has argued that Israel has no choice but surrender. She, too, acts like she is afraid. She believes we cannot leave the negotiation table without a signed agreement because, she says, failure to sign would mean the end of Israel.    
She rejects G-d’s written promises. She embraces what  everybody says. Everybody wants Arabs to stand on the Judean mountain-ridge. Apparently, so does she.
Arabs are smart. They know that once they stand on that mountain ridge, they will look down at Israel’s coastal plain, just nine miles away. They will see on that coastal plain more than half of Israel’s population. They know that firing into that population from such high ground will be easier than shooting fish in a barrel.
Nobody cares about that.
The Arab is smart. He wants Israel. He demands a forced marriage.
Suddenly, everybody smiles. Nobody scowls.
Everybody pushes Israel to the altar. Everybody says that Israel can be forced to marry. Nobody objects.
Everybody smiles. What a pretty bride Israel makes! Her land is beautiful. She is wealthy. The Arab will be pleased.
Everybody wants Israel on the altar. Nobody cares what will happen to her.
With the two-state solution, beware when everybody smiles and nobody cares.

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