The foolish frog
You know the old joke about the scorpion that wants to cross a river, but can't swim. So he finds a frog and offers it money to take him across the river. The frog agrees, but says, "how do I know that you won't sting me," and the scorpion replies, "Why would I sting you, if I did we would both drown." So they embark, with the scorpion on the frog's back. Half way across the river the scorpion stings the frog, and just as they are both sinking the frog asks, "why did you do that, now we'll both drown," and the scorpion replies, "I couldn't help myself, its my nature."
I use this as an allegory of the Israelis (as the frog) and the Palestinians (as the scorpion). The frog sees that it would be irrational for the scorpion to sting him while they are crossing the river (towards safety and peace), since it will lead to death for both of them, and so he believes the scorpion won't do it. And the scorpion reassures him, after all the scorpion knows it would drown. But, after all he can't help himself, and in the final analysis he doesn't care, that's his nature.
So with Arafat and now with Abbas.
I count the following occasions when Arafat signed agreements not to engage in terrorism or violence against Israel:
1. The letter written to initiate the Madrid Peace Conference, 1991
2. The Oslo I Accord,1993
3. The Cairo Agreement implementing Oslo I, 1994
3. The Oslo II Accord, 1995
4. The Hebron Agreement, 1997
5. The Wye Plantation Agreement, 1998
These were signed for Israel by four Israeli PMs (Shamir, Rabin, Peres, Netanyahu). Barak did not get to sign an agreement with Arafat, much to Pres. Clinton's chagrin, because Arafat wanted to keep the pot boiling, he wanted no "end of conflict" agreement. He also never kept any single item in these agreements, including the level of forces, number of weapons, turning over wanted terrorists to Israel, etc. etc. How many times can you be fooled?
The obvious response is that all this is old hat, water under the bridge. Arafat was no "peace partner" (although we treated him as one for many years), but now he's dead, and we have a different man in charge, a man we can trust, a real "peace partner," elected President, Mahmud Abbas. He looks the part, he wears a suit (instead of a military uniform), he shaves, he smiles and he mentions peace quite often.
But, haven't we earned the right to be skeptical.
Yesterday three Israelis were killed (including two teenagers) and seven were wounded, shot down at close range while waiting for buses at the Gush Etzion and another junction. This is clearly the beginning of the next phase of the Palestinian war against Israel, the transfer of attacks from Gaza to the West Bank. Credit was claimed by the al Aksa Martyrs Brigades of Fatah, as was reported by the official Palestine Radio of the PA. One factor that made these attacks easier for the gunmen was the closure of Israeli military checkpoints outside many settlements, including Gush Etzion. Note that this area was bought by Israelis in the 1930s and the settlements existed there long before the War of Independence in 1948 when they were utterly destroyed. But, these are not new settlements inhabited by religious settlers, but by the descendents of the original inhabitants who were rescued in 1948 and returned in 1967.
It is a clear and well known phenomenon, every time Israel closes military checkpoints to "ease the suffering" of the Palestinian people, under pressure from the US and others, Israelis are murdered. Let them come and live here instead of us and see if they would close the checkpoints. It's sheer stupidity! Once, shame on you, twice, shame on me, three times, shame on me, four times, shame on me, ad nauseam.
In fact, the pattern of Palestinian actions under Abbas is identical to that under Arafat. Nothing has changed, the same terrorist murders, the same supposed inability to control or actually collusion by agreement in the continuation of terrorism, the supposed concern for the leaders empowerment by outside forces, and so on. How many times can this frog be so stupid!
I use this as an allegory of the Israelis (as the frog) and the Palestinians (as the scorpion). The frog sees that it would be irrational for the scorpion to sting him while they are crossing the river (towards safety and peace), since it will lead to death for both of them, and so he believes the scorpion won't do it. And the scorpion reassures him, after all the scorpion knows it would drown. But, after all he can't help himself, and in the final analysis he doesn't care, that's his nature.
So with Arafat and now with Abbas.
I count the following occasions when Arafat signed agreements not to engage in terrorism or violence against Israel:
1. The letter written to initiate the Madrid Peace Conference, 1991
2. The Oslo I Accord,1993
3. The Cairo Agreement implementing Oslo I, 1994
3. The Oslo II Accord, 1995
4. The Hebron Agreement, 1997
5. The Wye Plantation Agreement, 1998
These were signed for Israel by four Israeli PMs (Shamir, Rabin, Peres, Netanyahu). Barak did not get to sign an agreement with Arafat, much to Pres. Clinton's chagrin, because Arafat wanted to keep the pot boiling, he wanted no "end of conflict" agreement. He also never kept any single item in these agreements, including the level of forces, number of weapons, turning over wanted terrorists to Israel, etc. etc. How many times can you be fooled?
The obvious response is that all this is old hat, water under the bridge. Arafat was no "peace partner" (although we treated him as one for many years), but now he's dead, and we have a different man in charge, a man we can trust, a real "peace partner," elected President, Mahmud Abbas. He looks the part, he wears a suit (instead of a military uniform), he shaves, he smiles and he mentions peace quite often.
But, haven't we earned the right to be skeptical.
Yesterday three Israelis were killed (including two teenagers) and seven were wounded, shot down at close range while waiting for buses at the Gush Etzion and another junction. This is clearly the beginning of the next phase of the Palestinian war against Israel, the transfer of attacks from Gaza to the West Bank. Credit was claimed by the al Aksa Martyrs Brigades of Fatah, as was reported by the official Palestine Radio of the PA. One factor that made these attacks easier for the gunmen was the closure of Israeli military checkpoints outside many settlements, including Gush Etzion. Note that this area was bought by Israelis in the 1930s and the settlements existed there long before the War of Independence in 1948 when they were utterly destroyed. But, these are not new settlements inhabited by religious settlers, but by the descendents of the original inhabitants who were rescued in 1948 and returned in 1967.
It is a clear and well known phenomenon, every time Israel closes military checkpoints to "ease the suffering" of the Palestinian people, under pressure from the US and others, Israelis are murdered. Let them come and live here instead of us and see if they would close the checkpoints. It's sheer stupidity! Once, shame on you, twice, shame on me, three times, shame on me, four times, shame on me, ad nauseam.
In fact, the pattern of Palestinian actions under Abbas is identical to that under Arafat. Nothing has changed, the same terrorist murders, the same supposed inability to control or actually collusion by agreement in the continuation of terrorism, the supposed concern for the leaders empowerment by outside forces, and so on. How many times can this frog be so stupid!
posted by Jack Cohen at 2:05 PM
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