Nightmare scenario
PM Netanyahu caused concern in some circles when he stated in a speech today that even if the West Bank becomes part of a Palestinian State, Israel will need the IDF to retain positions along the Jordan Valley to prevent the smuggling of missiles and other arms into it.
Of course, Netanyahu considers that any such putative state should be demilitarized, but experience has shown that a tough interception regime is necessary in the trans border area on the side away from Israel, where the greatest amount of smuggling goes on. Netanyahu mentioned that the missiles threatening Israel from Lebanon come across the Syrian-Lebanese border, and the missiles being fired from Gaza come across the Egyptian-Gaza border.
Israel must prevent Palestinians, either under the control of the future Palestinian Government or other terrorist elements, from using the mountainous heights on the West Bank to bombard Israel's densely populated heartland. The only sensible way to do this is for Israel to have control over the West Bank-Jordan border.
To those who say that this would be unfair to any Palestinian State or that Israel is making impossible conditions, remember that we have to live with the consequences of such a Palestinian State. Who among you can guarantee that no such bombardment of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport could not take place from such a Palestinian State. This is the nighmare scenario, of the supposesd Palestinian State becoming like Gaza and Lebanon, another terrorist-controlled entity, where not only are there thousands of rockets and missiles being gathered, but the means and determination to deliver them is also present. For a Palestianin State to be demilitarized, there must be some objective way that Israel can determine that is stays that way. Otherwise we might end up building a metal fence along the Jordanian border, just as Egypt is doing on its Gaza border.
This speech by Netanyahu was given just as Sen. Mitchell, Pres. Obama's envoy, arrived in the Middle East again and is due here in Israel tomorrow. Certainly it was a message to him and to others. But, there seems little that Mitchell can do, notwithstanding Obama's overly optiminist plan to have a signed agreement within two years! The Palestinains are once again using the Americans to try to pressure Israel to make more concessions.
The latest proposal is that if Netanyahu extended the building freeze to Jerusalem then this would give Pres. Abbas of the PA an excuse to renew negotiations, and it would allow him to save face. Why should Netanyahu provide Abbas with a pretext to come down from the pole up which he has climbed. Now mark this, Pres. Obama insisted on an Israeli building freeze on the West Bank in order for Abbas to restart negotiations, then Abbas made a full freeze, including Jerusalem as a precondition for restarting talks, and now he is once again using the Americans to pressure Israel to make another concession. Netanyahu has already made three significnat concessions: 1. he accepted a two-state solution as the basic plan for peace; 2. he removed about 150 roadblocks in the West Bank to allow ordinary Palestinians to improve their life and he has helped the PA to develop economically, and 3. he has instituted the building freeze on Jewish constuction in the West Bank. What have the Palestinians done in return, precisely nothing!
However, their current strategy is not to actually work for direct negotiations with Israel, this is not what they want. Rather they are using their international status to bring pressure on the Israeli Government thru the Americans, the EU and the UN to attempt to force Israel to make further concessions to them. Their current aim is to have the international community declare that the pre-June 1967 borders of the West Bank are the de facto borders of Palestine, and they believe that they can do this without Israeli agreement. The previous and current template of bilateral negotiations under UN auspices would accordingly be jettisoned and then Israel too would be justified in taking unilateral action. Should this happen it could have dire consequences for the Middle East as a whole.
Of course, Netanyahu considers that any such putative state should be demilitarized, but experience has shown that a tough interception regime is necessary in the trans border area on the side away from Israel, where the greatest amount of smuggling goes on. Netanyahu mentioned that the missiles threatening Israel from Lebanon come across the Syrian-Lebanese border, and the missiles being fired from Gaza come across the Egyptian-Gaza border.
Israel must prevent Palestinians, either under the control of the future Palestinian Government or other terrorist elements, from using the mountainous heights on the West Bank to bombard Israel's densely populated heartland. The only sensible way to do this is for Israel to have control over the West Bank-Jordan border.
To those who say that this would be unfair to any Palestinian State or that Israel is making impossible conditions, remember that we have to live with the consequences of such a Palestinian State. Who among you can guarantee that no such bombardment of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport could not take place from such a Palestinian State. This is the nighmare scenario, of the supposesd Palestinian State becoming like Gaza and Lebanon, another terrorist-controlled entity, where not only are there thousands of rockets and missiles being gathered, but the means and determination to deliver them is also present. For a Palestianin State to be demilitarized, there must be some objective way that Israel can determine that is stays that way. Otherwise we might end up building a metal fence along the Jordanian border, just as Egypt is doing on its Gaza border.
This speech by Netanyahu was given just as Sen. Mitchell, Pres. Obama's envoy, arrived in the Middle East again and is due here in Israel tomorrow. Certainly it was a message to him and to others. But, there seems little that Mitchell can do, notwithstanding Obama's overly optiminist plan to have a signed agreement within two years! The Palestinains are once again using the Americans to try to pressure Israel to make more concessions.
The latest proposal is that if Netanyahu extended the building freeze to Jerusalem then this would give Pres. Abbas of the PA an excuse to renew negotiations, and it would allow him to save face. Why should Netanyahu provide Abbas with a pretext to come down from the pole up which he has climbed. Now mark this, Pres. Obama insisted on an Israeli building freeze on the West Bank in order for Abbas to restart negotiations, then Abbas made a full freeze, including Jerusalem as a precondition for restarting talks, and now he is once again using the Americans to pressure Israel to make another concession. Netanyahu has already made three significnat concessions: 1. he accepted a two-state solution as the basic plan for peace; 2. he removed about 150 roadblocks in the West Bank to allow ordinary Palestinians to improve their life and he has helped the PA to develop economically, and 3. he has instituted the building freeze on Jewish constuction in the West Bank. What have the Palestinians done in return, precisely nothing!
However, their current strategy is not to actually work for direct negotiations with Israel, this is not what they want. Rather they are using their international status to bring pressure on the Israeli Government thru the Americans, the EU and the UN to attempt to force Israel to make further concessions to them. Their current aim is to have the international community declare that the pre-June 1967 borders of the West Bank are the de facto borders of Palestine, and they believe that they can do this without Israeli agreement. The previous and current template of bilateral negotiations under UN auspices would accordingly be jettisoned and then Israel too would be justified in taking unilateral action. Should this happen it could have dire consequences for the Middle East as a whole.
posted by Jack Cohen at 8:44 PM
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