THE PIECE PROCESS
Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” By that definition, everybody involved in the huge, forty nation peace conference currently taking place at Annapolis is completely and certifiably ‘git meshigah!’
What are these people thinking?!
Is there anyone, with at least one-half of a functioning brain, who really believes that a negotiated solution can be found that will result in an Israeli state and a palestinian state coexisting peacefully side by side?
Negotiation, by its definition, means the mutual discussion of two or more parties with an eye towards achieving a common goal.
But that is here most definitely not the case!
The Israeli goal is peace. Unfortunately, they are so desperate for peace that they are willing to negotiate away significant (some might go so far as to say inconceivable) amounts of land to achieve that ever elusive peace.
The Arabs, on the other hand, are not at all interested in peace. They are only interested, as they have unambiguously and unequivocally stated time and time again, in the total destruction of Israel. As they demonstrated quite clearly when Arafat, yemach shmo v’zichro, walked out on Barak’s offer of Gaza, the West Bank and part of Yerushalayim, they are not interested in part of the land as an independent state. They want the entire land, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, and for all the Jews to be thrown into the sea.
So while they may make a big show of negotiating, their bottom line is transparent and unchanging - they win, you lose. And in this particular game, we cannot afford to lose. The stakes are way too high.
It is time to face reality. The fact that Israel is willing to enter into these negotiations is viewed by the Arabs as a total sign of weakness. The sad truth is that once you think you’ve reached an agreement, that agreement merely becomes the baseline for the next negotiation. The only language the Arabs respect is the language of power. As long as they can continue to wreak havoc on Israel’s civilian population with relative impunity, all the negotiations in the world won’t accomplish a thing. Only when they are militarily defeated and forced to accept unconditional terms of surrender will there be any chance for a lasting peace.
I think it’s safe to say that Albert is looking down on the circus at Annapolis and sadly shaking his head. |