14 June 2010
The Fantasy of a Demilitarized Palestinian State
The Critical Security Needs of Israel for a Viable Peace
As Prime Minister Netanyahu demonstrated in his speech at Bar Ilan University exactly a year ago, at last we have a leader who makes a central diplomatic issue of the central Israeli requirement for peace with the Palestinians. This is that if the 2-State Solution is to be the solution in reality it is proclaimed to be in theory, the Palestinians must accept Israel as a Jewish state.
The reason for this demand is simple. Without the acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state there can be no confidence that '2-State Solution' will end the conflict as its promoters believe or pretend to believe. Instead, it will only be a new stage in the war against Israel. Therefore, the incessant repetition of the demand for acceptance of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state is needed to expose its serial rejection by the Palestinians for as long as they refuse to accept it.
Further, with sufficient repetition and constant promotion, the fact that it is impossible to solve the conflict on the basis of a 2-state solution without this Palestinian acceptance will make it possible for Israel to attract far wider public and diplomatic support. Otherwise, Israel's position is widely seen as illegitimate with the result that it is perpetually on the diplomatic defensive....
