Mortimer B. Zuckerman
Until Israel's security is assured, the two-state solution is not a solution at all, but a dramatic escalation of risk
Will the world applaud
On the contrary. The common response of a world professedly eager for peace was to criticize
The multiple injustices of these years, compounded by the abysmal performance of the media in separating truth from propaganda, have produced a political transformation in Israel that the administration of President Obama has accelerated. Israelis have lost trust in the possibility of peaceful coexistence. They have observed that every effort to make peace breeds new aggression. They have realized, with understandable bitterness, that every defensive military operation that leaves the aggressor still in control of the attack base results only in the enemy being better prepared the next time.
It is not on the world's agenda to dream of doing anything, even to make a murmur of protest, when the
How do the Israelis, without absolute control of the territory, prevent
When the Israelis consider evacuating their military forces from the
The nightmare scenario for Israel is that the
I have stood on that ridge. It is hard to explain to Americans how close everything is. That is why any
Perhaps it would be different if the Israelis had confidence that the current U.S. administration would make up in security for whatever Israel might cede in territory. They were given that assurance when they took the risk of leaving
Yet the Obama administration disavowed this commitment -- with Secretary of State
The scene is even more menacing if we consider the regional scenario of a Palestinian state inspired by
The Israeli experience in
A sovereign Palestinian state that refuses to accept an international force is bad enough. Worse yet is that, in practice, organizations like
Paradoxically, the presence of U.N. forces creates an obstacle to
Let's not forget the Oslo Accord and its 1995 interim agreement. The PLO failed to honor the agreement. In fact,
Israel must prepare for the possibility that even after agreements are signed, and a demilitarized Palestinian state is established, groups such as
There is an old saying: "Nobody ever washes a rental car." Only Israel would have the will to defend itself. When you think about the failure of
Israel knows that a threat will evolve when hostile intentions join with aggressive capabilities. Given that it has been virtually impossible to alter hostile intentions, with the split between Abbas's
Israel has prudently maintained its uncompromising policy of disarming the terrorist infrastructure within and along its borders. But
Until this same kind of security is assured, the two-state solution is not a solution at all, but a dramatic escalation of risk.
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