Jews Down Under An online magazine for Australian Jews
Yolande Knell displays her ‘half a story’ cred. Fisking Can Paris summit save fading two-state solution?
For many, the holy city of Jerusalem is meant to be a shared capital for Israel and the Palestinians – two peoples in two nations, living peacefully, side-by-side. At least that is the dream of the so-called “two-state solution” to end a decades-old conflict.
It’s hard to see how that can be reasonable interpretation of the leaked summary of this conference or the preceding UNSC resolution 2334, which specifically deny Israel any rights in those parts of Jerusalem recaptured in 1967. For 19 years the eastern part of Jerusalem was annexed by Jordan with no international call, whatsoever for sharing.
A summit taking place in Paris on Sunday is expected to try to signal to Israel and the next US president that establishing a Palestinian state is the only path to peace.
Some signal. I would suggest ‘demand’ is a more appropriate verb. What does it signal to the Palestinians? Victory?
The insistence on this, long after it is clear, that pushing Israel to this end is like standing on the bridge of the Titanic and directing the captain to steer towards that white fuzzy thing on the horizon, has meant that for decades no other approach could possibly even be discussed.
It is ironic that the last Paris Peace Conference 1919 (AKA Treaty of Versailles) was almost a century ago. As with this one many nations ganged up on one who had no part in the discussions and would be presented with a fait accompli that would reduce it in size. Lest we forget Versailles led to World War II. Still We’ll always have Paris
It will make clear “a negotiated solution” is “the only way to achieve enduring peace” … by ensuring that the Palestinians lose all incentive to negotiate (not that they had much, before). Why negotiate if multilateral fiat has replaced direct talks? The Resolution 242 premise of ‘land for peace’ is dead.
‘Greater Israel’ ??? a sub-head waiting for 7 paragraphs before the reader is aware that the quote is Obama’s not Netanyahu’s.
The Palestinians welcome the French initiative but it is rejected by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Of course they do. They have made a major gain towards ethnic cleansing the Jews without any need for concessions. Not even an insincere declaration of peace.
“The facts on the ground are making it almost impossible – at least very difficult, and if this trend line continues, impossible – to create a contiguous, functioning, Palestinian state,” he [Obama]said.
The only way Gaza and the Palestine Authority can be contiguous is if Israel is split into two sections. A contiguous Palestine means a non contiguous Israel.
Mr Trump has also promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Not mentioned is that the US Embassy would be in that part of Jerusalem that was held by Israel in 1948 and has always been Jewish.
Some 40 Israelis have been killed and more than 230 Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli security forces. Israel says most of those Palestinians were involved in attacks. Others were killed in clashes with troops.
The grammar is interesting here. It can be read that 40 Israelis were killed by Israeli forces, not by the unmentioned Palestinians. The Palestinians, do not make any similar claim that the dead Israelis were attacking them or doing anything other than being Jewish when they died.
Palestinian leaders blame the violence on a younger generation’s anger at the failure of talks to end Israel’s occupation and deliver on promises of an independent state.
Talks haven’t failed so much as that the Palestinian leaders refuse to attend them unless the Israelis agree to preconditions in advance. One is that the entire area conquered by Jordan (then Transjordan) and Egypt be transferred to the Palestinian state. Something that the conference agrees must happen. Another is that Israel freeze building, prior to surrendering Jerusalem.
Knoll leaves her worst omission until last. She never mentions the influence of Islamic religious incitement and indoctrination from the cradle that killing Jews is required for Muslims. Nor is the insistence by Hamas that they will ignore, on religious grounds, any agreement that leaves a Jewish Israel in place.
“There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.”
Article Thirteen: Hamas Covenant 1988
