Thursday, November 29, 2012
Palestine Wins UN Non-Member Observer Status
BREAKING NEWS: Palestine has just been awarded non-member observer status by the UN General Assembly...138-yes, 9-no, 41-abstentions. ~~~~~~~~~~ Israel says giving Palestine UN status will crush the peace process. Palestine says it is the only thing that can save the peace process. What we know is that the United States and Israel voted against the measure...Germany and Britain abstained...France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy voted in favor of it. Britain's abstention would have been a 'yes' if Palestine had given it written assurances that it will not pursue war crimes charges against Israel...this did not happen. We do not "know" but can guess that Palestine Authority president Abbas, whose government is in the West Bank, is locked in a power struggle with Hamas, seated in Gaza. The past two weeks have given the edge to Hamas. But it is Abbas who, in presenting Palestine's successful UN bid, has won the latest round. We also know that Abbas, unlike Hamas leadership, does not wear a mask or carry machine guns or attack Israel with rockets. He has offered to accept a two-state solution and perhaps eventually to recognize Israel's right to exist...unlike Hamas which calls for the extermination of Israel. POLITICS IS THE ART OF COMPROMISE. While I do not accept Palestine's refusal to recognize Israel or its continuing refusal to negotiate until Israel accepts the pre-1967 borders (this could cede the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem to Palestine immediately). But there comes a time to face and deal with reality. The reality today is that Palestine's position is supported by almost the entire world outside America's umbrella. Palestine deserves some sort of official world presence, if only because it has existed since the First World War in one form or another. And Israel and the United States have now ceded the high ground to Palestine, as well as many of its allies whose goal is to bring down both Israel and America. Now is the time to deal rationally with Abbas, the more rational of the Palestinian leaders. Denying reality will only lead to eventual defeat for Israel.
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"He(Abbas) has offered to accept a two-state solution and perhaps eventually to recognize Israel's right to exist"... where in the world does Abbas get the right to decided if Israel or any other country or dissenting individual has the right to exists?
ReplyDeleteAnd POLITICS BEING THE ART OF COMPROMISE where is the "compromise" that should be forthcoming from the Arab world towards Israel.
Let's remember that the land in dispute here was won in the wars and skirmishes by Israel fair and square as possible as any armed conflict can be. Israel didn't attack in order to capture the lands. They COUNTER ATTACKED in order to protect their lands and citizens.
The International Progressive Socialist press is giving a pass to the Muslims/Arabs and condemning Israel... thereby fueling the fire of anger and hatred that might begin to smolder instead of being a roaring fire that is threatening to engulf the world in their 4000 years conflict.
Now is the time to deal rationally with Arab leaders who want to deal rationally. Granted "freedom & liberty" are not in the Muslim vocabulary or even mean the same to them as it does to us in conversation. In the Land of Mohammad you are free if you are not a slave ... that doesn't equate to freedom on our terms.
So we both must come to the negotiating table ready to give a little and to take less than what would be ideal for ones objective... the longest journey is started by a single step.
"All that we reasonably can expect is a tolerably ordered, just, and free society, in which some evils, maladjustments, and suffering will continue to lurk." - Russell Kirk
Good points both of you...
ReplyDeleteThe question in my mind remains, "What happens to Jerusalem? The Dome of the Rock, is Holy to Islam. And the Wailing Wall, is Holy to the Jews. The two are so close together.
ReplyDeleteI think Israel, has to be recognized as a real country by everybody if there is ever to be any lasting negotiations. That in itself would eliminate allot of the problems.
Anonymous has a good point, who has the right to say who can and who can't exist? It's very obvious that Israel is there. So we know they already do exist.