Time for Israel to Demand a Loaf of Bread

Beyond the Cusp ^ | November 18, 2010 | B. Saunders

[bsaunders]

The Israelis are never even offered half a loaf of bread, let alone a whole loaf. For Israel, the old saying “Half a loaf is better than none,” is something that Israel would find as an improvement as they have always received none. On the other side of the conflict, the Palestinians are examples of the saying, “They would not be happy with a loaf of bread under each arm.” This was exemplified by the Palestinians refusing to come to the negotiating table until the last moment of the Israeli ten-month building freeze. In addition, the Palestinians, with the support of the Arab League, have already rejected the now sought ninety-day freeze because it does not explicitly include Jerusalem and rules out further extensions of the building freeze. They further demand not only that the building freeze be made permanent, they insist Israel agree that the negotiations will end declaring the Green Line as the final border and that all of the Old City as well as the entire Temple Mount be surrendered to them as their rightful capitol. You have to wonder if there exists anything else the Palestinians plan to demand be guaranteed to be included in the final agreement before the negotiations are resumed? I do remember that some of their standing demands as preconditions to negotiations from one time or another included the “Right of Return”, the removal of every single Jew from the areas that will be their country, open borders for both the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and Gaza, the right to raise a complete armed services and import of every form of weapons of war, removal of all IDF forces, and even once for reparations for crimes committed against the Palestinian peoples by Israel. Makes one wonder if all their demands were met, what would remain to be negotiated.

The time is not only here, but long overdue for Israel to have a few requirements finally met, many being promises signed and accepted by the Palestinians from the original Oslo Accords. First, take steps to disarm and prohibit terror forces within their territories. In the same vein, the end of instigation and anti-Semitic propagandizing. Another point that Israel should insist is for the Palestinians not only in word, but in writing and deed, recognize Israel’s right to exist as the Jewish State. And finally, Israel should demand that the Temple Mount and the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem be surrendered to Israel so as to guarantee full freedom of all faiths to have access to freely pray and practice their individual religions in safety and full protection.

If Israel is to be expected to once again bend to demands to fulfill Palestinian conditions, should not the Israelis also have their interests protected and at least have minimal demands also recognized and acted upon? No more empty promises. Israel should refuse to negotiate, freeze building, remove a single checkpoint, open any roadway by removing a blockade, or meet any other of the plethora of Palestinian’s checklist until Israel is formally recognized by the Palestinians, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic States, and finally every Arab or Islamic country that had participated in the wars against Israel in 1948, 1949, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982-4 and the terror war that has been waged for over fifty years. It is time for Israel to demand a loaf of bread under each arm, then maybe she will get that proverbial half a loaf, and that would be an accomplishment worth note.

Beyond the Cusp

[bsaunders]

Hope people find this an informative piece with a new perspective. This is the first of a number of posts I plan for today, and the only one I'll place here on FR. Please accept an invite to check for the other posts during the day. Thank you.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks bsaunders.

...the Palestinians refusing to come to the negotiating table until the last moment of the Israeli ten-month building freeze... [and] with the support of the Arab League, have already rejected the now sought ninety-day freeze because it does not explicitly include Jerusalem and rules out further extensions of the building freeze. They further demand not only that the building freeze be made permanent, they insist Israel agree that the negotiations will end declaring the Green Line as the final border and that all of the Old City as well as the entire Temple Mount be surrendered to them as their rightful capitol. You have to wonder if there exists anything else the Palestinians plan to demand be guaranteed to be included in the final agreement before the negotiations are resumed?