Why must Israel create a “horizon of hope”?

Israpundit ^ | April 11/08 | Ted Belman

[tedbel]

PM Olmert announced that he expects to reach an agreement with the PA (whatever and whoever that is) by the end of the year, and went on to say it won't be implemented for many years.

"We will insist on all the terms of the Road Map, first and foremost among them a cessation of terrorism, as a precondition for implementation of any understanding. But the first step creating a horizon of hope for us and for the Palestinians can be taken, it must be taken, and we will make every effort in order to successfully do so this year."

The obvious question is why must we create a "horizon of hope"? The argument goes, if the Palestinians have hope, they will abandon terror. Where is the evidence of this? Evidently we are offering them a carrot as an inducement to forgo terror. The Oslo accords also offered them the carrot of autonomy and they accepted it on this basis only to get their many feet in the door and then immediately resorted to terror and never honoured their obligations.

So Bush offered them another carrot, the prospect of a Palestinian state subject to cleaning house. The Roadmap followed shortly thereafter. It set out the steps to be taken to get the carrot. More terror was the result. Even that carrot, wasn't enough to change anything.

I should point out there was a hidden carrot included in the Roadmap namely the Saudi Peace Plan which was mentioned for the first time as a principle in reaching an agreement. CONTINUE

[RepublitarianRoger2]

The argument goes, if the Palestinians have hope, they will abandon terror.

The Palestinians hope they can make Israel cease to exist.

[NMR Guy]

“horizon of hope”?

They should probably make an Oasis of Optimism while they're at it.

[Rob112586]

Maybe even a Nexus of Nirvana.

[RepublitarianRoger2]

Note to the Israelis: Horizons have vanishing points.