A map to national disaster ("If Israel wants to live...the map is totally unacceptable")

If the Quartet's road map is accepted, Yasser Arafat will win the greatest victory of his life. Despite the blatant violation of all his commitments in the Oslo agreements and his responsibility for the murder of more than 1,000 Israelis - nearly 800 of them during the last two years of terror - he has not been punished. On the contrary, he is holding on to the far-reaching concessions granted him at Oslo and in addition will get what even Yossi Beilin and Shimon Peres refused to give him: the establishment of a state, "independent, viable, sovereign with maximum territorial contiguity," in principle, and without negotiation. That state is the main goal of the map, resulting from a childish belief on the part of the Quartet that the mere creation of the state will guarantee peace.

At the same time there's no mention in the map of any of the conditions noted by the government as essential for our existential security: demilitarization; our complete control of the air space; a ban on the authority to sign international agreements, for example.

As far as we are concerned, there are two inviolate conditions: public recognition of Israel's right to exist, including an end to the incitement educating toward our destruction in the Palestinian school system and inculcating peace as a value from an early age, and Palestinian relinquishment of their demand for the refugees to return to Israel.

These demands, without which there is no chance for peace, do not appear as a condition. Moreover, the Saudi Arabian initiative, which the map says has "ongoing importance," speaks of solving the refugee problem through UN Resolution 194, which includes the "right of return," as its centerpiece.

Borders: Those who believed Israel would be able to maintain control over areas of decisive strategic importance for our defense, find the map speaks about "ending the occupation that began in 1967," in other words, a return to what Abba Eban called "the Auschwitz borders."

Internationalization of the conflict: In the first year of the previous, unity government, Israel was careful not to use all that was necessary to defeat the terrorist organizations in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, it did not topple the Palestinian Authority and did not expel Arafat. The price: hundreds of killed, thousands of wounded, and a rapid deterioration to a deep and unprecedented economic depression that we are now desperately trying to end. We did so to prevent the internationalization of the conflict by the entry of foreign observers and international conferences, that would, in effect, take out of our hands the sovereignty over management of the conflict and harm our ability to defend ourselves effectively.

That's exactly what the road map does. Internationalization under Quartet orchestration: It convenes two international conferences meant to establish the Palestinian state and lead to a permanent agreement, accompany the process, establish a supervisory mechanism for the implementation, judge the disputes between the PA and Israel, set a "realistic timetable" for progress and become involved in the negotiations "when necessary."

Jerusalem: The road map gives the Palestinians a political status equal to ours and determines that the decisions in the negotiations over the city's status will be with regard to "the political and religious interest of both sides." In other words, the division of Jerusalem. To remove any doubt about the Quartet's intentions, the road map emphasizes, "the government of Israel will reopen Palestinian institutions closed in East Jerusalem." And of course that includes the notorious Orient House.

A prize for terror: Without any condition for an end to terror first, Israel is ordered to immediately dismantle all the outposts and freeze all settlement activity, including natural growth - another bonus the Palestinians didn't even get at Oslo.

The road map is a huge prize for terror. In its wake the Palestinians will not only achieve their strategic goals, but will reach a clear conclusion: terror pays. They will get all the concessions we shower on them, organize themselves with money they get from the world and us, rebuild their terror units and attack us at the moment convenient for them. Our experience from the Oslo agreement teaches us that for us, the map bodes a future in which terror is much, much worse.

It's possible to understand why the European members of the Quartet initiated the road map. They are the ones who cynically attack President Bush, who is fighting the free world's war against Saddam Hussein; and during the years, with the same cynicism, they turned a blind eye to terrible Palestinian terror and held us responsible for it. They support the Palestinians and Arafat, Saddam's ally, and demand we concede unceasingly to terror.

Will the Americans accept the European positions? Is it possible the U.S. - which regards terror as the greatest danger to Western civilization, and is led by Bush, who declared war on terror without concessions of negotiations until it is totally eradicated like in Afghanistan and Iraq - will adopt a map saturated with far-reaching concessions that will only encourage terror?

The road map does not express the "Bush vision" as expressed last June. It is not a recipe for peace, but for national disaster. Accepting it will lead to terror and war under far more difficult conditions that we've ever known. If Israel wants to live, it must make as clear as possible and as early as possible that without basic preconditions, the map is totally unacceptable.

The writer is the minister responsible for the secret services and strategic relations with the U.S.

I would hope then that Bush would also make that clear.

I suggest you follow that course and try to find a new friend or friends. The Iraq war has ended any influence we may ever have had over Arab states like Syria, Saudi Arabia or Egypt. The U.S. will not be seen as an honest broker by the Palestinians or anyone else. Any help we may have been is over with. Perhaps Israel should sever the relationship and move on. So...who do you think your new buddies will be?

I would hope then that Bush would also make that clear.

Bush, Powell, and Rice have all absolutely stated during the last couple weeks that they do support the "road map". Powell has even explicitly stated that settlement activity goes against US policies and objectives. The Israeli right knows this, hence their recent propaganda campaign. Their goal is not to protect Israel, but the settlements.

-Eric

Quite frankly, the road map needs to go off the table and I have NO objections to continuing settlements for the time being.

The Palestinians need to pay a price unless the Palestinian Authority can prove they did NOT support the gunmen and murder-suicide bombers who went to Iraq to fight our forces.

If Arafat and his people are willing to come around and accept peace, I'm all for it. None of us should be under the misperception that Arafat has signaled anything like that. He hasn't.

You don't establish peace by granting the desires of a man like Arafat, without concessions. Granting them to a man like that is only suicide for yourself, or your "supposed" friends.

As long as the Palestinians continue homicide bombings, sniper shootings, the teaching of their children to see Israelis as dogs or monkeys, the preaching of Israel's ilegitimacy and need for it's destruction from mosques and schools and the presentation of vile anti-Israeli screeds in the press, nothing should be granted to the Palestinians. NOTHING! You don't reward this type of activity. EVER!

What we see eminating from the Palestinian territories is nothing less than grounds for being expelled from those territories. If they won't live in peace, they don't deserve to be there.

My roadmap has about a 90 day ultimatum attached to it. Palestinians, you either get your act together as a people, or you're outa here!

If Arafat and his people are willing to come around and accept peace, I'm all for it.

How can there be peace with the ongoing Arab anschluss of Israel?
What terror-rewarding scrap of paper should we trust?

Quite frankly, the road map needs to go off the table and I have NO objections to continuing settlements for the time being.

The Palestinians need to pay a price unless the Palestinian Authority can prove they did NOT support the gunmen and murder-suicide bombers who went to Iraq to fight our forces.

You'd better sit down:
I agree with these comments. I especially like the rhetorical requirement that the red-handed "palestinians" shoulder the burden to prove their innocence.
I'd actually prefer that Bush and Blair were just a lot more circumspect on this matter. Keep it utterly off the agenda until at least Iran and Syria are resolved. While war in Israel is inevitable, it would be inconvenient if it was to break out before more headway was made in the War on Terror.

"So...who do you think your new buddies will be?"

Not mine. But China seems like a good bet. She sticks by her "friends" (see below*) and within the next decade or so she'll be vying with the U.S. for the title of numero uno country.

India will be a good supplementary choice.

*Countries don't have friends just mutual interests.

"Their goal is not to protect Israel, but the settlements."

They are, for the most part, one and the same thing. Instead of shooting your mouth off about what you claim to know, really study a map for a change and see how vital Judea and Samaria are strategically to Israel.

"I wish you well. I would just as soon the U.S. got out of the whole Mid-East peace snakepit anyway. There is nothing in it for us that's worth risking the lives of U.S. soldiers."

You're displaying your prejudices and your ignorance. You'll still be left with most of the current problems on your plate. In particular, Iran, Syria and Saudi.

In particular, Iran, Syria and Saudi.

If the U.S. makes it clear that we have no interest in what happens in the region then why would they pose a threat to us? Likewise, if Israel makes it clear that they do not consider the U.S. a partner in the process then that will give them even less cause to want to do us harm. Then they can concentrate on you.

To keep a lid on it, we have to be a little less circumspect - even some fuss from the Israeli right will be helpful.

If the Palestinians shape up, abide by the terms we set out AND prove they had NOTHING to do with the gunmen or murder-suicide bombers, then it will not be a problem for a Palestinian state to exist. I would hedge the bets, and place American troops as a shield - a very clear message that messing with Israel would be messing with the U.S.A.

If they do NOT shape up, Israel will have all the cover it needs to do what it must do to ensure that a second Holocaust does not occur.

In either scenario, Israel will be safe and secure and we will have solved the problem. The choice as to the solution is in the hands of the Palestinians, and they MUST step up and fulfill their end of the bargain. Otherwise, all bets are off.

If the Palestinians shape up, abide by the terms we set out AND prove they had NOTHING to do with the gunmen or murder-suicide bombers, then it will not be a problem for a Palestinian state to exist.

Since the last requirement is one the palestinians can't possibly meet, I'd advise against us pushing it right now. We can buy a lot of WoT time with the proper diplomatic finessing: calls for "restraint," oblique mumblings about "desires for peace," "secure borders." etc. It's a good time for some light Powell/Wolfowitz good cop/bad cop roleplaying.

In either scenario, Israel will be safe and secure and we will have solved the problem. The choice as to the solution is in the hands of the Palestinians, and they MUST step up and fulfill their end of the bargain. Otherwise, all bets are off.

I think the "bets are off" scenario is inevitable, but again, too inconvenient for the WoT at the moment.

Smart thinking.

The folks sent to Iraq will be handled. And I think some of them were allowed to go for one reason: The folks who LET them go KNEW that they would not be going up against unsuspecting shoppers or commuters, but U.S. soldiers amnd Marines who are ready for them and can shoot back.

It solves a whole lot of problems rather nicely. The gunmen and murder-suicide bombs get the martyrdom they seek, and Israel and the Arab states have that many fewer extremists to worry about.

It's a win-win all around.

They dont call us the great satan just because of our support of Israel. What if there is a coup in Saudi Arabia and the wahabbis decide to follow the example of OBL? They think that our culture is dilluting theirs and therefore we are a threat to them. In fact cutting Israel out would show that if they bully our interests we will just give up and go home. I think giving the terrorists a win would be catastrophic for the balance in the mideast.

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