The Implications of Olmert Regime’s Outright Surrender to Arabs

Commentary;

If Caroline Glick were to stick to pounding away at the incompetent, hate-blinded, hard-hearted motivations behind the Olmert regime’s concessions to the Arabs and the resultant depth, degree and implications of their outright surrender, she would be golden as with most of the what she has written here.

But alas, as posted previously to this blog, Glick writes in a tone is as if she were an American stationed in Israel instead of a Jew living in Israel. Her columns are devoid of belief-based ideology regarding Israel’s wellbeing. It seems little wonder that she would support a Bibi Netanyahu with a proven surrender record devoid of any belief-basis as opposed to a belief-based government and system of governance. Below is an excerpt of her Friday “Column One”, an example of this point;

Hamas is not the only actor that will be strengthened by the failure of the summit. Anti-American, jihadist forces throughout the Arab world will similarly benefit. Like Hamas, they will be able to say, “We told you so.” America’s humiliation will also weaken liberal democratic voices in the Arab world. With America perceived as weak and incompetent, they will feel compelled to join the anti-American bandwagon.

Why the defeatest, utter and dire perceived dependency on the Super-power for protection, for aid, for approval?

Further, she projects onto Jerusalem’s Jews a throwback to the Galut, Eastern European “run to evade pogroms and persecution” mentality existent during nearly the entire period of Jewish dispersion after Korban Beit HaMikdash Sheini;

Far from strengthening the Jewish character of the Jewish half of the city, a partition will destroy Jewish Jerusalem. The Jews will flee, and the eternal capital of the Jewish people will be transformed into an Arab city.

Perhaps Glick’s characterization above IS appropo, considering that masses of Israelis seem incapable any longer of defending the nation as if it were their doorstep. And when it ends up being their doorstep; they apparently lack the gumption, the backbone to do what it takes to take down an oppressive, hate-blinded, surrenderist regime and governmental system.

Bearing these points in mind, below are excerpts from Caroline Glick’s “Column One” article; it’s title which this author saw fit not to dignify. MB

Column One, by Caroline Glick (Jerusalem Post)

“Various leaks make the depth of Israeli concessions clear. Israel is agreeing to transfer sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem to the Palestinians and to renounce its sovereignty over the Temple Mount; Olmert and his colleagues have agreed to surrender more than 90 percent of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians while destroying most of the Israeli communities there;
and Israel is agreeing to certain ‘symbolic’ concessions regarding the so-called ‘right of return.'”

Excerpts;

Given that since the failed Camp David summit in 2000 the Palestinians have yet to make one substantive concession to Israel, it is clear that the only way the upcoming conference can succeed in advancing peace is if the Palestinians make some dramatic concession to Israel.

But there is absolutely no chance that the Palestinians will be forthcoming. Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas led Fatah to electoral defeat to Hamas in 2006 and to surrender in Gaza in June. The only reason that Abbas remains in power in Judea and Samaria is because the IDF is maintaining security there.

The weak, ineffectual Abbas has no ability to agree to Israeli offers that Yasser Arafat rejected. In addition to Arafat’s legacy, Abbas has Hamas to contend with. Any major concessions to Israel would imperil his rule – and his life.

Over the past week, Abbas announced his adherence to maximal Palestinian demands from Israel. These include the full transfer of sovereignty over the Temple Mount to the Palestinians; the complete surrender of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians; and an Israeli acceptance of the so-called “right of return” that would force Israel to accept millions of foreign Arabs as immigrants within its truncated borders. Abbas’s stances are a reflection of his inability to make any concessions for peace.

Ahead of his meeting this past Wednesday with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Abbas dispatched his representatives to threaten Israel with war.

On Tuesday, Abbas confidante and representative in negotiations with Hamas Azzam al-Ahmed told reporters, “If we don’t prepare well for the conference so that it will result in something positive, the repercussions will be more dangerous than what happened after the failure of Camp David.”

Hamas is not the only actor that will be strengthened by the failure of the summit. Anti-American, jihadist forces throughout the Arab world will similarly benefit. Like Hamas, they will be able to say, “We told you so.” America’s humiliation will also weaken liberal democratic voices in the Arab world. With America perceived as weak and incompetent, they will feel compelled to join the anti-American bandwagon.

Although the content of the talks is officially secret, various leaks make the depth of Israeli concessions clear. Israel is agreeing to transfer sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem to the Palestinians and to renounce its sovereignty over the Temple Mount; Olmert and his colleagues have agreed to surrender more than 90 percent of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians while destroying most of the Israeli communities there; and Israel is agreeing to certain “symbolic” concessions regarding the so-called “right of return.”

In short, Olmert is regurgitating former prime minister and current Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s offers to Arafat at Camp David and Taba from seven years ago.

Many on the Left argue that since Israel offered these concessions in the past, the fact that the government is returning them to the bargaining table today is nothing to get excited about. This is untrue.

“Olmert is regurgitating former prime minister and current Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s offers to Arafat at Camp David and Taba…”

There is a huge difference between the situation in 2000 and today. Seven years ago, Barak’s offer of territory was based on the expectation that in exchange for territory the Palestinians would eschew terror and live at peace with Israel. Today, after seven years of war that was largely directed by Fatah, after Hamas’s takeover of Gaza and Iran’s takeover of Hamas, this expectation is no longer realistic. By offering Barak’s concessions for a second time, Olmert isn’t simply offering land. He is sending the message that Israel neither expects nor demands that the Palestinian state live at peace with Israel.

Perhaps Israel’s greatest diplomatic failure since 2000 has been its failure to disavow Barak’s offers and remove them from the negotiating table. Once Arafat refused Barak’s far-reaching concessions and chose instead to launch a war against the Jewish state, Israel had numerous opportunities to make clear these concession were no longer on offer. Disavowing them is crucial not simply because they are diplomatically unwise. They are strategically suicidal.

As Israel’s experience in south Lebanon and Gaza show clearly, areas that Israel vacates become terrorist enclaves. Given Abbas’s embrace of terrorism and his political weakness, it is absolutely clear that an Israeli withdrawal from Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem will render these areas terror bases as well. Yet here the consequences will be far worse that those of previous withdrawals. An Israeli surrender of Judea, Samaria and parts of Jerusalem will divest Israel of the ability to defend itself.

Although theoretically attractive, it is impossible to partition Jerusalem between Arab and Jewish neighborhoods because there is no geographical distinction between Arab and Jewish neighborhoods. Beyond that, if Jerusalem is partitioned, the Arabs with Israeli ID cards will move to the Jewish neighborhoods and Arabs from Judea will flood the Arab neighborhoods. Far from strengthening the Jewish character of the Jewish half of the city, a partition will destroy Jewish Jerusalem. The Jews will flee, and the eternal capital of the Jewish people will be transformed into an Arab city.

As for Judea and Samaria, not only would their handover transform 250,000 Israelis into internal refugees, it would leave 80% of the citizens of the truncated Jewish state within mortar and rocket range of the Palestinian state. Moreover, an Israeli relinquishment of the areas will clear the way for Arab armies to enter the Jordan Valley unopposed. The path from there to the Mediterranean is a short and easy one.

“All negotiations should be postponed until after the summit, and the summit should be delayed for weeks, then months, then years.”

Given all of this, it is manifestly clear that by succumbing to Rice’s obsession with summitry, the Olmert government is playing with fire. It is committing Israel to negotiating positions that deny the country the ability to demand that the Palestinians come to terms with the Jewish state and live at peace with it. And it is rendering strategically suicidal seven-year old offers the starting point of all negotiations for years to come.

On Wednesday, the State Department announced that Rice’s conference is being postponed until the end of November to give the parties sufficient time to “prepare the groundwork” to somehow ensure the summit’s success. Also Wednesday, Olmert and Abbas reportedly agreed that the conference would be nothing more than the starting point for future negotiations.

It can only be hoped that these approaches will be combined. All negotiations should be postponed until after the summit, and the summit should be delayed for weeks, then months, then years. Otherwise, in the name of “promoting peace,” Rice and her Israeli underlings will foment a new war.

Given that since the failed Camp David summit in 2000 the Palestinians have yet to make one substantive concession to Israel, it is clear that the only way the upcoming conference can succeed in advancing peace is if the Palestinians make some dramatic concession to Israel.

But there is absolutely no chance that the Palestinians will be forthcoming. Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas led Fatah to electoral defeat to Hamas in 2006 and to surrender in Gaza in June. The only reason that Abbas remains in power in Judea and Samaria is because the IDF is maintaining security there.

On Wednesday, the State Department announced that Rice’s conference is being postponed until the end of November to give the parties sufficient time to “prepare the groundwork” to somehow ensure the summit’s success. Also Wednesday, Olmert and Abbas reportedly agreed that the conference would be nothing more than the starting point for future negotiations.

It can only be hoped that these approaches will be combined. All negotiations should be postponed until after the summit, and the summit should be delayed for weeks, then months, then years. Otherwise, in the name of “promoting peace,” Rice and her Israeli underlings will foment a new war.