A common refrain from supporters of Israel is that the PA has to condemn terrorism if it wishes to be accepted as a civilized organization. However, for the PA to condemn terrorism is meaningless. What is needed is for the PA to accept a definition of terrorism that does not change depending on the identity of the perpetrator or the identity of the victim. The following characteristics define terrorism:
- physical violence
- intended to influence political events
- targeted at those with no nexus to a legitimate casus belli.
However, even properly addressing terrorism is of limited value. The focus on terrorism starts from the premise that no ends can justify the means of terrorism. However, if the only thing wrong is their reliance on terrorism, if the ends are fundamentally sound and the only problem is their means, then what would be wrong with promoting BDS? An would be, as Einat Wilf has said, "you can have a violent struggle for a noble cause, and you can have a non-violent struggle for a very sinister one. To establish that their ends are illegitimate, we have to insist on three points:
- The Jews are a people.
- The Jewish people are deeply connected to the Land of Israel in particular and Jerusalem in particular.
- The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a forgery.
No.
ReplyDeleteThe only path forward is to 100% ignore and stonewall the Arabs. There is nothing to be gained in suggesting how THEY might change. They won't and even suggesting anything to them only proves to them that YOU'RE the one squirming and they're right.
The effort should be not to engage them at all, in the least, ever, about anything. No matter how big, how trivial how strange. Whatever it is, toss it in the trash. In terms the operational engagement that goes on now at the level of utilities, work permits, roads, etc., every time they squawk to the UN or the NYT dial back the participation by a fraction. And don't speak to them about it. When Abbas dies, no comment. When Hamas takes over the PLO no comment. When they ramp up the attacks, no comment and dial back work permits. Every rocket fired at Israel is 5 million NIS less in tax remittances. But the important thing is to never respond directly. No talks, no conferences, no policies, no comments to the press, no engagement with any third parties about it, including the US. And if the Arabs eventually 'demand', beg or entreat said third parties to force the Jews to bow down, don't respond to that either. At all.
There is path to any solution derived from stroking our chins and chewing on how the Arabs could be nicer to us.
I generally agree with Trudy's thesis, except we do need to engage more with Palestinians. IWI makes beautiful engagement tools. You can even buy some of them in the US. Tavor rifle is ~$2000 at Cabelas.
DeleteI agree.
ReplyDelete"One could complain that centuries ago, the Arabs/Muslims acknowledged the Jews' connection but still suppressed the Jews under their heel. However, making that acknowledgement now would have a critical difference from then. Back then, they had the means to keep the Jews under their heel on their own. Today, they require the help of do-gooders in the West in order to reinstate that past."
Precisely. And this is why we must insist that the western-left, itself, acknowledge the indigeneity of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
As for the Palestinian-Arabs, Trudy argues:
"The effort should be not to engage them at all, in the least, ever, about anything. No matter how big, how trivial how strange. Whatever it is, toss it in the trash."
Both these ideas are good ideas.
The Palestinian-Arabs will never be reformed and therefore should receive no diplomatic status in either the US or Israel. Besides, why should the Jewish people as represented by the state of Israel, acknowledge a national identity fabricated within living memory for the sole purpose of robbing Jewish people of our patrimony and safety?
Fuck that.
As for westerners, we need to let them know in very certain terms that The Day of the Dhimmi is Done.
Period.
Follow the money. It all comes from the West. The Arabs won't back off until they know the jig is up. Western sympathizers should be given no more than history lessons and pies in the face for spending their time mindlessly rhyming with reactionary Arab propaganda.
DeleteAgreed that the critical message to the West is that the Day of the Dhimmi is done. One thing I would add is that my formulation of requiring the Arabs to acknowledge the Jews' peoplehood and connection to the land of Israel is a tool in getting them to recognize that the conflict is not about land, but about the Arabs' irredentism for the Day of the Dhimmi.
Delete