On Sept. 20 1995, I testified before the House Committee on International.Noting that AIPAC supported the Spector-Shelby-Lowey amendments,that linked funding to the PA to their performance,I advocated that all US funds appropriated for the PA, be placed in escrow until the PA met its obligations.Subsequently the Congress was on record warning the PA to avoid a unilateral declaration of statehood.
Since the 1993 Oslo failure,the various plans (Zinni etc ) and the meetings of Netanyahu with Clinton Arafat and Abbas,as well as the Quartets Road Map, nothing has changed.There has been a zero effort by the PA, as Israel withdraws from Gaza,and makes concession after concession.
Before the road map was to proceed, the PA was to disarm the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terrorists- Results=0
Israel was to stop building new settlements-but stated clearly that existing major population centers such as Maale Adumim would be built within the existing borders.They have kept to this,but have allowed the US to push them around in this regard.
Now, suddenly the US and Livni are pushing Abbas to accept a State with temporary borders.No more end to terrorism-no more agreement on water,Jerusalem or refugees.Plain old capitulation.-Abbas turned them down-because he fears the borders will be permanent.In additiion,he holds that the RIGHT OF RETURN is non-negotiable-a code for the end of Israel.
I personally do not subscribe to the idea,that a Palestinian State is in Israel's best interest.
Such a state ,cannot be economically viable.
Its credo will always be the destruction of Israel.
Once it is a State,everytime Israel goes into Gaza to arrest terrorists,there will be a Security Council meeting.We have not had A SINGLE DAY OF QUIET OR PEACE without rockets since the Olmert disengagement.Now the rockets are getting more powerful and deadly.
The Rice plan is a disaster in the making-only for the purpose of appeasing the Arab nations.Who will stop the independent State of Palestine from buying Russian missile systems that would endanger Israeli airspace-civilian and military.
Abbas is no different than Arafat except he wears a Brooks Bros.suit.
The resignatiion of the Chief of Staff of the IDF, long overdue should be followed by Olmert and Peretz following in their footsteps. The criminal investigation(S) against Olmert and his incompetence as a leader should serve as a reminder to the knesset leadership that it is time to place loyalty to country over party and Volvo.
