Israel won’t invite terrorism
12/16/2012S. Amjad Hussain’s Dec. 10th op-ed column, “Israel should back a Palestinian state, or face a risky future,” includes a falsehood even in its headline.
Given Israel’s experience after its unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, it is clear that a Palestinian state in the West Bank would instead create a dangerous future for Israel. This would result in a terrorist state within easy rocket and mortar range of Israel’s most important population and industrial centers.
Every Israeli withdrawal has resulted in more terrorism against Israel. Why would any sane government risk this outcome?
As usual, Dr. Hussain trots out the canard that Israeli construction in the disputed territories created the main obstacle to peace. Yet he fails to mention that Israel halted construction for 10 months in 2010 to get Palestinians to the negotiating table, largely in vain.
After the construction freeze expired, Israel offered to extend the freeze in return for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Palestinians refused. This refusal to recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people is the real obstacle to peace.
A just solution to this issue would be democratic reform in Jordan. If Jordan’s large Palestinian majority had genuine home rule, this would give Palestinians a state several times the size of Israel. But because such a state would not allow Palestinians to entertain the hope of destroying the Jewish state, it is not considered.
In this, we see the real agenda of the Palestinians and their supporters. They are not about building a new state so much as they are determined to destroy an existing one. Israel is not going to allow this to happen.
ELLIOT FEIT
President Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo
Sylvania Township