Avoid Munich mistake

Ex-MK Landau advises Condoleezza Rice to steer clear of Chamberlain-style appeasement policy

Uzi Landau|Published: 11.27.07 , 15:32

Dear Secretary of State, Ms. Condoleezza Rice:

I don’t know what’s the weather like in Maryland these days, but in any case, kindly accept my suggestion: Even if it rains, do not use a black umbrella.

My name is Uzi Landau, I served as a minister in two Israeli governments, and have been a Knesset member for 22 years, but I write this letter to you as the son of Olga Perle, who escaped Nazi Germany with her family in 1937. Her parents realized that the Nazi monster’s evil government cannot be satisfied. To the Western world’s regret, then-British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was not wise enough to understand this.

Chamberlain’s appeasement policy and attempt to curry favor with Hitler reached its peak in the 1938 Munich Conference. Even though Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles, armed the Wehrmacht in violation of agreements, and took over Austria through the famous Anschluss, ahead of Munich he did not hesitate to demand the dismantlement of Czechoslovakia and annexation of parts of it to Germany.

Chamberlain sacrificed his ally. Upon his return to Britain, with his black umbrella, he declared: “I believe it is peace for our time.” And the rest is history.

Today, Nazi Germany has been replaced by Iran and al-Qaeda; instead of Hitler, we have Ahmadinejad and Bin Laden. Ms. Rice, would you like to be remembered as the Chamberlain of the 21st Century?

Iran and al-Qaeda stimulate global terror. Palestinian terrorism is their ally. The ideology that motivates them is a desire to defeat and occupy the West in order to see Islam reign supreme. If you doubt this, apparently you have not listened to Ahmadinejad’s speeches at the United Nations and in Columbia University: Not merely a vision of a world without Israel, but rather, a world without democracy.

Just like Germany, which armed itself to the teeth, Iran too neglects the welfare of its poor citizens and invests in the planned production of dozens of nuclear bombs a year and the development of ballistic missiles that can reach the US. For Iran, Israel is merely Little Satan. America is Big Satan.

The scent of Munich is in the air. Can’t you feel it?

Against this backdrop, the various parties have arrived in Annapolis. The Palestinians, who since Oslo violated every agreement, and who despite the Gaza withdrawal continue to shower Israel with Qassam rockets, are again demanding extra rights; Israeli representatives, under heavy pressure exerted by the US State Department, are willing to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state largely based on the 1967 borders, Jerusalem’s division, and negotiations on the question of allowing Arab refugees into the country.

Of course, the current government has no chance of convincing the public to support a decision that pushes the country into boundaries that Abba Eban characterized as “Auschwitz borders.” This is no longer a question of ideology; it’s a question of existential danger.

However, I cannot understand what motivates you to grant Iran and al-Qaeda a prize in the form of advancing the notion of a Palestinian state. This will be a state where most citizens celebrated and screamed with joy on September 11th, when the Twin Towers collapsed. The same people who in the last elections entrusted their government at the hands of Hamas terrorists, who are cooperating with Iran and al-Qaeda; the same terrorists who took over the whole of Gaza through a bloody coup and turned the region into the Mideast’s largest terror base.

“But Mahmoud Abbas is the leader of the moderate camp,” you must be saying now, Ms. Rice. Very funny. While he talks peace at the conference, his education system will continue to fan the flames of hatred to you and to us far away from the Annapolis spotlight and to prepare a new generation of suicide bombers.

Do you think Abbas’ country could serve as a basis for democracy that will develop throughout the Arab world, or will it turn into an outpost of anti-Western terror? And how about the Gaza port? Will it be serving Western fleets or those belonging to Iran and Russia?

The American Administration’s moves in our region prove to the leaders of evil that their path succeeded. Terrorism pays off. Syria, which supports terrorism that victimizes US troops in Iraq, assists in Iran, maintains ties with North Korea, transfers weapons to Hizbullah, and is responsible for the elimination of the Lebanese president, ultimately received an Annapolis invitation from your office along with a suggestion to discuss the Golan Heights, which it used in the past in order to attack Israel.

Damascus has concluded that the US is willing to sacrifice allies in order to appease the enemy and that being an American ally is not worthwhile. Hurting America pays off much more.

The scent of the 1938 Munich Conference is in the air again. History, it appears, is repeating, but you still have the power to change it. Pass over Chamberlain’s disastrous legacy. Forget the black umbrella. At this time the free world needs determined leadership of the type offered by Churchill.