Peace process a disgrace

"The Government of the State of Israel and the PLO team… representing the Palestinian people, agree that it is time to put an end to decades of confrontation and conflict, recognize their mutual legitimate and political rights, and strive to live in peaceful coexistence and mutual dignity and security and achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement and historic reconciliation through the agreed political process."

If this isn't what Prime Minister Netanyahu is asking for now, what does this document mean?

And why is PM Netanyahu willing to make more concessions in return for something which was already agreed upon?

True, none of the major issues were dealt with, including "refugees," "settlements," "Jerusalem," etc. According to those behind the negotiations, that would have meant no agreement!

Thank you Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres for an agreement in which one side got most of what they wanted, and the other side got nothing. Thank you Alan Baker, for your legal "expertise," and Yossi Beilin for the PR cloud cover. Nice show.

Excuse me for asking, but, if the Oslo Accords, and Wye, and Hebron Agreements did not mean an end to incitement and terrorism, what do they mean? And, if these agreements do not mean what they say, why did Israel give up territory, help create a Palestinian army, and transfer billions of dollars to the PA?

If all of these agreements and Israeli concessions did not bring Israel closer to "peace," an "end to the conflict," and greater security and world acceptance, why were they made, and why is PM Netanyahu now back at square one?

De-legitimization must stop  

The fact that PM Netanyahu needs to call for recognition, and is rejected by the PA, means that the agreements were a fake, and the Israeli people have been brainwashed.

That the Israeli government offers further concessions in return for what was agreed to during the past 17 years, is a disgrace.

It is a disgrace because it means that the "peace process" was a lie, and those who perpetrated it - deliberately, or, naively - have some explaining to do to the Israeli people. They include not only current and past government officials, but academics who supported this fraud, and especially the media which managed the brainwashing.

Those who oppose "the occupation" owe the Israeli people an explanation for why Palestinians reject any form of recognition of Israel's legitimacy – and why they remain silent in the face of that insult. Why do they call for boycotts of Israel, and refuse to demand PA compliance?

There is no need for further Israeli concessions. The Israeli government can announce that until and unless the PA accepts Israel's legitimacy, there is no basis for ongoing economic assistance, and no further cooperation on infrastructure.

For example, it is totally absurd that the Israeli government assists the PA in building the new city of Rawabi, near Ramallah, without such basic agreements. That this project, and others that are being planned, are supported by the Peres Center for Peace, without PA acceptance of Israel is mind-boggling.

PM Netanyahu's policy of unilaterally "freezing" Jewish construction led to this impasse. It's time to freeze the system that rewards PA non-compliance and contributes to undermining Israel, at home and the international community. PA de-legitimization of Israel must stop now.

An obstacle for Palestinians and those who support their demands, the question of recognition shows that the primary dispute – obviously – is not over territory, but over Israel's existence.

PM Netanyahu's demand that Palestinian leaders recognize Israel as a Jewish state is not a semantic tease; Israel's Jewish character is its raison d'etre, the "Jewish national home," and the essence of its sovereignty.

The author is a writer and journalist living in Israel

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