Why, yes, The Politico is bringing us the Palestinian perspective on you not understanding that he really wasn’t talking about going back to 1967 border lines, just using them for the discussion about land swaps based on the 1967 lines. Because there’s a huge difference, mostly having to do with how Obama is going to receive campaign funds from people when he ticks them off….OK, getting far off the point
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. The speaker says his invitation is a chance to promote freedom, security and peace in the Middle East.
We Palestinians cannot agree more, for it is Israel’s denial of our freedom that prevents us from exercising our right to live in peace and security with our neighbors.
But, unfortunately, Palestinian freedom is not likely to be on the Israeli leader’s mind when he addresses Congress. Instead, he will probably avoid dealing with the core issues of Palestinian statehood on the 1967 borders and the end of the Israeli military occupation.
See? It’s not really about the 1967 borders, it’s about….oh, wait. Looks like they do want the 1967 borders, the indefensible ones. Not like the Palestinians really need those borders that much, as the lob missiles and artillery shells, along with suicide bombers, across the current border.
But the U.S. has principles that must be protected and preserved. These principles of justice, liberty and freedom, the foundation the United States was built on, must be Congress’s guiding light in helping President Barack Obama and his administration bring peace, stability and security for all people in the region.
Perhaps Hamas should renounce its charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel. Perhaps Palestinians should stop digging tunnels from their lands, like the Gaza Strip, in order to attack Israel. Perhaps Palestinians should recognize Israel’s right to exist.
In 1988, the Palestinian leadership accepted the two-state solution and unequivocally recognized the state of Israel. The future Palestinian state will be in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem — approximately 22 percent of historic Palestine. In 2002, the PLO endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for the end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands in return for normal relations with Israel and a just resolution to the Palestinian refugee problem.
Yet, they don’t recognize Israel’s right to exist. Sure, they recognized that the state of Israel is there. Will they accept a divided country? The Palestinians had plenty of opportunity to make a deal with Israel, but, their leaders kept asking for more and more, giving little back, then walking away when the demands were met.
A peace agreement establishing a Palestinian state, existing side by side in peace and security with Israel, is in the interest of the U.S., the parties and world peace. It is an objective that Obama and his administration can still achieve — if all the parties can engage seriously and if the negotiation’s terms of reference are clear.
Well, Maen Rashid Areikat, Palestine Liberation Organization ambassador and chief representative to the United States, how, exactly, will a Palestinian state create peace? And there should be no peace talks till Palestinians stop their violence against Israeli civilians first.
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.
