Is the Israeli-Palestinian peace process dead?
That is the conclusion that conservative columnist Clifford May has come to in a recent article on the National Review website. While much of the world is focused on the “Arab Spring” and the incidents on the border between Israel and Syria, the Palestinians are engaged in an aggressive bid for unilateral recognition from the United Nations. Because, the current Palestinian government consists of Hamas and Fatah, both of which refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, the result of creating a Palestinian state in the current world climate would likely result in war; not peace.
In an attempt to build momentum for unilateral recognition, the Palestinians and their allies heavily courted nations in South and Latin America. They were likely encouraged by the anti-Semitism demonstrated by Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, as well as the unfettered activities that Hezbollah has been allowed to engage in within some of these South American nations. However, the Israelis have responded by sending Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon to Latin America on a diplomatic mission which appears to have been somewhat successful.
Interestingly, when asked about a threat by the Palestinian Authority to demand that the UN set future boundaries to the 1947 partition plan, Ayalon responded that while Israel did not take this threat seriously, if the Palestinians made such a move then Israel would respond by demanding lines drawn in 1922 which would put all of the West Bank within Israel. As long as the Palestinian government insists on the absurd notion that Jews are “occupiers” of Judea and Samaria, any Palestinian state created alongside Israel will increase the likelihood that war will break out. Yasser Arafat, the now deceased jihadist, who used to lead the Palestinians, once articulated a strategy for eliminating Israel which involved Palestine attaining a certain amount of territory west of the Jordan River, which would serve as a sort of foothold to eventually conquer the Jewish state. With intentions such as these underlying both Hamas and Fatah, it is not sensible to assume that peace can be achieved.
In addition, if an independent Palestinian state were established at this time it is highly unlikely that they would be self sustaining. As is usually the case, the United States will most likely be asked to increase foreign aid. This is something that we can ill afford to do.
Creating a Palestinian state could spark a humanitarian crisis and would almost certainly launch a war-like entity bent on destroying its neighbor. Because of this; unilateral recognition of the Palestinians as a state, could cause any peace attempts to be dead on arrival.
