Bloodthirsty Liberal

I confess I didn’t pay much attention to PM Netanyahu’s speech on relations with the Palestinians because, like the good liberal I used to be, I don’t give much weight to statements made under duress or coercion. From what I saw, it looked like a hostage tape.

But others were watching and listening, and they didn’t much like what they saw and heard:

Palestinian Authority negotiations department head Saeb ‘Ariqat stated: “The peace process can be compared to a turtle, and now that Netanyahu has turned it over, it’s lying on its back. Not in a thousand years will Netanyahu find a single Palestinian who would agree to the conditions stipulated in his speech.”

…

Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority president, stated: “The speech has destroyed all peace initiatives and [chances for] a solution.”

…

PLO Executive Committee Secretary Yasser ‘Abd Rabbo stated: “Netanyahu’s speech was hollow, and it ruined the chances to advance toward a balanced settlement. … Netanyahu is a liar and a crook….”

…

Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Nabil ‘Amro stated: “Netanyahu’s speech is nothing but a hoax [to deceive] America….”

…

Hamas issued an announcement, stating: “Netanyahu is offering the Palestinians a state without identity, sovereignty, army, or weapons; without Jerusalem or the right of return. And at the same time, it insists on leaving the settlements in place. He is offering an economic peace in return for normalization and recognition of the Zionist entity.

…

Hamas official Dr. Ahmad Bahr, who is acting speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, stated: “[Netanyahu’s] racist speech rests on denying the [existence of] the Palestinian people and on disregarding their suffering, and [affirms] that a racist entity [exists] on Palestinian soil. It is an arrogant Zionist speech, rife with threats and condescension towards the Palestinians as well as towards the Arab and Muslim peoples.

…

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine called Netanyahu’s speech “akin to a declaration of war and an insult to the international community…”

Well, they’re Palestinians. No one expects them to be happy. Daily humiliation will do that to a people.

But you might have thought an Israeli PM’s concession to a Palestinian state would bring more of a positive reaction from our side:

U.S. officials reacted skeptically Monday to an Israeli proposal that the United States and other world powers guarantee that a new nation of Palestine remain demilitarized as a condition of its statehood.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said for the first time Sunday that Israel would be prepared to live side by side with a Palestinian state, but only if world powers guaranteed that it would be “demilitarized.” The proposal came in a major statement of his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that attracted attention worldwide.

…

“We take the security of Israel very seriously, but we need a solution that works, and this would be very difficult for the Palestinians to swallow,” said an official, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the diplomacy. American officials “are a long way away from the point where we’d be talking about this kind of arrangement.”

I’ve got something the Palestinians can swallow right here, pal.

Exactly what need would the Palestinians have of “militarization”? They’ll be at peace with the Israelis, and all their other neighbors—Egypt, Jordan, even nearby Lebanon and Syria—are, if not always friendly, at least generally sympathetic.

No, the Palestinians need “militarization” because without “militarization” they’re not Palestinians. They’re just Arabs without guns, and that’s not much of an Arab at all.

Either that, or they have no intention of peaceful coexistence with Israel. You have to choose one.

This is all part of a death by a thousand cuts for Israel. We tell them what to say, then we tell them what we don’t like about it, then we tell them how it’s going to be.

I think Netanyahu was wise to take this step because there’s no way the Palestinians will reciprocate. You can see the statements above for proof, or you can just open your eyes.

PS: I just stumbled across another unhappy camper:

Today at the UN Human Rights Council, the Palestinian delegation attacked the Jewish nature of Israel. While critiquing the recent two-state solution peace plan proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu it said its “most dangerous” aspect is “his request to our people to recognize the Jewish nature of the Israeli State.” Such a demand is “evidence of a systematic and organized racist policy.”

But at least he was answered:

Later in the session, one such Israeli delegate took the floor in his native Arabic to proudly declare that the Jewish nature of Israel in no way implies that it is racist. “The Jewish people have suffered over several ages because of racism,” he said. “Israel is a Jewish State committed to tolerance, democracy and human rights, and will always be a partner in the battle against racism.” The Israeli delegate also noted that some of the States that single out Israel for racism, including through the Durban process, themselves “commit the most flagrant violations against their own people.”

So is it now American policy to support the militarization of a Palestinian state, but not the Jewishness of a Jewish state? Just checking.