Over the past couple of weeks, Israel has succeeded in shifting the focus of the Road Map peace process away from the presence of Jews in their historic and biblical homeland of Judea and Samaria and onto the crux of the century-old conflict - Arab terror. Of paramount importance now will be Israel?s insistence that its demands in this area, which the PA has officially agreed to numerous times, be met in full, and not sidestepped by temporary Palestinian ?solutions.?
Under the terms of every agreement signed between Israel and the Palestinians over the past decade the PA is legally obligated to disarm and dismantle, by force if necessary, the terrorist infrastructure operating out of areas under its control. This is a major prerequisite, the primary prerequisite as far as Israelis are concerned, to creating an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence. The PA?s long-standing failure to implement its obligations in this regard highlights its previously declared intention of perpetuating the conflict until the Palestinians receive everything they want - a state from the river to the sea, in place of Israel.
Senior Palestinian officials now complain that they are unable to contain and dismantle Hamas and other terror groups, because Israel has over the past two years decimated the PA security forces. In truth, they never did anything about Hamas even when they were at full strength, and were only targeted by Israel because of their direct support of the terrorist infrastructure and actual involvement in numerous terror attacks. The current weakness of the PA forces - the extent of which is highly debatable - is now being used as an excuse to seek not an end to Hamas, but rather a temporary halt to terror attacks in return for an end to Israeli military action. Not only does this approach suggest the Palestinians have failed to let go of terrorism as a negotiating tool, but history warns that Hamas and others would use this ?ceasefire? period to regain their strength, in order to unleash a new wave of murderous terror at a later date.
Yasser Arafat?s PLO - later transformed into the PA - was once recognized as the leading terrorist force in the world, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and other foreign nationals. As Israeli forces were on the verge of destroying this global threat in 1982 in Beirut, they were forced to accept a ?ceasefire? and allow the remaining PLO forces to flee to Tunisia. The outcome was a regrouping of the PLO, leading to new levels of terrorism never before imagined. The PLO leadership eventually showed they also had a diplomatic side - albeit in concert with their terrorist campaign - and decided to enter into ?peace? talks with Israel to see what they could get at the negotiating table.
No such eventuality exists with Hamas, meaning no amount of diplomatic pressure, even if it comes from almighty Washington, will ever serve to curb their aggression in the least. Hamas? fundamentalist Islamic nature does not allow for the group to even agree to a feigned peace with Israel - such as that which currently exists between Israel and the PA. It does, however, allow Hamas to agree to what is known as a hudna.
The concept of hudna is unfortunately lost on most Westerners, who believe a ceasefire is meant to be a time to heal rifts and work towards lasting peace. The Islamic concept of hudna, however, is a time-honored tradition of holding a stronger enemy at bay until adequate force can be mustered to renew the fight. And this is precisely how the PA plans to comply with its security obligations - by diplomatically brokering a ?time out,? allowing Hamas and other groups to recuperate.
Israeli general Amos Gilad hit the nail on the head Monday, when he rejected the PA?s efforts in this direction by saying: ?They are not speaking about a cessation of terror, but a temporary cease-fire, a conditional one, which they can violate at any time.?
And violate it they will, just as soon as they believe the time is ripe to slaughter more Jews.
Incredibly, the Palestinians have become more, not less audacious in their snubbing of international demands to end the terrorist threat to Israelis. As Gilad pointed out, they are no longer even ?speaking about a cessation of terror.? And the international community, lead by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, is falling for the ruse hook, line and sinker.
With Hamas possibly at its weakest point in years, Israel must, if the PA is unwilling, deliver the final deathblow to this threat; not only for the immediate increase in security it would afford, but as a warning to others that Jewish blood is no longer cheap. Israel must not repeat the mistakes of 1982 by allowing the chief killer of its people over the past decade to not only survive, but actually regain its strength.
Contrary to popular wisdom, there is a military solution, and the time has come to act upon it.
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Ryan Jones is News Editor of Jerusalem Newswire, where this article first appeared.
Under the terms of every agreement signed between Israel and the Palestinians over the past decade the PA is legally obligated to disarm and dismantle, by force if necessary, the terrorist infrastructure operating out of areas under its control. This is a major prerequisite, the primary prerequisite as far as Israelis are concerned, to creating an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence. The PA?s long-standing failure to implement its obligations in this regard highlights its previously declared intention of perpetuating the conflict until the Palestinians receive everything they want - a state from the river to the sea, in place of Israel.
Senior Palestinian officials now complain that they are unable to contain and dismantle Hamas and other terror groups, because Israel has over the past two years decimated the PA security forces. In truth, they never did anything about Hamas even when they were at full strength, and were only targeted by Israel because of their direct support of the terrorist infrastructure and actual involvement in numerous terror attacks. The current weakness of the PA forces - the extent of which is highly debatable - is now being used as an excuse to seek not an end to Hamas, but rather a temporary halt to terror attacks in return for an end to Israeli military action. Not only does this approach suggest the Palestinians have failed to let go of terrorism as a negotiating tool, but history warns that Hamas and others would use this ?ceasefire? period to regain their strength, in order to unleash a new wave of murderous terror at a later date.
Yasser Arafat?s PLO - later transformed into the PA - was once recognized as the leading terrorist force in the world, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and other foreign nationals. As Israeli forces were on the verge of destroying this global threat in 1982 in Beirut, they were forced to accept a ?ceasefire? and allow the remaining PLO forces to flee to Tunisia. The outcome was a regrouping of the PLO, leading to new levels of terrorism never before imagined. The PLO leadership eventually showed they also had a diplomatic side - albeit in concert with their terrorist campaign - and decided to enter into ?peace? talks with Israel to see what they could get at the negotiating table.
No such eventuality exists with Hamas, meaning no amount of diplomatic pressure, even if it comes from almighty Washington, will ever serve to curb their aggression in the least. Hamas? fundamentalist Islamic nature does not allow for the group to even agree to a feigned peace with Israel - such as that which currently exists between Israel and the PA. It does, however, allow Hamas to agree to what is known as a hudna.
The concept of hudna is unfortunately lost on most Westerners, who believe a ceasefire is meant to be a time to heal rifts and work towards lasting peace. The Islamic concept of hudna, however, is a time-honored tradition of holding a stronger enemy at bay until adequate force can be mustered to renew the fight. And this is precisely how the PA plans to comply with its security obligations - by diplomatically brokering a ?time out,? allowing Hamas and other groups to recuperate.
Israeli general Amos Gilad hit the nail on the head Monday, when he rejected the PA?s efforts in this direction by saying: ?They are not speaking about a cessation of terror, but a temporary cease-fire, a conditional one, which they can violate at any time.?
And violate it they will, just as soon as they believe the time is ripe to slaughter more Jews.
Incredibly, the Palestinians have become more, not less audacious in their snubbing of international demands to end the terrorist threat to Israelis. As Gilad pointed out, they are no longer even ?speaking about a cessation of terror.? And the international community, lead by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, is falling for the ruse hook, line and sinker.
With Hamas possibly at its weakest point in years, Israel must, if the PA is unwilling, deliver the final deathblow to this threat; not only for the immediate increase in security it would afford, but as a warning to others that Jewish blood is no longer cheap. Israel must not repeat the mistakes of 1982 by allowing the chief killer of its people over the past decade to not only survive, but actually regain its strength.
Contrary to popular wisdom, there is a military solution, and the time has come to act upon it.
--------------------------------------------------------
Ryan Jones is News Editor of Jerusalem Newswire, where this article first appeared.