Links Roundup

• MK Orlev of Jewish Home (formerly National Religious Party) evokes The Israeli Initiative in an interview with Arutz Sheva: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135933
• A Palestinian journalist talks about "the good old days" before the peace process: http://www.hudsonny.org/2010/01/the-good-old-days-beofre-peace.php
• A Palestinian refugee camp in Iraq run by UNHCR is closed: http://news.brunei.fm/2010/02/02/unhcr-end-of-long-ordeal-for-palestinian-refugees-as-desert-camp-closes/

"Moderates" Support Rock-Throwing

A few days ago, I blogged about the lack of a Palestinian partner for peace, using Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad's positon paper to show the absurdity of calling him a moderate. With the riots on Yom Kippur Eve, we learn once again that the phrase "Palestinian moderate," is, in fact, an oxymoron.

When French tourists visited the Temple Mount on the eve of the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Arabs in the area mistook them for praying Jews, and began throwing rocks at them. Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount is totally legal, and even if someone is offended by it, rock-throwing is a pretty extreme response, right?

Let's ask some "moderates" what they think.

Reuters reported that the Palestinian government, our "partner for peace" released the following statement:

"The cabinet ... hailed our people who rushed yesterday to defend blessed al-Aqsa mosque and thwarted the attempt by extremist settlers to break into the compound."

Fayad's government also "condemned the storming by Israeli police and special forces of the mosque compound and their assault on worshippers."

"A Third Intifada may erupt...in reaction to the Israeli disrespect of the feelings of Muslims and the storming by extreme Jewish groups of the al-Aqsa mosque."

These are the words of another "moderate," Mohammad Dahlan of the Fatah party. Do you get the feeling he knows something we don't know?

It really is no wonder that the conflict has yet to be solved, when these are the people we're negotiating with.

See the Israeli Initiative's idea for an alternative partner for peace.

(Source: Reuters)

If This What A Moderate Looks Like, Clearly There Is No Palestinian Partner For Peace

Through a miraculous PR coup, Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayad has been labeled a "moderate voice of leadership" for a Palestinian state, after distributing a position paper entitled "Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State: Program of the Thirteenth Government - August 2009" to the UN, EU and American and Russian governments. In an article for Philadelphia newspaper "The Bulletin," David Bedein shows how immoderate Fayad really is.

The paper, which has been promoted by the Geneva Accord's website, has an abstract that calls for "peace, security and stability in our region on the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital." As Bedein points out, it seems that no one bothered reading past the first page.

Throughout the position paper, Fayad refers to Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state, not East Jerusalem. He accuses Israel, "the occupying authority," of "implementing a systematic plan…and eradicating [Jerusalem's] Arab Palestinian heritage." His plan includes returning all refugees and their descendants to their pre-1948 homes according to UN General Assembly Resolution 194. He also demands the release of Palestinians convicted of murder or attempted murder from Israeli prisons, because Fayad seems to think that jailing Palestinians who committed capital crimes is a "violation of international law and basic human rights."

If this is the "moderate voice of leadership" amongst Palestinians, it is clear that there is no Palestinian partner for peace. It is impossible to negotiate with a group that supports murderers and denies the legitimacy of Israel's capital. For this reason and many others, the Palestinian Authority is an obstacle to peace and a danger to the entire region. Therefore, an alternative partner must be found: Jordan.

The Israeli Initiative favors strategic cooperation with the Kingdom of Jordan as the sole representative of the Palestinians. Should Jordan grant citizenship to the Palestinians of Judea and Samaria, the Palestinian Authority could be disarmed and would no longer be recognized as a representative body. With Jordanian citizens in Judea and Samaria, the refugees would no longer be refugees, Iranian influence on the Palestinians would be diminished, and regional stability would be increased.

For more information on the Israeli Initiative and cooperation with Jordan, click here.

For Bedein's article, click here.

For Salam Fayad's position paper, click here