Regarding the recent flap between the U.S. and Israel over housing settlements in the latter country, British political writer Melanie Phillips understands far better the nature of the situation than President Obama, who, for all his measured oratory, persists in ignoring the history of the Jewish state.
There is, Phillips points out, only one true way to peace in the Middle East and that is by the acceptance of fundamental truths by all parties, including the would-be martyrs of the West Bank and Gaza, who allege that all they want is a place to call home. This is one of the primary untruths that Hamas, et al, foist on a gullible outside world:
The US and the rest blame Israel for thwarting a two-state solution. But the reason the two-state solution has not been achieved is that, from the beginning, this was a two-state problem.
Two states were indeed provided in 1920 when Churchill split land already promised to the Jews by giving three quarters of Palestine to the Arabs to create Jordan.
The world community ordained that, within the remainder — what is present-day Israel and the West Bank and Gaza — the Jews should be ‘closely settled’ to re-establish their national homeland.
The Arabs refused to accept this two-state solution. When they turned to terrorism to destroy the nascent Jewish state, instead of holding the line for law and justice the British offered them half of what remained of Palestine.
They refused it then and have done so ever since, because their real aim remains unchanged: one state of Palestine, with Israel destroyed.
Phillips is far from a household name here in the U.S., but writing like this deserves a wider audience. The truth of these paragraphs is both powerful and undeniable: There are only two roads to peace in the Middle East. One requires the surrender of Israel to the forces of Arab and Muslim terrorists and the other that these same instigators lay down their arms and join with Jews in moving the country forward.
Until this fundamental truth is acknowledged there will be no progress toward peace in the Middle East and certainly no solution, for no such outcome is possible when basing negotiations on lies.
Far from rebuking Israel for exercising its sovereignty in its own territory, President Obama should demonstrate his respect for the one nation in the region that is worthy of American support by espousing the truth that everyone must accept to move forward. Then he should declare that only the outcome that leads to a secure, united Israel will be allowed to come to pass.