By Ted Belman
November 9, 2007
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The Campaign to save Jerusalem is worthless, if it allows Annapolis to go ahead.
In focusing almost exclusively on Jerusalem, the campaign allows the fatal "peace process" to continue, as Israel lets itself be dismembered, piece by piece.
This process will ultimately involve a compromise on Jerusalem and most certainly will divest Israel of most if not all of Judea and Samaria. To avoid this from happening, the campaign should have been to abrogate Oslo. Anything less will only produce pyrrhic victories.
As Aryeh Eldad MK wrote today, the red lines of Yisrael Beiteinu's Avigdor Lieberman are not our red lines. Lieberman still wants to give up parts of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and even part of Israel. Olmert has assured him that his red lines or "core issues" will not be discussed, so Leiberman remains in the government.
That being the case, Annapolis will discuss and commit on giving away parts of Jerusalem, not including the Holy Basin, and most of Judea and Samaria. It will also commit to a Palestinian state subject only to the Palestinians making noise to satisfy Phase I of the Roadmap.
Livni and Rice have assured us of that. They also pointed out the responsibilities of Israel in Phase I must also be satisfied. What are they?
"GOI [Government of Israel] takes no actions undermining trust, including deportations, attacks on civilians; confiscation and/or demolition of Palestinian homes and property, as a punitive measure or to facilitate Israeli construction; destruction of Palestinian institutions and infrastructure; and other measures specified in the Tenet work plan."
"GOI immediately dismantles settlement outposts erected since March 2001."
"Consistent with the Mitchell Report, GOI freezes all settlement activity (including natural growth of settlements)."
"GOI reopens Palestinian Chamber of Commerce and other closed Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem based on a commitment that these institutions operate strictly in accordance with prior agreements between the parties."
The GOI intends to comply. It has already committed to submit.
In fact, the campaign allows the Roadmap to proceed with renewed vigor. So what if the Holy Basin or the "right of return" is not discussed now? Israel will be made much weaker to resist both issues when they will be discussed. So the campaign yields only temporary respite, and weakens Israel irreversibly.
I recently argued that to save Jerusalem, we must kill the "peace process." And so we must. Nothing short of that will suffice.
Yes, If Israel goes to Annapolis, Jerusalem may be saved, for a little while. But all else, including the viability of Israel, will be lost.
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