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By Bruce S. Ticker
February 20, 2005
'We promise that they won't be arrested upon their return. We are freezing all proceedings against them as long as they refrain from terror activities'
- Raanan Gissin, aide to Sharon
Nearly three years ago, a group of cretins seized the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and held those inside hostage for a full month. They were subsequently expelled from the West Bank and deported to Europe and Gaza.
They compose the majority of 55 Palestinians, once accused of terror activities, who will be allowed to return to Israel without being touched by the law. If they seized a building in my state, Pennsylvania, they would be charged with assault, kidnapping, reckless endangerment and a slew of felony charges that would land them in the clink for years to come.
As I perused some post-summit articles this past week, I wondered if rebuilding a relationship with the Palestinians is worth Israel's while. Hardliner friends would gasp to read this line since I have been harshly critical of the Sharon administration's response to the uprising. I have said that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon failed miserably in protecting Israeli citizens -- as evidenced by the death toll of 1,000 Jews -- and committed transgressions against Palestinians.
I have also said that Israel can choose between two courses of action for peace -- engage in serious, good-faith negotiations with the Palestinians or fully separate from the territories by withdrawing from the settlements and completing the barrier separating Israel proper from the West Bank.
The operative words here are "serious" and "good faith." The prison release could be dangerous and Palestinians are issuing demands before negotiations even begin.
"Prisoners, prisoners are our priority, and we told everyone about it," Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas told The New York Times. "The situation will be stabilized and will cool down in Gaza and the West Bank" as much as Sharon "helps us to release the prisoners."
How this will "cool down" the situation is not explained. Perhaps the deal is that Abbas hopes to control terrorism by actually improving life for the Palestinians while at the same time facilitating the return of the prisoners to their families. Sharon evidently believes that this is a chance worth taking.
True, the difference with Yasser Arafat is that he ignored the needs of his people. As an example, Abbas reopened a road which many Gazans traveled upon to reach the beach. Arafat closed the road when he built his headquarters in that vicinity, according to the Times.
Journalist David Bedein reported in a recent article that in the last two years alone 25 Israelis were murdered "by convicts who were released by the Israeli government as a gesture of good will." He added that more than "1,000 Palestinian terrorists who had been freed from Israeli jails in political deals over the past 11 years" had returned to terrorist activity.
Plus, The Jerusalem Post reports that 350 Palestinian gunmen -- all on Israel's list of wanted terrorists -- will be allowed to join the PA's security forces. These include members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, groups liable for most suicide bombings and rocket attacks during the last four years.
Ibrahim Abu al-Naja, the PA's minister of agriculture, declared, "The Palestinian Authority does not distinguish between the wanted men. They are entitled to join the security forces because of their involvement with the resistance."
A PA official added, "The Israelis and Americans should be happy about this move because it means that these men will stop all their activities." Gissan makes a comparative comment above about those who raided the Church of the Nativity. How can anyone ensure that none of these prisoners and fugitives will use their newfound freedom or employment to terrorize Israel?
Compounding the concern over prisoners and fugitives are the arrogant attitudes expressed by Abbas and Palestinians quoted in the Times. They sound like they are dictating terms -- as if they had won the war.
"We hear Israel wants peace, and we want it, we want this cease-fire," said Nasir al-Bayouk at a Gaza checkpoint. "But at the same time, all the sacrifices we made during this intifada can't be for free. People lost their loved ones, and we need a price for this.... We always had Gaza. The Israelis aren't handing us a gift."
They might have avoided "all the sacrifices" had they not started this war.
This was the worst of attitudes expressed by Palestinians waiting at checkpoints for a Times article. If it is representative of Palestinian views, then this process is worthless.
In an interview with the Times, Abbas insisted that negotiations must include the question of return or compensation of refugees and division of Jerusalem. He says this when asked if the uprising was a mistake: "We cannot say it was a mistake. But any war will have an end. And what is the end? To sit around the table and talk. And they realize that his is the time to come to the table and talk and negotiate."
The war was not a mistake? Perhaps he was only speaking to mollify his people and does not believe his own words. What that tells us is that he has virtually no support among his people for working responsibly with Israel, so how can he possibly accomplish anything positive?
The Palestinians should be thinking first and foremost about improving their lives and making clear that they are fully willing to do their part. Instead, the release of potentially dangerous prisoners trumps the economy as a priority.
Does Israel need this hassle? Israel could not be any worse off if it walled itself off once and for all from the Palestinians. Maybe better off.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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