Prager makes an interesting presentation, but it's a little too facile and one sided. His assertion that unilateral disarmament by the Palestinians would ensure peace doesn't square with considerable evidence to the contrary.
It's unfortunately true that on more than a few occasions, the IDF has gone way beyond pushing Palestinians back or even playing tit for tat. I recall a couple of episodes in the 90s when the IDF invaded Palestinian territory and pounded villages and camps for days after Palestinian fighters were able to mount no more than weak, sporadic resistence. IOW it was overkill, with a heavy toll on Palestinian civilians and property.
Maybe the worst was the Sabra and Shatilah massacres. They were carried out by Christian militias in Lebanon, but the Israelis did everything they could to facilitate those barbaric attacks.
The problem, as we've seen going back to the 1970's, is that there are fanatical factions within Palestinian ranks and within Israel. Every time it appears serious progress toward peace is being made, these factions on one or both sides ratchet up the violence, and peace talks are aborted.
If I had to pick a more civilized, less culpable side, it would be the Israelis. But clearly, they are not without a share of the blame for the endless hostilities, and not without blood on their hands.
Just this fall, under great encouragement and considerable diplomatic pressure from the U.S., a fresh round of peace talks got under way. They had barely begun when Israel announced more housing will be built in the Palestinian territories. That was like waving the proverbial red flag in front of a bull — a perfect way to abort the peace talks — as the Israelis knew very well. Sure enough, the talks have been stalled ever since.
Prager keeps things simple, though. You got your good guys in the white hats, and your bad guys in black hoods. That's all you need to know.
Well, no, that's not all you need to know. We all need to understand there are good and bad guys among Palestinians and among Israelis. The bad guys have had their way for decades, at great cost in lives and suffering on both sides.
Only by understanding the real root of the problem is there any hope for ever solving the problem.
1 comment:
Prager makes an interesting presentation, but it's a little too facile and one sided. His assertion that unilateral disarmament by the Palestinians would ensure peace doesn't square with considerable evidence to the contrary.
It's unfortunately true that on more than a few occasions, the IDF has gone way beyond pushing Palestinians back or even playing tit for tat. I recall a couple of episodes in the 90s when the IDF invaded Palestinian territory and pounded villages and camps for days after Palestinian fighters were able to mount no more than weak, sporadic resistence. IOW it was overkill, with a heavy toll on Palestinian civilians and property.
Maybe the worst was the Sabra and Shatilah massacres. They were carried out by Christian militias in Lebanon, but the Israelis did everything they could to facilitate those barbaric attacks.
The problem, as we've seen going back to the 1970's, is that there are fanatical factions within Palestinian ranks and within Israel. Every time it appears serious progress toward peace is being made, these factions on one or both sides ratchet up the violence, and peace talks are aborted.
If I had to pick a more civilized, less culpable side, it would be the Israelis. But clearly, they are not without a share of the blame for the endless hostilities, and not without blood on their hands.
Just this fall, under great encouragement and considerable diplomatic pressure from the U.S., a fresh round of peace talks got under way. They had barely begun when Israel announced more housing will be built in the Palestinian territories. That was like waving the proverbial red flag in front of a bull — a perfect way to abort the peace talks — as the Israelis knew very well. Sure enough, the talks have been stalled ever since.
Prager keeps things simple, though. You got your good guys in the white hats, and your bad guys in black hoods. That's all you need to know.
Well, no, that's not all you need to know. We all need to understand there are good and bad guys among Palestinians and among Israelis. The bad guys have had their way for decades, at great cost in lives and suffering on both sides.
Only by understanding the real root of the problem is there any hope for ever solving the problem.
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