Thursday, March 28, 2024

Terrorism must have consequences

Posted

President Trump’s latest outrageously dangerous move is to announce he is moving the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It’s about time. 

To be clear, the United States Congress passed a law recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel back in 1995. That law also required the embassy be moved to Jerusalem no later than May 1, 1999. All of the Presidents since May of 1999 have been signing a waiver postponing the move for six months. President Trump signed a waiver in June but now has committed to completing the move.

Previous Presidents have refused to implement the law saying it was an infringement on the Constitutional authority of the Executive Branch over foreign policy. That could well be true and the argument against the move has always been that it would end any hopes for a peace agreement in the Middle East. 

The problem is the history of Jerusalem has been one of continual conflict. During its long history Jerusalem has been attacked 52 times, captured and recaptured 44 times and completely destroyed twice. Three of the world’s major religions claim Jerusalem as sacred ground.

As if that weren’t enough, there is little unanimity among the individual religions on their own religious doctrine. Each has factions that hold different doctrinal positions. In fact, for a time there was so much disagreement among Christians that a pair of “neutral” Muslim families safeguarded the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Today the problem is that much of the Muslim world refuses to recognize the right of Israel to exist. Many deny the Holocaust ever occurred and the stated goal of Hamas and Hezbollah is the elimination of the state of Israel. 

The reality is that there is no path to peace when one side is committed to the annihilation of the other. Hamas and Hezbollah represent different factions of Islam but seem unified on their single goal to eliminate Israel and the Jewish people. 

As recently as 2014, Iran declared it could possibly find a way to recognize Israel’s right to exist if a peace accord was signed between Israel and the Palestinians. While many have heralded that as a sign of hope, it is a false hope. Iran continues to fund, train and supply Hezbollah. A clear sign that their offer to find a road to peace is a false promise.

The disputes between the parties have continued ever since the 1948 decision by the United Nations to establish the state of Israel.

Every President since Jimmy Carter has attempted to negotiate a peace agreement in the Middle East. Every president has failed. It is not for lack of effort. It is because the Palestinians have failed to keep their side of any agreement. 

The problem is that the Palestinians have one goal – the annihilation of the Jewish people. They are so committed to this goal that they are willing to sacrifice their own children. They are so committed that they willingly commit war crimes to achieve their goal.

They are so committed that they celebrate suicide bombers as heroes and reward their families with a lifetime income. That income is often funded by money from American foreign aide. 

The Palestinians have tried numerous times to attack Israel and lost. They have engaged in guerilla warfare against Israel but demand land lost during those military campaigns should be returned to them. 

What should be abundantly clear to anyone paying attention to this situation is that the Palestinians are driven by hatred. That hate is driven by racial and religious intolerance. 

As Americans we claim to stand for human rights. We call for racial equality and religious freedom. It is a simple moral question here. Do we truly believe in racial equality and religious freedom or are we willing to accept another Holocaust?

Because that is what Hamas and Hezbollah are calling for in the Middle East.

President Trump is right to force the issue. We have given the anti-Semitic forces of the Middle East enough time to negotiate a peace agreement.

Their intransigence is evidence of their true intentions. As long as no one forces them to accept reality they will continue their war of attrition and deception. 

If they truly want to join the civilized world, they will reassess their position. Do they want a lasting peace or do they want to annihilate their neighbors. 

Most civilized countries already recognize west Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The dispute is over east Jerusalem, which the Israelis captured during the 1967 war. It is far past time for the Palestinians to get serious about negotiating a serious peace agreement or lose any claim to east Jerusalem.

President Trump is right to play hardball.

Bill Forhan can be reached at 509-548-5286 or publisher@leavenworthecho.com.

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