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Saturday, July 19, 2014
Those who ignore history...
... are doomed to repeat it.
There is no pleasure in saying 'I told you so'... only profound sadness.
The horrifying situation in which my country finds itself is a direct result of previous leaders failing to heed the the stated intention of our enemies, simply because it would mean admitting their political opponents might be right.
Click here to listen: Rabin on the impossibility of missiles from Gaza
[Translation: "The horror stories of the Likud are familiar; indeed they promised us also Katyushas from Gaza. Already a year, the Gaza strip is mostly under the control of the Palestinian Authority, there has not yet been any Katyusha and there will be no Katyusha, et cetera et cetera et cetera. All the chattering; the Likud is deathly afraid of peace. The “peace cowards”, this is the Likud of today. This is not the Likud of Menachem Begin of blessed memory, who dared, and took initiatives, and was willing to pay a painful price to advance peace. The Likud of today is deathly afraid of peace, and therefore, it reacts in a way that is truly childish."]
And yet, even today there are naive people, here and abroad, who can look into the camera and innocently bleat, "Nobody could have known this would happen. We had to act as we did. We had to give peace a chance".
Peace doesn't happen by chance, and it doesn't arrive simply because you want it badly enough. It can only be achieved when all sides in a conflict have more to gain from the cessation of hostilities than its continuation.
But sadly, the international community has created a self-perpetuating model where terror organizations have nothing to gain from peace, and everything to gain from war.
Each time Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah or any of the other terror organizations instigate a war against my country, the international community lines up to pour millions of dollars in aid into their coffers to help the poor victims of 'Israeli aggression' rebuild.
But mysteriously, the money doesn't reach the people who need it. Infrastructure isn't rebuilt. schools and hospitals that were cynically used to store weapons and to house combatants remain in ruins... and the aid money is skimmed, funneled and syphoned into the Swiss bank accounts of terror warlords who sit out the wars in luxurious splendor; the privileged guests of foreign despots.
More than ten times the amount of money donated to rebuild all of Europe under the Marshal Plan has been thrown blindly at the Palestinian 'leadership' without requiring a scrap of accountability or transparency.
Needless to say, despite the staggering infusion of funds, the Palestinian people remain trapped in poverty and squalor, with no infrastructure, not prospects and no hope... victims of 'elected' kleptocracies that they can't (or won't) overthrow.
Israel can't create its own peace partner, and no amount of wishing on the part of the international community can place one across the table from us.
The only thing that can bring the Palestinians peace is for the people to finally rise up and demand a better life for themselves, not just from Israel... but from their own leaders.
Everybody deserves to live in peace!
But peace doesn't come simply because it is deserved. It comes when all sides have too much to lose from its absence.
Posted by David Bogner on July 19, 2014 | Permalink
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The problem with "radical Islam" is the problem with Islam.
Many are afraid that if Islam is the problem there can be no solution. That terrifies them. So they do all they can to avoid engaging with the evidence that Islam is the problem.
Posted by: Rondo | Jul 20, 2014 2:35:28 AM
100% accurate, David, and Rondo.
Peace and safety to you, Zahava and your family, Baruch Hashem.
Posted by: chairwoman | Jul 20, 2014 5:00:52 PM
Here's hoping that they realize this soon!
Posted by: Lynn | Jul 23, 2014 2:47:33 AM
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