  Πως μπορεί να επιτευχθεί ειρήνη; | Το όνειρο για ένα μέλλον, όταν παιδιά Ισραηλινών και Αράβων θα μπορούν να μεγαλώνουν χωρίς την απειλή του πολέμου και τον φόβο της τρομοκρατίας ενώνει όλους τους Ισραηλινούς. Ωστόσο, η μακρά ιστορία των αποτυχημένων διαπραγματεύσεων με τους Παλαιστινίους έχει αποδείξει ότι η λαχτάρα και μόνο για ειρήνη δεν είναι αρκετή. Χρόνο με το χρόνο, το Ισραήλ έχει παρουσιάσει φιλόδοξες προτάσεις ειρήνης, έκανε σημαντικές παραχωρήσεις, εγκατέλειψε εκτεταμένες εκτάσεις γης, ξεριζώσε οικισμούς, απέσυρε δυνάμεις, αποσυναρμολόγησε στρατιωτικές βάσεις και πήρε μέτρα ώστε να μπορέσουν οι Παλαιστίνιοι να θέσουν τα θεμέλια μιας αυτοδιοίκησης. Σε αντάλλαγμα, το Ισραήλ έχει λάβει ένα παλαιστινιακό κύμα τρόμου, βομβιστικές επιθέσεις αυτοκτονίας, επιθέσεις με ρουκέτες και επικίνδυνες υποκινήσεις κατά Ισραηλινών και Εβραίων. Και υπόκειται σε μια συνεχιζόμενη εκστρατεία στη διεθνή αρένα για να απονομιμοποιήσει την ίδια την ύπαρξη του Ισραήλ και να υπονομεύσει την οικονομία του.
Το Ισραήλ ήταν πάντα πρόθυμο να συμβιβαστεί και κάθε κυβέρνηση του Ισραήλ - συμπεριλαμβανομένου και της παρούσας - έχει προετοιμαστεί για να κάνει μεγάλες θυσίες για χάρη της ειρήνης. Ωστόσο, η αποκατάσταση της ειρήνης απαιτεί παραχωρήσεις και από τις δύο πλευρές. Ακριβώς όπως το Ισραήλ έχει αναγνωρίσει τα δικαιώματα και τα συμφέροντα των Παλαιστινίων, έτσι και το Ισραήλ έχει νόμιμα δικαιώματα και συμφέροντα που πρέπει επίσης να αναγνωριστούν και να αντιμετωπιστούν. Η ειρήνη μπορεί να επιτευχθεί μόνο μέσω σοβαρών διαπραγματεύσεων, οι οποίες γεφυρώνουν το χάσμα και επιλύουν όλα τα εκκρεμή ζητήματα. | | |
Is the fence a legitimate means of self-defense? | Palestinian propaganda has tries to portray the anti-terrorist fence in the most negative light possible. Instead of acknowledging that the fence is a legitimate means of passive self-defense, the Palestinians and their supporters twist its purpose by calling it an apartheid wall or a new Berlin wall (ignoring the fact that almost all the barrier is a fence) that is intended to create ghettos.
The Palestinians have attempted to attach the term "apartheid" to the anti-terrorism fence, apartheid being a system of racial segregation designed to preserve the status quo and oppress black South Africans, who were denied all rights. But the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is nothing like the situation that existed in South Africa, and Israel's anti-terrorist fence has nothing to do with separation by race, but with the need to prevent terrorism.
Palestinian propaganda utterly ignores the fact that the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is not a racial one, but in fact, a national-territorial conflict to which some Palestinians have tried to add religious traits. The fence was not designed to separate two peoples according to their race or religion, but rather to separate the perpetrators of terrorism from their victims. On one side of the fence will be Israeli citizens - both Jewish and Arab - while on the other, the Palestinian population, amongst which the terrorists hide.
Israel is not seeking to isolate the Palestinians. Israel would like nothing more than to see cooperation flourish with its Palestinian neighbors and the Arab world. The only reason that Palestinians have in recent years been restricted from entering into Israel is because of the terrorist attacks that peaked during the second intifada that began in 2000. Moreover, the Palestinians have no legal right to enter the state of Israel: they are not citizens of Israel and many have had nefarious reasons for crossing into Israeli territory.
At the same time, Israeli Arabs (who constitute nearly 20% of Israel's population) are citizens with equal rights under Israeli law, and reside on the Israeli side of the fence. Therefore, it is clear that the fence does not divide on the basis of race or religion, but rather based on citizenship and past terrorist behaviors.
Similarly, the accusations that the anti-terrorism fence is creating another Berlin Wall is nothing more than cheap propaganda that plays fast and loose with historical facts. The Berlin Wall was not a defensive mechanism. Instead it was designed by the totalitarian Communist regime of East Germany to perpetuate the division of the city by keeping the citizens of East Germany - who sought only freedom and contact with their brethren in West Germany - locked in. In stark contrast, Israel is building the anti-terrorist fence for one purpose only: to keep Palestinian terrorists, who wish to murder and maim Israeli citizens, out.
By falsely claiming that the anti-terrorist fence created ghettos, Palestinian propaganda is cynically manipulating history and reality. Defensive measures, such as the fence, have no connection whatsoever with ghettos.
In misusing the term "ghetto," the Palestinians choose to manipulate a concept linked to the darkest, most painful periods of Jewish history, particularly the Holocaust. In this manner, the Palestinians once again exploit Jewish suffering to smear the name of Israel. This is a classic example of the new antisemitism, which uses an outright lie for the purpose of rewriting history and transforming the victim into the perpetrator. The Jews were forced into ghettos to isolate them, to discriminate against them, to persecute them, and ultimately - during the Holocaust - to kill them.
Israel is not pushing the Palestinians into ghettos; the Palestinians live freely in the West Bank. Rather, Israel is creating a barrier between Palestinian terrorists and Israeli communities. The fence was designed to create maximum security with minimal interference to Palestinian daily life. Israel is not forcing the Palestinians to move from their communities, but is being forced to build the security fence to keep the Palestinians terrorists away from Israeli civilians.
It is Palestinian terrorism that caused the fence to be built and it is Palestinian terrorism that must take responsibility for any inconvenience caused by the defensive fence. In actuality, the anti-terrorism fence has contributed to peace, by allowing both Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side, relatively free from the conflicts caused by terrorism.
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