(New York Post) Amir Taheri- The Palestinian hope that the intifada might persuade large numbers of Israelis to leave the Jewish state has not materialized. Israel's net population loss is estimated at around 15,000 a year, but the Palestinian loss, estimated at around 18,000 a year, is more significant because it concerns a smaller population base. Palestine, as a political issue, has, over the past 50 years, been transformed into an abstract, metaphysical, and almost mystical cause, one that can no longer be tackled through worldly methods such as diplomacy. For decades, the only solution acceptable to those who professed that cause was a complete rewinding of the reel of history to the pre-1947 era. After the Six-Day War, the realization that such a rewind would not happen led to a new illusion: a return to June 4, 1967. After 1991 those who saw Palestine as a cause devised a new slogan: "just peace." The problem is that the phrase "just peace" (and variants such as "the peace of the brave") are oxymoronic. Peace is peace, with no prefixes or suffixes. A peace that appears just to one party must, be definition, appear unjust to another. Many Palestinians would regard any peace that leaves a Jewish state in place in any shape as unjust. Palestinians must ask whether or not they are prepared to accept the "injustice" of Israel's existence and, if yes, in what shape.
2004-10-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive