[New Republic] Sarah N. Stern - The pre-1967 borders, which are actually the 1949 armistice lines, were nine miles wide at their narrowest point, lacking the strategic depth to enable Israel to defend itself. With what confidence can the Israelis contemplate that such a retreat will not be met with a barrage of missiles onto the coastal plain, where Israel's population is most densely located? Particularly in light of how Hamas has used its beachhead in Gaza to fire missiles into the neighboring Israeli town of Sderot. Hopefully, there will be a time when future Palestinian leaders will be preparing their people for a durable peace, one that will last for generations, but at this point we have no firm evidence to believe that is the case. The Palestinians have been using every means of communication available to teach their children hatred of Israel. The litmus test of when the Palestinians will be actually ready to sit down and negotiate a lasting peace is when they will stop training their children to play war games and become suicide bombers for the sake of a fully "liberated" Palestine. The writer is the founder and president of EMET, the Endowment for Middle East Truth, a Washington-based think-tank.
2007-10-30 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive