(Ha'aretz-Hebrew) Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser - The Palestinian leadership with Mahmoud Abbas at the helm, which rejects negotiations and has spurned offers of statehood, stands unequivocally behind the ongoing stabbing and car-ramming attacks. With the support of a large majority of the Palestinian population, this leadership encourages the continued attacks and does not hide its satisfaction with them. According to the principles of Palestinian identity instilled by the leadership in the psychic infrastructure of the population, the mission of the Palestinians is to hasten Israel's inevitable disappearance through a constant struggle in which all means are permissible. Putting a stop to the terror wave requires making it clear to Abbas and the Palestinians in general that the benefit of sustaining it is declining and the cost is rising. In parallel, Israel must clarify to the Palestinians' Western supporters the role that the Palestinian leadership has played in encouraging the wave of attacks and demand that they stop supporting this phenomenon. The writer, director of the project on the Regional Implications of the Syrian Civil War at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, was formerly Director General of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs.
2016-01-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive