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The Unilateral Application of Israeli Sovereignty Is Necessary to Move the Peace Process Forward
(Fathom-BICOM-UK) Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser - The application of Israeli law and sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) according to the U.S. peace plan is a legitimate and legal move that may finally break the impasse on the road to a peace based on the "two states for two peoples" formula. Waiting for Palestinian acquiescence and allowing the Palestinians to retain a veto power over any progress in the peace process guarantees that there will never be peace. Britain in 1922 got the mandate from the League of Nations, based on recognition of the historical connection between the Jewish People and Palestine, to reconstitute the national home of the Jewish People in that country. This is the last legally binding document regarding the ownership of this land. Obviously, the Palestinians also claim the land and Israel is ready to share it with them. Claims that this move will make reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians more difficult are misleading, as the prevailing situation is that there is no way today to make durable peace with our Palestinian neighbors. The Palestinians reject the "two states for two peoples" framework as long as one of these peoples is the Jewish People. Palestinian rejectionism is the reason the peace process is frozen and did not produce any agreement. In recent years Europe has been more committed to the Palestinian positions than many Arab states. Some Europeans lean towards the positions of Iran and Turkey rather than those of the pragmatic Arabs. This policy has emboldened the Palestinians and encouraged them to stick to their intransigence and has made a great contribution to preventing any chance of progress towards peace. The writer, former head of the research division in IDF Military Intelligence, is a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.