(JNS) Jonathan S. Tobin - U.S. President Joe Biden is pushing hard for the revival of a peace process that's been dead in the water for more than two decades, as well as for Israel to accept the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state alongside it. In theory, two states for two peoples coexisting in peace does sound ideal. But it's time for Biden and anyone who wants to advance a two-state solution to sober up about the Palestinians. As even the New York Times reported this week, in the aftermath of Oct. 7, the overwhelming majority of Israelis rejects any thought of a renewal of negotiations, let alone the imposition of a two-state solution. The Oslo Accords collapsed in the bloodshed of the Second Intifada, and remnants of those who advocated for more territorial retreats and Palestinian statehood are now completely discredited. As the Times noted, even people who considered themselves peace activists have finally drawn conclusions from a century of Palestinian hate and terrorism that culminated in the worst mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust. The fact that many of the victims of the Hamas pogroms living in the border communities were ardent peace advocates and yet were still murdered, raped and kidnapped by the Palestinians made a deep impression on the Israeli people. As the most recent polls conducted by Palestinian analysts show, more than 3/4 of Palestinians support the Oct. 7 attacks. The majority of Palestinians have always rejected peace and an independent state if it meant accepting the legitimacy of a Jewish state, irrespective of its borders. They share Hamas' goal of destroying Israel and slaughtering its people because their national identity is inextricably tied up with their century-old war on Zionism. Those who purport to be friends of the Jewish state must speak up and support the opinion of the overwhelming majority of Israelis. The choice is between Israeli security and Hamas' vision of endless war, which most Palestinians support. Anyone with even the most minimal knowledge of Palestinian politics knows that another two-state push will fail. If you care about preventing more Oct. 7 slaughter, then you need to respect the sensible desire of the Israelis to defend themselves and give up on fantasies about the Palestinians choosing peace.
2023-12-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive