Daily Alert Archives

The Palestinians' Confidence-Destroying Behavior

(Canadian Jewish News) Editorial - Every now and then, at regular intervals, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has demanded tangible displays of "confidence-building measures" from Israel. Occasionally, the government of Israel complies. It releases Palestinian prisoners, decreases the number of roadblocks, or increases trade, commercial or other permits for Palestinian businessmen, entrepreneurs and merchants. But the reverse has never happened. The Palestinians have seldom, if ever, extended any confidence-building measures toward the people of Israel. In fact, the Palestinian leadership regularly does the opposite. It diminishes the level of confidence that the "ordinary" Israeli yearns to feel toward them. Last week, we saw the latest dispiriting, confidence-destroying behavior. Following the precedent of the infamous Goldstone inquiry for which the PA clamored after Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza in 2008, the PA sought and obtained last Thursday from the UN Human Rights Council the establishment of an "independent international fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem." Like the discredited inquiry into Israel's conduct in the Gaza war, this latest UN inquiry of Israeli conduct will be a travesty to truth, a sick parody of real concern over human rights abuses around the world. As Israel's foreign ministry said: "Had the Palestinians wanted to solve the settlements issue, they would resume without delay a direct and unconditional negotiation on all core issues within the framework of a comprehensive agreement."
2012-03-30 00:00:00
Full Article