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Will It Be Sadat or Arafat at Annapolis?

[Wall Street Journal] Kenneth J. Bialkin - Anwar Sadat faced the realities of the Egyptian economic, political and military condition and decided to go to Jerusalem. His message was "No More War" and he was received in Jerusalem in November 1977 by Menachem Begin with an open, fulsome and conciliatory response, leading to the Camp David Agreement in 1979 where the details of Sadat's message were implemented. It is time for the Arab world to engage in the same calculus as did Sadat and recognize that "No More War" is the only message that might give any promise of accomplishment to the Annapolis meeting. Israel should demand that as a predicate to its attendance at Annapolis, the Arab world must convincingly demonstrate that it accepts Israel's right to exist, forswears any intention to destroy the Jewish state, and agrees that Arab refugees from prior wars may return only to areas that will be included in the anticipated Palestinian state when it is permitted to emerge. Without those assurances, Israel should not accept a conference that might agree on abstract concessions that will only become the starting points of demands when future negotiations occur. Unless the Arab world and its acolytes and supporters accept an "end of conflict" to the Arab-Israel struggle, the status quo will not be altered.
2007-11-23 01:00:00
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