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A Dispiriting Arab Response to Israel's Quest for Peace

[Financial Times-UK] E. Robert Goodkind - The Financial Times (Editorial, Jan. 22) correctly points out that "Israel has been sorely tested in the six decades since its foundation," but mistakenly blames Israel alone for the apparent lack of progress towards achieving a durable peace. The fundamental challenge Israelis continue to face is the adamant refusal of most Arab countries to recognize their country and negotiate peace agreements as did Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. Israel's consistent quest for peace and security has often been met by a dispiriting Arab response. For its complete transfer of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority in 2005, Israel was rewarded with the continuation of deadly rocket attacks on Sderot and other communities in Israel, as well as the election of Hamas, which has steadfastly blocked Mahmoud Abbas from pursuing peace negotiations. Similarly, Israel's complete withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 was rewarded with Hizbullah's massive arms build-up. On the day the two Israeli soldiers were captured by Hizbullah inside Israel, which triggered last summer's war, the terror group also began shelling Israel's north. While Israel has regularly extended its hands for peace, it has continually met the iron fists of Palestinian terror groups, and their patron in Tehran. That reality is the central lesson for all who truly desire peace in the Middle East. The writer is president of the American Jewish Committee.
2007-01-25 01:00:00
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