Israel Wants Territory - Not Peace

Most Americans think the government of Israel would like to have peace with the Palestinians, and the only thing that prevents that from happening is the refusal of Palestinians to recognize the right of Israel to exist. That was true back in the mid-1960s, but that was a long time ago and things have radically changed.

The fact is that most Palestinians already recognize the right of Israel to exist, and the rest (like Hamas) have said they are willing to negotiate that with the idea of a two-state solution. It is not the Palestinians that are standing in the way of negotiating a fair and lasting peace -- it is the Israelis. For years the Israelis have been building settlements in the West Bank (and in East Jerusalem) -- land that was not a part of Israel originally, and should rightfully be a part of an independent Palestinian state.

The chart above shows just how extensive the Israeli settlements have become (each blue dot on the map represents an illegal Israeli settlement -- and they continue to build new settlements). The Isrealis know that most of the rest of the world consider the building of these settlements to be against international law. They just don't care, and they have no intention of giving up any of these settlements in a peace negotiation.

Even the United States government has asked the Israelis to stop building new settlements on Palestinian land. But the Israelis know the U.S. is not willing to back up that request with action, so they ignore it. The longer they can put any peace talks off, the more land they can steal. As the map shows, there are only small parts of the West Bank that doesn't have Israeli settlements (and they may well be planning to take most of that land in coming years).

And why should they negotiate a peace? No one is willing to force them to do it, and the longer they can put it off the more land they can take for their own (and to hell with international law). It is to the advantage of these land-grabbers to put off peace negotiations as long as possible.

Right after World War II the Israelis had legitimate moral authority to create the nation of Israel and defend it against anyone who would deny them the right to exist. But that is not the situation anymore. None of the Arab nations in the area pose a real threat to Israel anymore. They would all like to see a two-state solution and a real peace. Israel has the strongest and most modern military in that part of the world, with the latest in military technology. They even have nuclear weapons. They are far from the weak victim they once were.

In fact, they are now the bullies. They have bottled the Palestinians up in what can only generously be called ghettos, and they are systematically stealing their land. And they get away with it by continuing to play the "victim" card. And most Americans are still buying that false and tired old argument.

Even many progressives still believe the Israeli victimhood argument. Rep. Anthony Weiner, who I normally agree with on most issues, can't seem to fathom the truth about Israel. He remarked the other night that there are no Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. That's ridiculous. Does he really believe there are no Israeli soldiers defending all the settlements shown on the map above (and the highways connecting those settlements)? Of course there are Israeli soldiers in the West Bank (and East Jerusalem) -- hundreds of them, and they have no intention of withdrawing them (or dismantling the settlements).

It is time for the American government (and the American people) to adjust their thinking to reflect the realities of the 21st century. Israel is no longer a victim, and they should be forced to the negotiating table (and made to stop building the illegal settlements).