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It is Time for Israel to Prove that They Strive for Peace
The concept of nations of the world gathering to discuss pressing issues important to individual countries and to ensure peace and security around the globe has proven useful since the United Nations began. One part of the world that is always a source of enmity is the Middle East, and after the so-called Arab Spring brought new leadership and burgeoning democracies in countries like Egypt and Libya, it is Israel and the threat of a nuclear Iran that are the biggest hurdles to peace in the region. It is safe to say that few nations are enamored with the thought of a nuclear Iran, and the world has expressed their displeasure with crippling economic sanctions that, by all accounts, are having a devastating effect on the Iranian people and the nation’s economy. It is unfortunate, but Israel does not seem to trust that sanctions are sufficient to dissuade the Iranian leadership from pursuing an atomic weapon, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his call for America to draw a line that, if crossed by Iran, will bring about a military strike to stop Iran’s nuclear program.
Netanyahu’s speech is his latest attempt to force President Obama to set “red lines” on Iran’s nuclear program, and thus far the Obama Administration has resisted Netanyahu’s commandment and still believes sanctions can pressure Iran to change course. The Israeli leader used a cartoonish drawing of a bomb to demonstrate how close, in his estimation, Iran was to constructing a nuclear device, and he said, “I believe that faced with a clear red line, Iran will back down. And this will give more time for sanctions and diplomacy to convince Iran to dismantle its nuclear weapons program altogether.” According to Netanyahu, setting a line will make war less likely and he warned that “it’s the failure to set red lines that invites aggression.” He did, however, acknowledge that American-backed sanctions have crippled Iran and had a devastating effect on their economy, but that they have not stopped their nuclear program. Regardless his recognition the sanctions are effective, he still gave the impression that the threat of a military strike was the only option available to stop Iran’s nuclear program they claim is for peaceful purposes.
What Netanyahu did not acknowledge is that a military strike will affect America more than Israel and drag this country into another, more dangerous, Middle East war. If Israel makes a unilateral strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Islamic Republic will strike American bases in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as American warships in the region prompting a response from American forces as retribution for killing Americans. America already pays a heavy financial price to be Israel’s ally, so it is selfish for Netanyahu to demand more from America in lives and resources for their reluctance to allow sanctions to work.
Netanyahu’s saber-rattling is nothing new, and it fits with his support for Willard Romney and his neo-con advisors as he runs for the presidency. Romney accuses President Obama of being too hard on Israel and not hard enough on Iran, and responded to Netanyahu’s remarks saying, “I, like the rest of the American people, applaud the bravery of the people of Israel and stand with them in these dangerous times.” Romney also promised that if he is president, “I’d get on the phone to my friend Bibi Netanyahu and say, ‘Would it help if I said this? What would you like me to say and do?” Netanyahu has already said what he wants America to do, and it is attack Iran, and it contradicts the rest of his speech to the United Nations.
The Israeli leader extolled the virtues of ancient Jewish traditions and said the Jewish people “have been at the forefront of the efforts to expand liberty, promote equality, and advance human rights.” He cited the words of Jewish prophets Isaiah, Amos, and Jeremiah and said his people heed their exhortations to “treat all with dignity and compassion, to pursue justice, cherish life, and to pray and strive for peace. These are the timeless values of my people, and these are the Jewish people’s greatest gifts to mankind.” It is unfortunate that those timeless values and great gifts have not been extended to Palestinians who, like Israel, deserve a homeland that is safe from occupying forces and expanding settlements.
Although there are cultural and religious differences that keep Israel and Iran, and many other Arab countries, from enjoying peace, it is Israel’s refusal to work for a two-state solution that is a major cause of enmity between Arabs and the state of Israel. Despite negotiations to bring a final settlement to give Palestinians a homeland, 60% of the West Bank is under full Israeli control and they persist in displacing Palestinians, and in effect, preventing them from living with “dignity and compassion or to cherish life and strive for peace.” The current Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and former Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, said they had been on the verge of a sweeping deal that would have brought a two-state solution when Olmert was replaced by Netanyahu in 2008 that seems to have ended any chance of a final settlement, and an easing of tensions between Israel and the rest of the Arab world.
There is no doubt whatsoever that a nuclear Iran is a danger to the region, or that America will always defend Israel. However, Netanyahu is disingenuous in threatening to attack Iran over development of a nuclear weapon when Israel has a nuclear arsenal of its own. The Israelis are fearful Iran will develop a nuclear weapon, but Iranians know Israel has a nuclear arsenal, and Israel could help themselves by alleviating tensions if they would just work to give Palestinians what the world provided for the Jews; a homeland.
It is time for Israel to prove they “treat all with dignity and compassion and strive for peace” instead of threatening to strike Iran or continue displacing Palestinians. The Iranians claim their nuclear ambitions are for peaceful purposes, and although they have threatened the state of Israel, it may be that they see no other solution to a nuclear-armed enemy that cannot extend to Palestinians what the world provided to them. America provides for 21% of Israel’s defense budget, and promises to defend them against aggression regardless if they launch a unilateral pre-emptive strike or not, and it is time for Israel to give something in return; not to America, but to the Palestinian people and maybe, just maybe, it will ease tensions in the Arab world and give Iran pause that Israel truly does “treat all with dignity and compassion;” because the alternative is certainly another Middle East war that Americans will fight, die, and pay for that seems destined to be America’s greatest gift to the Israeli people.
Image: occupiedpalestine
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14 Responses to It is Time for Israel to Prove that They Strive for Peace
Shiva (Moderator)
Sep. 28th, 2012 at 9:31 pm
I am not interested in what Netanyahu has to say. Neither is most of Israel.
I am less concerned with Iran than I am with Israel. Israels history has been nothing but war. They are no example of being the chosen people.
But understand I am talking about the leadership, not the every day Israeli.
Israel does not want peace with anyone. They want strife to keep that US money coming in. More money please. We are the victim.
I say withdraw every penny we send them until they show they prove they want peace
robyn ryan
Sep. 28th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
At least stop selling/pushing arms in the region. We’re the reason they are all armed to the teeth.
Aggie61
Sep. 28th, 2012 at 10:33 pm
The two previous writers clearly know nothing about the true Israeli situation or history.
Israel should give away land as soon as the USA gives the land back to the American Indians, the Spanish, the Mexicans, and the English.
What would you do if gangs came into your neighborhood to kill and bomb at will?
Sometimes people sit in judgement without a clue. Unless they are bigots and really don’t care about the facts…..at all
Shiva (Moderator)
Sep. 29th, 2012 at 1:00 am
Israel is little different that Palestine. Israel has proven it doesnt want peace just to keep getting our money. Your comment the US about giving land back is meaningless. You obviously know nothing of Israeli history and how they came to be where they are.
Dont set yourself up as ms know it all.
Stephen Randolph
Sep. 28th, 2012 at 11:35 pm
I am still looking for evidence that Iran wants a bomb or nuclear weapon of any sort. We have no proof of that and without that shouldn’t even impose sanction. while I totally support Israels’ Right as a nation to peacefully exist. I too must support the rights of the Palestinian people to have the same rights to their own nation. I believe most people in both camps want and deserve a peaceful existence. everyone knows continued hostility will never produce that peace for either.
L D
Sep. 29th, 2012 at 10:47 am
Ahmadinejad repeatedly demonizes and openly calls for Israel’s destruction at every opportunity. Most notoriously stated that Israel “must be wiped off the map.” Islamists are the most violent people on the planet. They hate America and any other civilized nation. Take a look at the violence the perpetrate worldwide every day of the year -
www.thereligionofpeace.co...
Shiva (Moderator)
Sep. 29th, 2012 at 10:59 am
And yet several country’s in the Middle East have said the same thing as Iran. Which of them in modern times has tried to do anything about it? Do you actually believe that Iran will subject itself to complete destruction in order to get rid of Israel?
Foxtrotsky
Sep. 29th, 2012 at 11:57 am
Let’s set the record straight here: First of all, the world did NOT provide the Jews a homeland, as stated in the article. The Jews forced the British out and took control of their own land for the first time in many centuries.
Secondly, why is it that Israel always seems to get the blame for EVERYTHING that goes wrong in the Middle East? Nobody ever asks the Arab League states to end their declared state of war with Israel; nobody seems to think there’s anything wrong with the media (in many cases state- owned or -controlled) in Muslim nations spewing hatred, slander and threats of destruction and death against Israel around the clock. No, it’s only the Jewish state that’s EVER expected to make any concessions to secure peace- the kind of concessions that would make their country indefensible, and GUARANTEE an attack by their neighbors.
Lastly, and most importantly: THERE ARE NO PALESTINIANS! Go look back before June of 1967, and see if you can find even one single reference to “Palestinians” in the press of the day. You won’t, because those people at the time were (correctly and accurately) referred to as Egyptians or Jordanians. The myth of a displaced Palestinian nation was invented by Arab League propagandists, to drum up Western sympathy for their true goal of wiping the Jewish state off the map and slaughtering every single person therein (go read the Arab/Islamist press if you think I’m overdramatizing), and it has succeeded beyond the most extravagant dreams of Goebbels or Limbaugh. Let it be noted that Egypt and Jordan have flatly refused to take back the occupied territories, because to do so would deprive the Arab/Islamist states of the one, solitary claim to legitimacy that their bloodthirsty leadership can still claim before the world.
Once agin: Don’t take my word for, OR the Islamist’s- go look it up. NOBODY has an excuse for believing their lies and propaganda any longer.
Shiva (Moderator)
Sep. 29th, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Roman Syria Palaestina
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pal...
Your argument doesnt fly. Looking for a word doesnt mean there were no people. This argument is old weak and ridiculous.
The Jews forced Britain out? LOL!
Following the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly on 29 November 1947, recommending the adoption and implementation of the United Nations partition plan of Mandatory Palestine, on 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization[8] and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, a state independent upon the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine, 15th May, 1948
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isr...
Take your silliness someplace where you can get away with it.
Foxtrotsky
Sep. 29th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
If I’m reading you correctly, you seem to be asserting that the use of the word “Palestine” equals a legitimate claim to nationhood for the “Palestinians”. In fact, no such claims were made by anybody, anywhere, until the Israelis took over Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip. This is an easily verifiable fact, and playing petty semantic games won’t make it otherwise.
As for my observation that the Jews forced the British out- similarly, your typing “LOL” doesn’t constitute an effective counterargument. Palmach and Haganah conducted very effective guerilla warfare against a badly weakened and financially strapped British Empire, until Whitehall decided that, in the interest of preseving their future relations with the Arab states (who by that time were ALREADY calling for the extermination of all the Jews who’d managed to survive Hitler)they’d be better off just pulling out and hauling ass, AFTER making certain that the Arab Legion, based in Jordan, had the best modern armaments available to eradicate the inchoate Jewish State. Didn’t quite work out for the Arab thugs, then or later.
Lastly, sir or madam, and as is always the way with apologists for the Arab states, you simply ignore my claim that all of the Arab/Islamist states ought to formally end hostilities with Israel, recognize her right to exist, and open normal diplomatic relations with her, as a minimum precondition to final peace negotiations regarding the rights of the Arab minority within Israel’s borders. Do you deny that Israel has offered, time and again, to enter into peace talks with any state that will do so, and that their offers have been repeatedly spurned? If so, you are either a liar, or are so poorly informed that you oughtn’t be speaking up in public at all.
Shalom, either way.
Shiva (Moderator)
Sep. 29th, 2012 at 8:33 pm
You are not reading me right. You stated there was no mention of Palestine before a certain point in time and I proved you wrong. The Romans called the area Palestina long before your claims. There ARE palestinians.
Number 2, and this is a big one, I am not an arab apologist. I blame both sides equally for the issues there.
Once again you were proven wrong and continue to be wrong by the fact the UN gave the land to Israel, Not Britain.
You never made the claim that the Arab states should drop the silliness that Israel should not exist. But I agree with that. Every country has to drop that claim that Israel shouldnt have the right to exist. I fully believe they do. I just do not think for an instant that Israel wants peace.
Israel has never once entered into any negotiations with the intent of achieving peace. I doubt Palestine has either. However if there was peace in the middle east, Israel would lose billions in our funding. Think about it.
Stuff your shalom. Its about as sincere as an Israeli peace negotiation. And about as sincere as the way the Palestinians are treated in Israel. Israel needs to learn that for every action there is a reaction. Create a blockaide and you will get bombs.
Tim
Sep. 29th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Mr Netanyahu, how about we put a red line on your little problem. Thirty years is long enough to get your shlt together.
Pelonsito
Sep. 30th, 2012 at 12:53 pm
I’m a progressive person and it makes me crazy how the republicans ignore facts to vote against their own interests, but in the Israel topic the left is acting like republicans by ignoring the facts.
just look at the past few years of history, the Muslems states with the exception of Turkey have been the most ruthless , primitive , violent, against not only Israel but against themselves (Syria, Lybia, etc) aginst woman , against progress against the rest of civilized world.
In contrast granted that the Israelis are abnoxious they are a progressive country in which woman and gays are equal, and have contributed despite being only seven million more in science, medicine, culture than all the Arab states together.
Like golda Marie said, the day that the Arabs will love more their children than they hate ours peace will be accomplished….
D G
Sep. 30th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
To the apologist/excuse-maker for islamist atrocities, another of your easy to disprove untruths regards Israel and peace negotiations. Egypt–Israel (1979) and Jordan–Israel (1994) treaties by themself disprove your false claims. What about The Oslo Accords and the Camp David 2000 summit negotiations?? The Rogers peace plan and the Saddat initiative (1970-1972)??? There is no masking the violent blood thirsty habits of the islamists with any number of lies. It only works on their own people who are too ignorant to learn the truth. They keep falling for the homegrown propaganda.