ANNEX JUDEA AND SAMARIA: TED BELMAN….AMEN!!!
http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/11/annex_judea_and_samaria.html
By Ted Belman
When PM Salam Fayyad released his plan to “establish Palestine as an independent, democratic, progressive, and modern Arab state, with full sovereignty over its territory in the West Bank and Gaza, on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital” within two years, Israel took little notice of it.
When it recently became clear that he intended a “unilateral declaration of independence”, Israel took notice and said ‘If PA Declares State, Israel Will Annex Settlements’.
The PA also threatening to seek the formal endorsement of the UN, but the EU and the US have turned thumbs down on the issue.
So long as Israel controls the land it controls what happens there.
Alan Baker, writing for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, says such declaration Undermines the Legal Foundations of Israeli-Palestinian Diplomacy and “could set off a series of reactions — whether legal or political — that might create substantive, structural damage to the peace process.”
So far Israel has been adamantly against abrogating the Oslo Accords no matter what the provocation. After 15 years of trying to negotiate a deal, perhaps its time for Israel to do so. The PA’s unilateral declaration, should it happen, could be just the pretext, if pretext is needed.
Everyone knows that there is no diplomatic solution. Israel won’t make further compromises to those offered and the Arab have never compromised in 100 years. As a result of such impasse, the PA threatens a unilateral declaration and the EU and some in the US threaten an imposed solution. Israel also is contemplating unilateral action. What might that be?
It would involve annexing parts, if not all, of Judea and Samaria. No land would have to be conquered. Israel has already annexed Jerusalem and the Golan and could do the same for other settlements such as Ariel and Maaleh Adumin and perhaps the Jordan Valley. At a minimum it would signal that these settlements, like Jerusalem, are non-negotiable.
The next step would be to annex all of Areas “B” and “C” as delineated by the Oslo Accords. About 340,000 Arabs live in this area.. Area “A” with its 1.2 million Arabs would be dealt with thereafter assuming that it is not decided to do it all at once.
A number of years ago, Mike Wise published the Jewish One State Plan, hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”. I first endorsed it in 2005 in my article Israel From the Mediterranean to the Jordan and have written many times in support.
In Caroline Glick’s article, Obama’s failure, Netanyahu’s opportunity she introduces this Plan.
Israel should strike out on a new course and work toward the integration of Judea and Samaria, including its Palestinian population, into Israeli society. In the first instance, this will require the implementation of Israeli law in the Jordan Valley and the large settlement blocs.
She doesn’t fully, at least in this article, endorse the Plan. The Plan proposes that Israeli law be extended to all of Judea and Samaria as follows,
Annexation will provide a clear and well-defined status for West Bank Arabs. At the time of Annexation, the PA will no longer have a reason to exist and it and all terrorist infrastructures will be outlawed and dismantled. The PA and other terrorist organizations will be subject to Israel law and be dealt with in the same manner that all countries deal with internal subversive, treasonous and criminal organizations.
Although Glick wants to integrate all of Judea and Samaria, she only wants to extend Israeli law to the “Jordan Valley and the Settlement Blocks”.
The Plan further provides,
It is essential that the process and strategy of offering Israeli citizenship to West Bank Arabs must be very carefully planned, including its timing, demographic, geographic, historical and social factors. Citizenship will include all the benefits currently available to the citizens of Israel. [..] The responsibilities of citizenship will include a public oath of loyalty to the State of Israel. The procedures and the details of the citizenship offer will be determined as an internal matter by the State of Israel. Each country determines its own citizenship rules and there are many models ranging from extremes like Switzerland where citizenship is often not granted for several generations, and the extremely restrictive standards set by Islamic States to the more liberal standards applied by other countries. Since the process will be phased in over time, the possibility to adjust the procedures appropriately will be available as circumstances require.
The reason Glick excludes Area “A” is because of the 1.2 million Arabs living there. She and most Israelis don’t want to extend Israeli citizenship to them no matter what the terms. The Plan doesn’t see this as a problem that can’t be dealt with.
There are about 200,000 Arabs in Jerusalem who have been given blue cards which entitled them to work and vote in municipal elections. Some suggest that such cards, rather than citizenship, should ultimately be given to the Arabs in the annexed territories.
Jerusalem Summit, a Christian/Jewish think tank, in 2005 published Prof Martin Sherman’s article, Redefining the Palestinian Problem which proposed an humanitarian solution rather than a political one. This proposal involves resettling the refugees elsewhere and offering financial inducement to Arabs living in Judea and Samaria to emigrate.
Denmark recently announced, Denmark to pay immigrants $20,000 to go home if they “can’t or won’t” assimilate
France is doing likewise. So should Israel.
Caroline Glick supports Netanyahu’s “economic peace”. Prof. Paul Eidelberg disagrees because they “succumb to the wishful thinking of crypto-Marxists and capitalists who think there is an economic solution to human conflict, including religious conflicts.” Many agree with Eidelberg.
One consequence of bettering their economic lot would be that Arabs would immigrate to this area rather than emigrate from it. The reverse of what Israel wants. But that is not what Eidelberg is concerned with. He wants to deal with reality and not fantasy. Therefore the problem must be solved in a different way.
Today, the focus of the Middle East players is Iran. The creation of Palestine is of little concern.
Assuming no diplomatic solution will be forthcoming for the creation of Palestine, Israel will begin to make moves, probably after Iran is dealt with, to incorporate Judea and Samaria unilaterally. The key questions in so doing will involve whether to extend Israel law to Areas “C”and “B” only or to all of Judea and Samaria and whether to give blue cards or citizenship based on significant requirements.
The peace process has brought death and destruction and not brought us closer to peace.
Time for new approach.
Ted Belman edits Israpundit.
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