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Stop the terror, then let’s talk

By Danny Lamm - posted Wednesday, 17 June 2009


In 2005, Israel had no one with whom to negotiate. Israel withdrew unilaterally assuming that by undertaking a total withdrawal from the area the Palestinians would reply in kind, with steps towards peace. The assumption was sadly mistaken.

The impact upon the communities of southern Israel has been profound. The wail of sirens, giving people 15 seconds to run to bomb shelters, cuts through daily life with frightening frequency. Children have lived their whole lives in these conditions of threat and fear, and the psychological ramifications are intense.

The situation for Palestinians living in Gaza has also become dire since the disengagement. The terrorist Hamas organisation was elected to fill the leadership vacuum created by the ineffective and corrupt previous Palestinian administration led by Yasser Arafat and his successors in Fatah, the now so called moderate leadership of the West Bank Palestinians. This is the same Hamas, the covenant of which calls not only for the destruction of the State of Israel but also for the annihilation of Jews everywhere.

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The people of Gaza are suffering from the diversion of financial resources to the terror machinery, to the building of tunnels to smuggle arms instead of the building of infrastructure and to training terrorists instead of educating children.

One is left to wonder how different the outcome may have been had the Palestinian leadership in Gaza been more committed to the development of their own society, with thriving agriculture, economic sustainability and social services, rather than their unrelenting dedication to the destruction of Israel.

Territorial sacrifice is not new for Israel. In its search for peace, Israel has given the Sinai to Egypt, and has implemented a painful and ultimately fruitless withdrawal from Gaza. The discussions on territorial concessions in the West Bank are vigorous and indeed, the majority of Israelis believe that ultimately a two-state solution is the only way to achieve the peace they so desire.

The road map to peace has already been charted, and preconditions to the journey agreed. The first of these is that the Palestinians cease terror against Israelis. It would be nice to have them recognise Israel as a Jewish state, as prescribed by United Nations resolutions dating back to Resolution 181 which specifically refer to the creation of two independent states - one Arab and one Jewish.

Here’s the plan: stop the terror, then let’s talk.

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About the Author

Dr Danny Lamm has been President of the Zionist Council of Victoria since 2002.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Danny Lamm

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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