Can Palestinian police keep their own peace? Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
It’s never good when a rally—after peace talks are announced—is to oppose the negotiations, but that’s what happened in the West Bank on Sunday. Even more troubling is that the protest was organized by a Palestinian political/terror group that could indicate a more serious battle on the horizon. Peace talks leading to violence is a little incongruous, wouldn’t you say?
But the Ma’an News Agency reported that that’s exactly what happened as hundreds of Palestinian protesters clashed with Palestinian police. Seven people, four of them police officers, were injured in the official report—but a prisoner’s organization claimed dozens of protesters were hurt. Even a Palestinian legislator was attacked by a police officer. Yikes.
The march was put together by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist group that holds some political power in the Palestinian scene. Not much power, mind you, but it serves as a bleak reminder that there are many players in the Palestinian world—and few, if any, actually want peace.
The reality is that peace talks may not bring any peace at all. Even during negotiations, Palestinian-inspired violence could spike in the region—which is bad for you.
Israel-Palestinian conflict often serves as a rally cry for Israel-haters everywhere, which can lead to increased anti-Semitism and violence in other countries. And who can forget that oil markets don’t like conflict in the Middle East?
Recall that the last time the sides actually sat down to talk peace, Palestinian terrorists launched multiple attacks on Israelis to derail the negotiations. And that’s in the supposedly moderate West Bank. In Gaza, where the Hamas terrorists rule supreme, it’s far worse. Now, considering that the Palestinians want to hold a public vote on any deal, do you really think that will pass? Hmm…
Israeli Public to Decide
Still, the public deserves a say, and Israel took the first step in that direction Sunday. An Israeli press release announced that the cabinet approved plans to put any final deal to a public referendum.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted by the press statement as saying,
“Any settlement, should one be achieved in the negotiations, will be submitted to a referendum. It is important that every citizen have a direct vote on fateful decisions such as these that will determine the future of the state.”
Considering the likelihood that a peace deal could:
- Involve the withdrawal from territory and the demolition of Israeli homes to give the land to the Palestinians,
- Include the division of the capital of Jerusalem between the sides and put Jewish neighborhoods in awkward Israeli-owned enclaves surrounded by Palestinian areas, and
- Include the release of murderous Palestinian terrorists and risk rocket and other terror attacks from a newly formed Palestinian state…
Then yeah, I guess giving the Israeli public a say is the least the government can do. By the way, Israeli media are reporting that despite all that, 55 percent of Israelis support some type of peace deal with the Palestinians. Now that’s an interesting contrast to the violent Palestinian protest opposing the return to talks.
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, July 28, 2013)