In an editorial entitled Keeping Palestinians Hopes Alive, the New York Times cites the reelection of Prime Minister Netanyahu as dealing a crushing blow to peace, an end to Palestinian hopes for an independent state. The only way forward is to freeze Israel out of the process.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dealt a grievous blow to a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, for baldly political reasons, the idea of two states living side by side in that region remains the best alternative to violent confrontation and should not be allowed to die.
But who has really dealt a “grievous blow to a negotiated peace agreement?” Has the Times forgotten the record of what really has been going on the last few years between Israel and the Palestinians? While claiming that it is Israel and Netanyahu who are to blame, they ignore the consistent, anti-peace actions of the Palestinian Authority over the years.
The PA has partnered with Hamas, a terror organization committed to Israel’s destruction. The PA has sought recognition for statehood at the United Nations and is joining dozens of international organizations. These moves have been criticized by the US as inconsistent with peace efforts.
There has also been no reduction in the glorification of terrorism and incitement against Israel by the PA.
A week before the Israeli elections, the PA dedicated a new monument to Dalal Mughrabi. Dalal Mughrabi’s claim to fame is that she led the most lethal terror attack in Israel’s history. She and other Fatah terrorists hijacked a bus on Israel’s Coastal Highway, killing 37 civilians, 12 of them children, and wounding over 70. Yet you can not find coverage of this event in the Times.
Does the Times really believe that actions such as these do not impact Palestinian hopes of statehood?
The most telling fact is that three times in the past few years (2000, 2001, and 2008) the Palestinians have been offered their own state. Each time they rejected the offer.
Yet rather than castigate the Palestinian Authority, the New York Times’ ire is focused on Netanyahu and Israel. The Times editorial board needs to ask itself who is really responsible for extinguishing Palestinian hopes for statehood.
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