John Howard continues to tell the Arab world to suck it up and accept reality:
THE Arab world must recognise Israel’s right to exist if the world is to ever live in peace, Prime Minister John Howard said today.
But he cautioned that Israel must accept the establishment of a Palestinian state if the region and the world is to move forward.
In a keynote speech to a security conference in Canberra today, Mr Howard also warned the United Nations must take a firm line with Iran over the country’s push to develop a nuclear capability if the international organisation was to reassert its credibility.
Mr Howard said that the aftermath of the war in Lebanon demanded that all nations refocus on lasting peace in the Middle East.
“There must be unconditional acceptance throughout the entire Arab world, without exception, of Israel’s right to exist in peace and security behind recognised borders,” he said.
“The entire Arab world – including Syria, Hizbollah and Hamas and in addition Iran – must give up forever the idea that the Israelis can be driven into the sea.”
Much of the Jewish world has long since accepted the reality of a palestinian state. Funny, isn’t it, how the Arab world never really tried to reciprocate, and that includes the palestinians themselves? You know, kind of like Hamas insisting they won’t accept any previous agreements the PA made with Israel because, well, gee—Hamas wants to see Israel utterly destroyed. (Psst—dudes—not. gonna. happen.)
The article aslo says, “But he cautioned that Israel must accept the establishment of a Palestinian state if the region and the world is to move forward.”
There’s always a “but,” isn’t there?
It’s funny, but getting through college with a history major, it always seemed to me that British lopped off 3/4 of ‘palestine’ and handed it to the arabs. Today it’s called the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
So why do the pallys whine so much? Oh that’s right; we Jews exist.
The situation might change for the better if Olmert grows a pair and says that the prisoner exchange ratio for Shalit and other captured Israelis will be the same as the population transfer ratio used for moving Jews and Arabs out of Gaza and the West Bank. The last exchange made public was for an Israeli businessman. If that ratio is followed, then for 10,000 Israelis moved out of Gaza, over 4 MILLION palestinian arabs should move out of Samaria and Judea.
chsw
Michael is of course right — there was a Palestinian state (then called Transjordan) decades before fulfillment of the League of Nations Mandate to create a Jewish state. But put that aside. We must after all maintain moral equivalence. Never mind that Israel has done everything up to and including attempted national suicide to try to facilitate the establishment of a second Palestinian state. Like the sign said at one demonstration – “Israel cares about Palestinian lives. Arab states don’t.”