A new Knesset forms in Israel

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The Words You Can’t Bear to Hear

There is a new Knesset sitting in Jerusalem and soon there will a new government running our lives. We have also found out today that Barack Obama, the most powerful man in the world, will soon be arriving in the Middle East, presumably to ensure that there is some kind of dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Without an election to worry about Obama can afford to be a great deal more robust in his dealings with his erstwhile ally and our Prime Minister than he has been previously and by all accounts that is saying something.

At this time of uncertainty we would do well to rid ourselves of some unfortunate myths that seem to have slithered their way into our consciousness over the years. I have been aided in this respect by the nominee for the Academy Award for best documentary; The Gatekeepers. There is something incredibly shocking about hearing every living former head of Israel’s internal intelligence service, the Shin Beth, saying exactly the same thing, namely that staying in the West Bank has been a catastrophe for Israel on a military, strategic, moral and counter terror level.

Hearing them describe killing terrorists and in one case giving the order to murder two terrorists while already in custody leaves one with the feeling that these men who have shouldered the burden of defending us from the shadows know what they are talking about. Perhaps that might be obvious to some but since there are so many who are fighting with every breath in their bodies against the advice offered freely, not just by the former bosses of the Shin Beth but also by the Mossad and the military, it is worth exploding a few myths that we have become accustomed to believing.

Sounds roughly correct. When people don't have a legitimate option, they will choose an illegitimate one. Despite what cynics might tell you, having the moral high ground is actually very important. Offer the Palestinians a legitimate option, and they will either accept it or become the "bad guys".

But the first option of both Palestinian factions is to wipe out Israel and the Jews in the Middle East (and Hamas wants to kill all Jews in the world). It's in their Charters, it's what they teach their kids every day (both Fatah and Hamas make almost religious use of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as the basis for their religious teachings about Israel and Jews) and it is what their TV programmes show all the time.

How do you bring about a permanent peaceful settlement with people like that?

Stop stealing their land.