A-crap-olis

So a lot of people have been asking me what my thoughts are on the Annapolis "peace" meeting that took place a few days ago.

Here's my short answer:

From Palestinian Media Watch (see story here: http://www.pmw.org.il/): "Just a day after Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the Annapolis peace conference pledged to negotiate a peace treaty by the end of 2008, an information clip produced by the Palestinian Authority Central Bureau of Statistics and rebroadcast today on Mahmoud Abbas-controlled Palestinian television, shows a map in which Israel is painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag, symbolizing Israel turned into a Palestinian state."

This, my friends, is why there will be no peace anytime soon. "Peace" as we understand it in the States and the West, is very different from what "peace" means in the Arab world.

Now, I want peace as much as anyone, and am willing to make painful concessions to reach it. But how can you negotiate with people who don't think you should exist? In essence you're not negotiating peace. You're negotiating the terms of your own destruction. And correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like the opposite of peace.

That's why I'm not convinced the whole Annapolis thing is gonna work. The Palestinians have some legitimate concerns and they should be brought to the table. But, in the grand scheme of things, those are small logistical issues. Occupation, security fences, water, etc...Those are all things that can get solved in a few days. No question about it.

The real question is: Can the Arabs handle the fact that Israel is a Jewish nation? Why don't we ask Saeb Erekat, the chief negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organization:

Asked by The Jerusalem Post whether he recognizes that the Jewish nation has historic rights here, Erekat said: "Israel has rights in the Middle East and the majority of Israelis are Jews. And when we recognized Israel, we recognized the composition of the state." Erekat had told an Arabic satellite TV interviewer earlier this week that the Palestinian Authority "will never acknowledge Israel's Jewish identity."

-The Jerusalem Post, November 16, 2007 (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1195127517597&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull)

Lesson: don't be fooled by the whole "it's the occupation" BS. The occupation should end and can end tomorrow if that were truly the fundamental issue. The reason there's no peace today is clear. Just listen to its enemies...

-Erik