The silence of the Knesset opposition stems in part from a lack of correct understanding of the situation and in part from acquiescence in the reality. The irresolution of the Yesha Council, which also stems from lack of understanding of the situation, reflects internal disarray, the desire to minimize the damage, and the attempt to prevent panic among the public. The only one who openly speaks the truth is Arafat, who constantly proclaims the "expulsion of all settler-criminals from our land," most recently in the Fatah conference in Gaza in June of this year.
It must be kept in mind that even if one agreement or another between Israel and the Palestinians is signed, the value of the Arab signature, if it is not backed by the power of enforcement on Israel's part, is nil. The Arabs have violated and continue to violate daily most of the stipulations of the Oslo agreements, yet Israel continues to accede to their demands one after another. To accelerate the process of Israeli surrender, the Arabs use threats of war or acts of terror. The question of whether Israel has the capacity to enforce the implementation of the agreement is a secondary issue. The fact remains that Israel has tolerated continual Arab violations without any effective response. Therefore, one must beware the trap of agreements that serve wishful thinking and self-deception. And one must bear in mind Shimon Peres' assertion that "the number of agreements that have been signed in the Middle East by the Arabs is exactly the same as the number of agreements that have been violated."
The fate of Yesha is stipulated in the "Oslo agreements", which define the Palestinian Authority's geographic scope as encompassing all of the territories of Yesha. Item 4 provides that "Jurisdiction of the [Palestinian] Council will cover West Bank and Gaza Strip territory, except for issues that will be negotiated in the permanent status negotiations. The two sides view the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a single territorial unit, whose integrity will be preserved during the interim period." The elaboration of this item states that the issues of Jerusalem, settlements, and military bases will be discussed in the "final settlement". One need not be exceptionally intelligent to understand that in any "final settlement" (which the Arabs regularly refer to as the "final solution") the settlements will turn into islands within a sovereign Arab authority.
To remove any doubt about the matter, it is already stipulated in the Oslo agreement that the borders of the Palestinian entity will be determined according to UN Resolution 242. As is evident from its withdrawal to the international border with Egypt and with Jordan and its readiness to withdraw even beyond the armistice lines in setting its border with Syria, the Israeli government has accepted, de facto if not de jure, the Arab interpretation of this resolution. These precedents also will be applied to the borders with the Palestinian state--not only because that is what is clearly written in the Oslo agreements, but also because Israel has neither the desire nor the political capacity to cope with the annexation of
Arafat recently called for the "expulsion of all settler-criminals from our land."
Thus, at one point or another, Israel will find itself back at the pre-Six Day War borders. The talks on this issue with the Palestinian Authority are nothing but a smokescreen for this process, which essentially amounts to preparing the public for what Yitzhak Rabin called "difficult and painful decisions." Indeed, since the talks on the Oslo agreements began, Israel has been in constant retreat. What was presented last night as a red line is crossed by tomorrow, what yesterday appeared as a national catastrophe quickly changes, by brainwashing, into a national consensus. And on and on.
The Jordan Valley, as the line of defense to
the east, was supposed to remain in Israel's hands no
matter what; the Jordan Valley has been abandoned.
Jerusalem was supposed to remain undivided; yet its de
facto division is proceeding daily and, in a short time, this
division will receive official authorization. The
Golan Heights, first in their entirety, then in part, and finally
[(Continued on p.4)]
August-September 2000 - 3 - Outpost