The 90`s

I hope you're right; I don't want to be right

Note: Written by Howard Barbanel, Published Week of September 29th - October 5th, 1993

Benjamin Netanyahu: "We recall the terrible stupid example of Neville Chamberlain believing the solemn word of that pathological liar Adolf Hitler.  You trust the word of that liar Arafat, as if his word has any credit, as if his promises amount to anything, this person in whose word it is impossible to place any trust. Youthe government are much worse than Chamberlain, because he endangered the security and freedom of another people, another state, not his own."

On his deathbed Neville Chamberlain said that "everything would have been all right if only Hitler had kept his word."

In his book, Hitler's Diplomat, The Life and Times of Joachim von Ribbentrop, author John Weitz related the following: "Shortly before he returned to London, Chamberlain had asked Hitler, at the end of the meeting in the Fuhrer's private Munich apartment, to sign a note declaring that all future Anglo-German disputes would be resolved through peaceful negotiations.  Hitler shrugged and signed. It was this paper that Chamberlain triuphantly waved when he spole the famous phrase 'peace for our time.' Reinhard Spitzy, an aide to von Ribbentrop, reported that a short while after the agreements were concluded and the 'paper' was signed, he followed Hitler and Von Ribbentrop down the stairs the Fuhrerbau.  He was close enough to overhear them. Von Ribbentrop petulantly criticized the agreement and the special 'paper' for Chamberlain, whereupon Hitler said softly, 'Well, you don't have to take it so seriously. This paper is really of no great importance'."

An NBC-Wall Street Journal poll conducted the day following the Rabin-Arafat White House Handshake reveals that 60 percent of Americans polled still thought that the "prospects for peace working in the Middle East are slim." Additionally, 70 percent felt that U.S. tax dollars should not be spent to ensure the success of the Israel-PLO accord.  One cal only infer from that that the idea of American troops there wol be even less acceptable.

Israeli Cabinet Minister Yossi Sarid calls this agreement "Sovereignty Minus" for the Palestinian Arabs and having read the agreement (and wondering what the secret agreements are) one has to believe him.  Netanyahu commented on this in the Knesset: "What exactly is Autonomy Plus/Sovereignty Minus? You are giving them the lands, control over the lands - by the way, not only the private lands, but also state lands (accounting for 60 percent of total acreage in Judea and Samaria) - first to give them the state, to grant someone control over the lands is to grant them control over the state, because the state does not exist in the air, it is not suspended somewhere up above.  The most important and valuable asset of a state is its land … you are transferring states lands to them."

Additionally, the Israeli government is transferring all water rights to the PLO.  Judea and Samaria's watersheds account presently for 30 percent of Israel's total water supply.  In effect, Israel will now be purchasing water from Yasir Arafat.

Concerning Israeli army withdrawals from the territories, Netanyahu had this to say; "Fine, the IDF withdraws: Who takes their place? The Palestinian Police? They are Arafat's minions, Arafat selects and recruits them and authorizes them...the police are the PLO, the PLO terrorists! They will replace the IDF in the posts and emplacements from which the IDF will withdraw.  In fact, you are creating a Palestinian state, transporting the PLO headquarters from Tunisia to Jericho, 15 minutes from Jerusalem!"

To quote a right-wing friend of mine, "Shabtai Zvi was not the Messiah and this agreement is not necessarily the harbinger of peace."

If the opposition is correct and this leads ultimately to a PLO state, to increased terrorism and eventually to the next Arab-Israeli War - this war will cost tens of thousands of Jewish lives as the front lines  will invariably be in the Tel Aviv suburbs and fighting could be street-to-street, house-to-house and hand-to-hand.

As the agreement calls for internationally-supervised elections for a Palestinian legislature, this body will attain a great measure of legitimacy in the eyes of the world.  One wonders how long it will take this assembly to declare independence and sovereignty for Palestine and consequently how long will it take for 100 nations to recognize this entity and for 25 of them to open embassies in Jericho? Who will oppose this? Israel? If it does, Israel will then find itself again as the world's pariah- quashing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and engendering the world's wrath.  If Israel acquiesces, there will be a second Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria - the exact scenario that departed Laborites Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan found to be an anathema. In fact, I recall Golda's reaction when asked about the "Palestinian people." She replied, "there is no such thing!"

Final scenario - if this PLO state comes into existence in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, how long will it take the majority of Jordanians (who are Palestinians too) to say, "how come we have independence on the West Bank and now on the east?" The possibility of an aunschloss - a takeover of Jordan by the PLO state might not be unrealistic - thereby creating a Palestinian Arab state on both banks of the Jordan and boundaries much as existed between Israel and Jordan prior to 1967.

This is the bleak picture.  Over the past few weeks my colleagues and I have been, to borrow from popular music, tossing and turning, have been bewitched, bothered and bewildered.  The Arafat-Rabin handshake turned many a stomach. I find myself in an interesting situation: For the first time I have to hope that the opposition is wrong. Why? Because if the right is right and these horrible premonitions come true, many, many Jews will die and nobody wants that.  I told a close friend of mine who is a big Peace Now supporter (we have other things in common) that "I hope you're right - I don't want to be right."