Thursday, February 02, 2006

Hamas Victory Has Brought Moment of Truth

by Ed Koch

The great Israeli statesman, Abba Eban, once said about the Palestinians that they “have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” He was so right.

At Camp David in July 2002, Yasir Arafat rejected then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s offer of Palestinian statehood in more than 90 percent of the West Bank and in Gaza with Jerusalem serving as a joint Israeli-Palestinian capital. That offer was viewed by most Israelis and many supporters of Israel around the world as far too generous. It is an offer that should have been accepted and, in all probability, will never be made again and shouldn’t. . .

The charter of Hamas says of historic Palestine “no one can renounce it or part of it, or abandon it or part of it.” That charter calls for “rais[ing] the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.” The Times’ analysis reports “[The charter] calls for the elimination of Israel and Jews from Islamic holy land and portrays the Jews as evil…It describes the struggle against the Jews as a religious obligation for every Muslim.”

What are the options for the Israelis? One would be to join with those who say that Hamas doesn’t really mean it. The apologists cite the corruption of Fatah as an excuse for Hamas’ win in a democratic election and claim that Hamas will moderate over time, as it adjusts to governing.

That’s what many Jews and Christians in Germany and elsewhere said of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. In those days, while trying to accommodate Hitler, apologists cited the Versailles treaty and its onerous provisions for reparations as excuses for the electoral success of Hitler who came to power lawfully in a democratic election.

The question is, will there be appeasement and a return to the era of Neville Chamberlain, or will the nations of the world stand up to the Islamic terrorists and defeat them, as Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt did the Nazis and Japanese. (Read it all)
Related:
1. What you might not know about The "Palestinians": Video Clips
2. "Hamastan"- and Bush's Post 911 Speech

2 comments:

John Sobieski said...

Koch has always been the unpredictable Democrat. One of the few who calls terrorism as he sees it.

tempo dulu said...
This comment has been removed by the author.