.....An Israeli settlement freeze, and a Palestinian incitement freeze The world calls on Israel to implement a settlement freeze. But do you ever hear the world call on the Palestinians to implement an incitement freeze? ....On changes in Hamas Hamas are changing. But they are not moderating. They are just re-aligning their extremism. .... On Israel's "bunker mentality" Israel is accused of having a "bunker mentality" by commentators sitting in New York, London and Berlin. How would these commentators react if they were living in the line of fire of ballistic missiles from Iran, Katyusha rockets from Hamas, 50,000 rockets from Hizbollah, an Islamist earthquake in Egypt, and the collapse of heavily-armed Syria? They might not build a bunker.... but they'd for sure be looking for some strong sandbags .... On Israeli and Palestinian records on human rights When Israel violates Palestinian human rights, there is a global outcry. When Palestinians violate Palestinian human rights, there is global silence. It's that imbalance which blocks a two-state solution. And it helps to ensure that Palestinian intransigence persists ..... Israel "destroys trust", but what about Palestinian ideology? The world says that Israeli settlements "destroy trust". Do international diplomats ever say that the Palestinian refusal to recognise israel as a Jewish state "destroys trust"? Or that the Palestinian demand for a full right of return into Israel "destroys trust"? Or that the Palestinian demand that no Jew live in the West Bank in the future "destroys trust"? Never. While the world is completely pre-occupied with Israel's settlements, they seem oblivious to the ideologies which block peace on the Palestinian side. .... Settlement 'facts on the ground'; Palestinian 'demons in the mind' Through its settlements, Israel is accused of creating 'facts on the ground'. But through incitement against Israel in mainstream Palestinian culture and education, the Palestinians are creating 'demons in the mind'. 'Facts on the ground' have been removed by Israel. But 'demons in the mind' could last for generations .... Israel's "sabre-rattling" over Iran Israel is accused of "sabre-rattling" over Iran. In fact, Israel has been patiently warning of Iran's growing nuclear ambitions since 2002, ten years ago. That is a very long rattle. .... Uncritical support for Israel, or informed understanding? No-one can ask people to accept whatever Israel does. But Israel is entitled to expect informed understanding. And if you are going to criticise, make the criticism informed criticism, and criticism with context and with perspective …. On building a Palestinian state You cannot build a Palestinian state by demonising the Jewish one …. How peace-seeking diplomats turn a blind eye to rejectionist Palestinian ideologies In the 1990s peace-seeking governments supported the Palestinian Authority and turned a blind eye to its financial corruption. The result was disastrous. In 2011 peace-seeking governments are supporting the Palestinian Authority. But this time they are turning a blind eye to its ideological corruption. The dangers are just as great….. …. Why the Palestinians don’t yet have a state of their own The Palestinians don’t yet have an independent country. But that’s not because of Israeli attitudes towards a Palestinian state. It’s because of Palestinian attitudes towards the Jewish state ….. On how the Palestinian claim for a ‘right of return’ contradicts peace Palestinian moderates say they support peace and a two-state solution. But in the next breath they demand a ‘right of return’ for Palestinians into Israel. This is like a person announcing that he believes in smoke-free zones, and then demanding the right to smoke in it for himself and all his friends ….. Who is responsible for the security fence? The security fence is not the inevitable outcome of Israeli policy. It is the inevitable outcome of Palestinian policy .... on the mainstream Palestinian 'rejection of violence' ….. On how the Palestinian Arabs became refugees The refugee problem was not caused by the creation of Israel. It was primarily caused by the Arab world’s violent rejection of the creation of Israel …. On the harm caused by Palestinian schoolbooks negating Israel Palestinian schoolbooks often incite hatred towards Israel and spread the belief that the Israelis are foreign colonialists. There are few better indications of the attitudes of a society than the topics which are taught to that society’s schoolchildren…. .... on the Palestinian moderates' desire for a two-state solution … On Hamas and the concept of a Jewish state … Hamas is not opposed to the
existence of a Jewish state. It’s just that, in the words
of their former leader Sheikh Yassin, they favour a Jewish state
in Europe, not in the Middle East…. .... on Israel's influence in the Arab world It is not Israel which hinders democratic development in the Arab world. It is the demonisation of Israel which hinders that development.... Israel is a scapegoat for democratic failure, not the reason for that failure …. On Yasser Arafat as a “fighter for freedom” Yasser Arafat did not “personify the Palestinians’ fight for freedom”. Quite the opposite, he personified the failure of their fight for freedom
Yasser Arafat did not “keep alive Palestinian hopes”: far from it, he repeatedly destroyed the foundations for hope
…The Palestinians do not enjoy national rights today, not because the Jewish people created Israel, but because the Palestinians themselves rejected Israel…
The struggle between Israel and the Palestinians is not about Israeli security versus Palestinian human rights. It is about Palestinian human rights against Israeli human rights – the basic human right of Israelis to life.
Palestinian terrorists do not distinguish
between Israeli civilians inside Israel and those beyond the
Green Line. They are all targets for deliberate attack. It is
those terrorists who determine the route of the security fence,
not Israel. …. on ending the occupation It is not the Israelis who refused
to end the West Bank occupation in 2000-1, but the Palestinian
leadership. It is not the occupation which has
caused the Palestinian violence, but the Palestinian violence
which has prolonged the West Bank occupation. The Palestinian suicide bombers are struggling not for the freedom of Palestine, but for the destruction of Israel. They do not oppose the occupation but the idea of a Palestinian state living side by side with a secure Israel. Israeli Arabs are in greater danger
from Palestinian suicide bombers than they are from Israel’s
armed forces. The suicide bombing campaign is not
based on despair, but based on the manipulation of despair by
groups who cynically plan mass murder. The election and re-election of Ariel Sharon are not the cause of the Palestinian violence, but the result of it. … on Israel 's security fence Israel 's security fence is not the
inevitable result of Israeli policies, but the inevitable result
of Palestinian policies. Palestinian violence is the cause
of Israel’s military measures, not the result of those
measures. Far from achieving self-rule for the Palestinians, terrorism has provoked Israel into re-occupying the towns from which it withdrew in the 1990s. Israel is not an eager occupier,
but a reluctant re-occupier. The Palestinian right of return, if exercised without limit, would result not in a two-state solution but a one-state solution – no Jewish State of Israel. If the Palestinians do not compromise on the right of return, peace will be impossible to achieve. The ‘right to return' is presented as a formula for “absolute justice”. In fact the ‘right of return' is a formula for absolute stalemate and conflict without end. … on the USA and Israel The USA is not “biased towards Israel ” at the UN. It opposes bias against Israel at the UN….
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