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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Why Rabin's Promise to Stop Settlements in Judea and Samaria Wasn't Kept

Nadene Goldfoot
Peace efforts from Israel were sincere from 1948, Israel's birth, and afterwards. 1967 saw Israel attacked by all the Arab states and to their shock, Israel won.  Israel accepted UN Resolution 242 calling for the Arabs to make peace, recognize Israel's right to exist and to negotiate with Israel to create "secure borders."  Then Israel would withdraw from some of the territory it had captured in the 67 War.  The Arab states rejected the formula in their Khartoum Resolution with its 3 NOs.  No Peace, No negotiations and NO recognition of the Jewish State.     

By September 13, 1993 Yitzhak Rabin spoke from the White House Lawn and said, " We, who have come from a land where parents bury their children...say to you today in a loud and clear voice:  Enough of blood and tears.  Enough." 

He shook hands with Yasser Arafat and both signed the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government arrangements (DoP).  This laid out gradual Israeli withdrawals from most of the Territories (Judea and Samaria) and grant self government to the Palestinians, with the PLO to stop all incitement and violence, dismantle terrorist groups and take out clauses in its Charter calling for the destruction of Israel.  They were to accept Israel's right to exist in peace as a Jewish State within secure borders. 

The Oslo Accords were in the making created with President Bill Clinton and MidEast Envoy Dennis Ross and promised to end decades of warfare to make the Palestinians, led by PLO chairman Yasser Arafat  happy in their aspirations as the West saw them and ensure Israel's security.  There were very difficult issues over Jerusalem, refugees, final borders, settlements and security that were to be negotiated later when Israel was assured that this enemy was sincere in renouncing violence and its goal of destroying Israel.  After all, their ideology was that armed stuggle was the only way to "liberate" Palestine.  They stated that the state was illegally created.  They disregarded all of the Jewish history of religious and historical ties with Palestine as it didn't fit their objectives.

At this time King Hussein of Jordan and Israel had many working arrangements, but Hussein didn't publicize them because the Arab states were pressuring him.  After the Oslo Accords were signed, they could publicly formalize their peaceful relations. 

May 4, 1994 was the date that the Palestinian authority (PA) was established to govern the Arabs in the Gaza-Jericho Agreement.  Israel turned over the job of administration to the Pa and withdrew from Jericho and the Gaza Strip.

July 1, 1994  was when Arafat was able to return with his PLO terrorist friends from their exile in Tunis and went to the Gaza Strip. 

October 14, 1994 saw Prime MinisterYitzhak Rabin, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat get the Nobel Peace Prize. 

September 28, 1995's Oslo II Agreement, Israel was scheduled to withdraw from Palestinian population centers, which would then be governed by the PA.  Judea-Samaria and Gaza were divided into Areas A, B and C.  A and B included Palestinian population centers.  Israel withdrew in December 1995.  This agreement also allowed a Palestinian police force of 30,000 men to keep order and control militant factions of which Israel was to provide arms for them.  The Palestinians agreed to keep their agreements and guarantee respect for Jewish holy sites in its territory. 

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated on November 4, 1995 by an Israeli extremist, Yigal Amir,  who was against any concessions to the Palestinians.  Shimon Peres then became Prime Minister. 

During Peres's period as Prime Minister, he attempted many times to dismantle new towns that had been recently built, but the population was very much against this.  Judea and Samaria were very important to our history and there were holy sites that needed protecting as well.  This along with non-stop violence from the Arabs seemed to distract from the need of dismantling at this time.  "Since Yasser Arafat "renounced" violence in the Oslo Peace Accords on September 13, 1993, at least 53 Americans have been murdered and at least another 83 Americans have been injured by Palestinian terrorism."

December 1995 Israel started a building project in eastern Jerusalem at Har Homa.  After all, 1967's attack on Israel by all the Arab states resulted in the Arab's defeat and Israel had united all of  Jerusalem, which had always been a Jewish capital.  Israel had been trying to make peace with the Arabs for 28 years and they had refused to sign anything.  Yet the UN's General Assembly, decidedly unsympathetic, passed Resolution 50/222 by a vote of 133 to 1, saying that Israel's sovereignty was null and void and wouldn't allow their diplomatic missions to move to Jerusalem.  Only Israel voted against this, with the USA being one of 13 nations that abstained.  Their excuse was that according to Oslo, Jerusalem was to be decided on in the final status. 

Yasser Arafat spoke to an Arab audience in Stockholm, Sweden on January 30, 1996, saying, "You understand that we plan to eliminate the State of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian State.  We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion...I have no use for Jews;  they are and remain Jews."  We now see that Arafat said one thing in English to Westerners but another to his Arab audience.  He had no intention of finally making peace with Israel.  It was just another stall.

April 1996 The Arabs did not keep their promise of peaceful behavior. Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon had been firing Katyusha rockets into northern Israel and hit a UN base in Qana, killing 100. Israel got blamed by the UN's General Assembly and demanded that Israel pay reparations and withdraw from all Lebanese territory. No remarks were ever made about the continuing Hezbollah aggression against Israel or the damage they had caused in northern Israel. This was pure anti-semitism. For all I know, it was a first where someone is attacked and then receives the blame.  I don't think Israel felt they were dealing with people who were dealing in good faith.  They were getting the shaft.  Final status was not attemped again till 2000. 

Resource: Booklet: Israel 101 produced by StandWithUs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yitzhak_Rabin
http://www.adl.org/international/Israel_un_1995_2000.asp?m_flipmode=5
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4162044,00.html
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/usvictims.html  Americans killed by terrorists
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Har_Homa

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