Kerry's Reviving 2002 Peace Plan-Deplorable

Nadene Goldfoot
 Back to the 1967 lines is all Kerry can come up with .  The long dormant plan of 2002 would be slightly modified by Kerry.  How has not been explained.   This is a plan which Saudi  Arabia introduced and the 22-member Arab League had endorsed.  It goes against everything that spells out security for Israel.  Israel never went for the plan and the Palestinians want nothing changed in it which most likely spells doom for Israel.  According to the Oregonian newspaper, the" basic parameters seem to be gaining traction as a framework for future talks between the Israelis and Palestinians."   This makes my heart sink as I think of watching and listening to Netanyahu explain to Obama just why going back to the 67 lines is unthinkable for Israel today.

 How can Kerry have the audacity to come up with this?  This includes providing Israel with recognition throughout the Arab world  This should be a given. It also asks for the pullout from territory taken in 1967.   If the Arabs can't accept Israel's creation through the UN as a legal state with rights, then they do not plan to follow any of the rules and regulations.  Obviously the explanation that Netanyahu gave on public TV went in and out of the Democratic party's ears without any understanding at all.

Let's look at what was going on in 1967.  The Arabs objectives were solidified after the war at the Khartoum Summit Conference in August 1967.  Arab leaders laid down 4 principles:
1. No peace with Israel
2. No negotiations with Israel
3. No recognition of Israel
4. Insistence on the rights of Palestinian people in their "own country." (which is fallacious).  There never was a country of Palestine.

Their main goal has been directed towards bringing about the withdrawal of Israel to the pre-1967 lines by every means other than negotiations with Israel.  What the Arab States have used since 1967 have not brought them any closer to their objective of forcing upon Israel a decision which is not acceptable to it until today with Kerry approaching with this impossible 11 year old plot that the Arabs like.  This would say, "It's okay to attack Israel as we will lose nothing by it as the world stands behind us."

As former Major-General, then President Chaim Herzog wrote, "Israel's belief that the war had come to an end and that peace would now reign along the borders was soon dispelled.".  It only took 3 weeks after the conclusion of hostilities, the first major incident happened on the Suez Canal.

 The Great Powers have pressured Israel but Israel insists that this should be solved directly between the 2 sides and that an imposed settlement is no solution of it.  #3 Recognition does not guarantee erasing numbers 1,2,and 4, either.  Israel wants and expects  "a just and lasting peace in which everyone can live in security.  Using 242  written on 22 November 1967 calls for the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the conflict.  So where's the protection for Israel if this comes about?  According to their word, they aim to destroy Israel.  The Arab Governments and their supporters interpret the resolution as requiring a complete Israeli withdrawal.  UN Mediator, Ambassador Jarring, submitted a proposal that Israel should withdraw to "the former international boundary between Egypt and the British Mandated territories of Palestine.  His mission came to a halt in February 1971 with this proposal.

In 1968, Israel's population was 2,841,100, so was a little less in 1967. Iraqi  President Abdur Rahman Aref stated:  "The existence of Israel is an error which must be rectified.  This is our opportunity to wipe out the ignominy which has been with us since 1948.  Our goal is clear:  to wipe Israel off the map."  June 4th was the day Israel faced down Iraq, Egypt, Jordan and Syria.   It faced in 1967 the Arab forces 250,000 troops (nearly half in Sinai), more than 2,000 tanks and 700 aircraft which formed a ring around Israel.  Jordan's Hussein was told that if he stayed out of the fight he would not be attacked unless he initiated hostilities, but he ordered the shelling of West Jerusalem.  Syrian and Iraqi troops attacked Israel's northern frontier.  In a week,  Israel was in a position to march on Cairo, Damascus and Amman.  A cease-fire was invoked on June 10th.

The United States could do nothing.  They couldn't stop Nasser or the other Arab states.  The war began on June 5th and the State Department announced:  "Our position is neutral in thought, word and deed."  To top it off, Johnson imposed an arms embargo on France, who was Israel's arms supplier.  At the same time, the Soviets were supplying massive amounts of arms to the Arabs.  The armies of Kuwait, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq were adding their troops and arms to the Egyptian-Syrian-Jordanian fronts.  When the war ended in 6 days, President Johnson said, "Certainly, troops must be withdrawn; but there must also be recognized rights of national life, progress in solving the refugee problem, freedom of innocent maritime passage, limitation of the arms race and respect for political independence and territorial integrity.  Who supplies the most weapons to Egypt today when it is under the government of the Muslim Brotherhood?  The USA.

Kerry is going along with 242 pretty much which requires Israel's total, unconditional withdrawal from the "occupied" territories", of which Israel isn't occupying Gaza or Judea and Samaria, unless withdrawal means to force Israelis to leave their cities and homes in Judea and Samaria.  I ask Kerry then, why is it that Israel  doesn't ask Arabs to leave Israel?  Why can't Jews stay in Judea and Samaria if they so wish?  What's fair for the goose is fair also for the gander.  Yet Arafat, in accepting 242 and 338, inserted his clarification of his 3 principals;
1. A Palestinian State
2. Self-determination
3. The right of return.

The Likud position at that time, with Benjamin Begin as speaker, said that by giving up the Sinai, they did withdraw from 91% of the territories and thereby fulfilled its obligation under 242.  The question asks if Israel has to give up territory it still holds and Begin thought a compromise was possible.  The position that Israel must withdraw from all the territories is inconsistent with resolution 242.  Since then, Israel withdrew from Gaza in the name of peace all its Israeli occupants much to the shock and awe of Israel since it has become a shooting center upon southern Israel.  Yet all the people who are pushing Israel to withdraw to the 67 lines did nothing about the attacks; no outcry, no complaining in the UN, no meetings or punishments.  The attacks  have been the heaviest since 2005 till today.

Resource:  Oregonian Newspaper page A5, News update:  Mideast peace efforts, by AP.
Myths and Facts, a concise record of the Arab-Israeli conflict by Mitchell G. Bard and Joel Himelfarb page 52-70 Six Day War
Facts About Israel, Division of Information, Ministry for foreign affairs, Jerusalem,  page 46-49

The True Facts About East Jerusalem

Nadene Goldfoot

In 1967 Israel won the war that was an attack from all the surrounding Arab countries and in doing so gained East Jerusalem that had been in Jordanian hands illegally.

The climate before this happened was full of lies about Jews and Israel as if working up to a pitch to produce fanatical soldiers against the fledgling state.  In 1962 Egypt's goverment reprinted an old text on the blood libel against Jews, "Talmudic Human Sacrifices"  for use in their schools.  Abdel Qati Jalal gave it an update saying that "the Talmud believes that the Jews are made of different material from the rest of mankind, those who do not share the beliefs of the Jews being animals devoid of sense or they are servants and chattels of the Jews.

The lies went on. "Their wise men laid it down that there is no law but their own desire."   It goes on to repeat many a story of other blood libels in history in which they seem to present truth to the children.  They also used the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion".  This was taught to Arab teenagers as a factual work, the Jewish admission of the conspiracy to dominate the world.  So the avenging army was all worked up against Jews.  With this horrible attitude being rejuvinated again, it is a miracle that Israel won.  What lying propaganda was used by the Nazis was again in vogue in Arab countries. 

In the war of 1948, the Arab League was under Abdallah, and with British guidance, they captured the eastern part of Jerusalem including the Old City.  so, by 1967 the previous 19 years Jerusalem had been under Jordanian rule.   They had tried to obliterate the Jewish presence and all signs of Jewish identity.  They had destroyed all the synagogues.  The Hurvah was the most famous.  There an Arab put in a small stable for his ass or goat.  There had been an ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives looking over the Old City.  They tore this up and used some of the tombstones for paving and some for lavatory seats in the Jordanian army camps.  Then all of a sudden they decided to show an attachment for Jerusalem.  They went about manufacturing facts to deceive themselves which resulted in their public passion for something not even in their Koran.  Because it was an important place to the Jews, this gave them cause to also declare it theirs as well. 

After the Israelis captured the Old City in 1967, they found that hundreds of squatters had made their homes in the district.  Civil engineers cleared the ruins to rebuild the quarter after offering compensaton or alternate housing to these squatters.  This happened because during Jordanian rule, the Old City was was badly neglected.  East Jerusalem lacked the most basic services as steady water supply, plumbing and electricity.  Reunification with the rest of Jerusalem, making it one city again, meant that such services were now extended into East Jerusalem as well. 

With 1967's freeing East Jerusalem, it came a whole city of freedom and friendship.  People could now move freely throughout all the city and had free access to the holy sites of Judaism, Christianity and Islam for anyone in the world.  It became administered fairly thanks to Teddy Kollek and his administration.  This was said by C.Witton Davies, Archdeacon of Christ Church in Oxford, England in 1979. 

By April 1990, the USA's House of Representatives debated a resolution declaring Jerusalem the undivided capital of Israel.  Bill Emerson praised the record of Israel's government.  Dante Fascell said that "since Israel gained control of the Old City in 1967, it has been open to worshippers of all faiths".  Even Jimmy Carter said that religious freedom had been enhanced under Israeli rule.  He noted they did a better job than Jordan.  So what happened?  Why did the USA deny that Jerusalem, all of it, was Israel's capital?  Why is the USA embassy not there?  This is because of American policy being that the final status of the city is a matter for negotiation.  A consulate is located in East Jerusalem to handle matters relating to the Palestinians living in the territories of Judea and Samaria.  Otherwise, they have their embassy in Tel Aviv. 

In 1990 Congress declared that "Jerusalem is and should remain the capital of the State of Israel" and "must remain the capital of the State of Israel" and "must remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected."  George Bush declared, "We did not approve of the status quo before 1967; in no way do we advocate a return to it now."  Secretary of State James Baker stated, "clearly, Jews and others can live where they want, east or west, and the city must remain undivided."

The UN Resolution 242 came up with the statement that East Jerusalem is considered "occupied territory."  though Israel annexed it, this violates the UN resolution.  I note that Jordan had illegally occupied East Jerusalem.  In fact, all of Jordan was originally meant to become Israel in the beginning of British decisions. 

Arthur Goldberg, a drafter of this 242, has said that it in no way refers to Jerusalem.  He told the UN in 1967 that the armistice lines of 1948 were intended to be temporary.  This was particularly true of Jerusalem.  At no time in these many speeches did he refer to East Jerusalem as "occupied territory." 

After 1948 the UN voted calling for internationalisation of Jerusalem.  Then they dropped the matter until Israel gained control of the whole city.  For 19 years the UN ignored Jordan's occupation of the eastern part of the city but adoped numerous resolutions criticizing Israel for altering the status of their once ancient capital, Jerusalem.  The UN clearly does not see matters the way the United States does.  They do have many Arab states involved in their decisions which alters their thinking. 

And now we have our present USA government causing a heart attack to Israel in talking about going back to 1967 lines and renegotiating.  I do wish they would bone up on facts concerning Jerusalem.  Jerusalem was the ancient capital of Israel, deemed  so by King David in 1010 BCE,  and Jews have been living there for more than 3,000 years.  They have been the largest single group of people there since the 1840's.  It contains the Western Wall of the Temple, the holiest site in Judaism.  To Jews, the whole city is sacred.  It never was a capital under Muslim rule, or a cultural center.  The only part they consider holy is the Dome of the Rock.  The rest of the city is insignificant.  Under Israeli rule, all Muslims can visit the Dome. 

In 1844 there were 7,120 Jews,  5,000 Muslims and 3,390 Christians living there.  In 1990 there were 378,200 Jews, 131,800 Muslims and 14,400 Christians. 

For 3,000 years Jews pray 3 times a day "to Jerusalem, thy city, shall we return with joy."  "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning."  No, we wish to remain with all of Jerusalem.  "Jews have loved her the most and have remained constant in that love throughout the centuries of their dispersion.  It is the longest, deepest love affair in history."

The group calling themselves "Palestinians" plan to have all of Jerusalem as their capital of their future state, and may have plans to start with East Jerusalem, again forcing all Jews out of their future lands of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem (all ancient Jewish territory) .  Only because Jerusalem means so very much to Jews do they covet it.  With a Lebanese chairman in the UN to hear their cause in September, we will see what happens to Jerusalem. 

Update: Russia, and several European countries, are strongly against any Jewish presence in all of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and also are not enthusiastic about Israel's being recognized as a “Jewish state.”  I'm not surprised as Russia banned Judaism in Russia.  They are against religion, period.  The Arabs are refusing to have the same status as the Vatican. 

Reference:  Battleground: Fact and Fantasy in Palestine by Samuel Katz

Myths and Facts; a concise record of the Arab-Israeli conflict, by Mitchell G. Bard and Joel Himelfarb

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Jerusalem1.html

Arutz Sheva Newspaper