The perils of the peace industry

The perils of the peace industry




Dror Eydar




For quite some time, former Foreign Ministry director general Alon Liel has called for peace with Syria with his one-man organization. This organization is part of the peace industry that has sprung up alongside the familiar industry of lies. A quick look at Syria now indicates how firm Liel's grasp on reality is.


Now his bizarre political stance is also emerging: The same man who headed the Foreign Ministry and served as an Israeli ambassador to South Africa is now encouraging a boycott on products made in "occupied Palestinian territory" because "settlements are a violation of international law." He even hinted that Israel was an apartheid state — where of all places? In a South African newspaper. That's great! The peace industry wants to undermine Israel's industry.


Liel has an original take on why the peace process is dying — it is not because of the terror and the suicide attacks, but rather because Israel's desire for peace was "myopic." He wrote that "this hope belittled the sense of outrage Arabs felt about what they considered a foreign intrusion." Oh, now we understand why rockets are being fired from Gaza into southern Israel. Whew, I feel better. Silly me, I thought that the myopia stemmed from Israel's irresponsible policy of bringing Palestinian terror gangs into the land west of the Jordan River, and hoping that they would ensure our safety. This stupid mistake was wrapped in media euphoria and international support until it blew up in our faces. The Palestinians proved time and time again that they are not interested in peace, because it would force them to recognize the Jews' right to a part of the historical Land of Israel, and that is not acceptable to the Arabs.


Now Liel is calling on South Africans to boycott Israeli goods made in "occupied Palestinian territory," hoping that the world forces Israel to do what the Left has failed to achieve democratically. Excuse me, but who did we occupy the territory from? As far as I can recall, no ancient Palestinian coins have been discovered in the ground anywhere around here. There is a dispute over the land, and Israel is claiming its right to it. In stark contrast with Liel's claims, international law does not preclude Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. The best legal minds, in Israel and around the world, have shown this.


Apartheid? How long will people continue to spread this lie? The only apartheid around here is the fact that Jews aren't allowed to enter certain places or use certain roads. Currently, 97 percent of the Palestinians are in full control of their lives, in education, economy, foreign relations, culture and more. The only thing that remains under Israeli control is the military, but nobody wants a Hamas state on the Samarian hills, a stone's throw from Ben-Gurion International Airport. The last 20 years have taught us that when it comes to these things you can't trust the Palestinians, nor can you trust Liel and his friends.


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