Photo ops cannot take the place of centuries of effort

 Photo ops cannot take the place of centuries of effort


Dr. Aaron Lerner


I have no doubt that by the end of the century, militant Islam will be 
defeated.


PM Netanyahu's Remarks to the President's Conference 21 June 2012


There’s a western fantasy that deeply embedded disputes between peoples can be resolved with the stroke of a pen and a handshake – preferably at a photo 
op on the White House lawn.


But that’s all it is.


A fantasy.


So it is refreshing to see Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu recognizing that the time frame in our neighborhood isn’t measured in days, years or even decades.


The Arab world today sees Israel as no more than a fleeting episode – like the Crusaders. And that “fleeting episode” was measured in centuries – not decades.


Do the math.


It is going to take many generations for us to prove that we have more staying power than the Crusaders had.


Sobering thought.


Then again, it is not as if the Jewish People had a cake walk surviving over the centuries in the Diaspora.


We persevered. And we can indeed persevere.


This is not a philosophical matter.


It is something that should serve as a basic underpinning to policy making.


First and foremost it means that the working assumption must be that, regardless of the text signed in some photo-op, that our neighbors do not actually accept our existence here and if they had the opportunity they would act to end it.


This working assumption, by the way, is what Israelis consistently tell pollsters.


For the sake of the very survival of the Jewish State, policy makers must apply this crucial working assumption when they analyze any prospective agreement, understanding or unilateral move.

http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=57183