Israel - Dancing with the Wrong Partners

It has been a whirlwind week for the Israeli Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet and Knesset. It seemed to be one piece of good information after another and superstar after superstar making appearances and promising to make appearances. From Tony Blair to Condi Rice, there seems to be a well worn path to the Middle East and envoys of every shape and size trying to get a piece of that Nobel Peace Prize, if and when there is finally a two-state solution. However, like a young man surrounded by beautiful women, it seems Israel is dancing with everyone, except the person they have to come home with.

Tony Blair entered Jerusalem with such a fanfare that I expected to see the palm leaves and an ass (I won't go there). It seemed like such great fanfare for a man who is only supposed to be building institutions. There is no doubt the Israeli's love Tony, a man who has assisted in destabilizing the region for the benefit of the Zionist government in Israel. He has been instrumental in assisting in blocking UN resolutions against Israeli aggressions in both Beit Hanoun and in the second Lebanese war. However, there isn't a wall being built through Tony's house and there is no occupation of London, and no one is going through the cities of England and abducting citizens, so all the parading around and looking pretty is nice, but Tony can't sign a peace deal.

Condi Rice will also be visiting the region for the first time since March. With the $30 billion dollar military aid deal that the US just signed with Israel, jumping the amount of military assistance given to Israel to well over 4 billion dollars a year. Prime Minister Ohlmert was dancing in the streets when he got the confirmation last week at the White House that they would be able to continue to thumb their noses at UN resolutions, rulings by the International Court of Justice, and the Israeli military even ignores rulings from its own Supreme Court. The parties will be happening when Condi gets to town, but, there is no wall through the state department, no occupation of Washington, citizens from Baltimore to Los Angeles are not abducted and never seen again, and there are no targeted assassinations in San Francisco, so all the parading around and looking pretty is nice, but Condi can't sign a peace deal.

Now the latest celebration is in response to the fact that the Saudi's "might" sit at the same table with Israel at a Middle East Peace Conference. The Israeli government is drooling, lustfully leering at the possibility of talking about a peace deal with the Saudi's. The Israeli's claim that a peace deal with Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, would help cement a relationship between the Jewish world and the Islamic world. I think they envision it will be some kind of a nirvana of peace and love and understanding. However, a couple things to consider, the Saudi monarchy are fighting for their own existence in an increasing hostile environment. Israel and Saudi Arabia have never been at war and never fought over any land, water, ideology or anything else. And Saudi Arabia doesn't have any influence over the enemies of Israel, either real or imagined. So, there are no walls through Mecca, no occupation of Medina, and people in the deserts of Saudi Arabia are not abducted or assassinated by f-16's and helicopter gunships. But just like the peace deal Israel signed with Jordan, and like the peace deal Israel signed with Egypt, a peace deal with Saudi Arabia does not guarantee peace in Israel.

Peace has always been at Israel's hands. Since 1948, UN resolutions told Israel not to deport Palestinian, but they did anyway. The International Court of Justice told them not to build the wall, but they did anyway. The UN, International Law and the ICJ told them not to settle land they occupied, but they did it anyway. Had Israel listened to everything the world told them, there would be nothing to settle, no negotiations, there would be no reason to fight. Now Israel is saying these are the final status negotiations, but there are no final status negotiations. Abide by the UN resolutions, abide by International Laws, abide by the International Court of Justice and there is nothing to negotiate, and you will have peace. But instead, Israel continues to attack, abduct and assassinate.

Today in Palestine, the wall continues to be built, the olive groves continue to be destroyed, last night the West Bank was, once again, turned into an abduction zone, a zone of threats and retaliation by Israeli forces. Numerous Palestinian civilians, like the other 12,000 Palestinian civilians before them, will be locked up in Israeli prisons, many without trials, lawyers, or any form of justice. While Tony, Condi, and King Saud dance with Israel, Palestinian homes are being demolished, more land stolen and more settlements expanded. Israel shows by its actions, not by its words what its true intentions are, and they think that more money, more weapons, more Arab friends, and more land will bring them peace. However, if Israel wants peace, they are dancing with the wrong partners.