Israel: Going its own Way

This past week with the swearing in of the so-called unity government, two sides of the Palestinian coin were joined together in maniacal matrimony. With an unrepentant charter sworn to annihilation of not only Israel but world Jewry, Hamas and the equally corrupt and hateful Fatah have ratified their reconciliation agreed to this past April. So at least for the time being -- and I can’t stress this point enough -- there has been an anschluss between these bitter foes who happen to hate each other almost as much as they do Jews. But what else is new -- this isn’t really shocking news. The maneuver is just another pointless alteration in a never- ending Palestinian Arab attempt at weakening Israel politically with the goal of one day destroying her militarily.

Appealing to the U.S., EU, and others for legitimacy, both terrorist factions agreed that the Hamas contingent comprising the joint make-up of 17 Cabinet members would be comprised of non-political “technocrats.” Fresh off such massive successes as curtailing Assad’s use of poison gas; the Iranian nuclear talks; and the annexation of the Crimea, the Europeans had no problem recognizing this new terrorist, Jew-hating government. On Monday, literally moments before most world leaders applauded this union, the Guardian printed the following article: “Israel strikes Gaza and Syria in Response to Rocket Attacks.” So in other words, there is no abatement of attacks upon Israel -- but now Fatah, the “good terrorists” can keep professing peace in the diplomatic halls of Europe while pursuing jihad aligned with the “bad terrorists” Hamas. Not surprisingly, none of this seems to matter to the EU or the UN. "We welcome... the declaration by President Abbas that this new government is committed to the principle of the two state solution based on the 1967 borders, to the recognition of Israel's legitimate right to exist," a EU statement read. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Tuesday the announcement of a Palestinian unity government between Fatah and Hamas. And the U.S.? Once again successfully employing the tactic of deflecting one scandal by engaging in another, Obama, fresh off a litany of severe faux pas, refuses to cut off aid to the new “government.” This past Monday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki echoed the EU mantra: “the U.S. would judge the new government between Fatah and Hamas by its actions, including its commitment to nonviolence and recognition of Israel.” A lion will make friends with a zebra before this happens. Irrespective of the circumstances, our intrepid leader never fears contravening the U.S. Constitution when in pursuit of a pet policy. And he’s clearly in violation of U.S. law on this one. American law bans funding to Hamas-backed governments stretching back to the 2006 Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act. Recent language from the 2012 appropriations bill restricts aid from going “to Hamas or any entity effectively controlled by Hamas, any power-sharing government of which Hamas is a member, or that results from an agreement with Hamas and over which Hamas exercises undue influence.” With growing bipartisan incredulity to this merger, a battle between Congress and the administration over continued financial aid is already in full swing. On Wednesday, Rep. Iieana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), author of the 2006 Anti-Terrorism Act, called for an immediate suspension of U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority, stating, “the 2006 law, passed after Hamas won that year's legislative elections, prohibits support for a Hamas-controlled Palestinian Authority." Across the aisle, Nita Lowey (D-NY) a strong supporter of President Obama, stated that the Palestinian move "jeopardizes US assistance." So where does all this leave Israel? To some, including this writer, certainly no worse off than before. The marriage of Hamas and the PA, accepted as a legitimate entity by the world body, should be final proof to the Israeli people that pursuing a “two state solution” is folly. No amount of concession, no acquiescence of land will ever satiate a Hamas/Fatah appetite. For that matter, nothing short of total capitulation by Israel does will satisfy a Europe enmeshed in re-emergent anti-Semitism either. Given Obama’s glaringly inept handling of foreign affairs, Israel is now making unilateral moves not seen in nearly six years. This past Sunday, in response to the Fatah-Hamas move, Israel approved construction of 3,000 new housing units beyond the Green Line. Just months ago, in the midst of the John Kerry “peace talk” obsession, it’s highly unlikely they would have done so. It appears that statements such as, “Israel is our friend, our strong ally.” made by Kerry this past week in Lebanon are beginning to ring hollow to Israeli policymakers. Other moves are afoot indicating a definite shift in Israeli foreign policy. This week, at the urging of Israeli Economy Minister, Naftali Bennett, the Israeli security cabinet is considering annexation of parts of Judea/Samaria currently in dispute. As expected, the drone of protest from the usual cast of characters has begun. Effusive in their praise of an emergent terrorist government, the Europeans saved their ire for Israel today following the announcement of an additional 1466 new housing starts. A spokesperson from the EU issued the following statement: "We are deeply disappointed that the Israeli Land Administration has published new tenders for 1,466 housing units in settlements in east Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank," the statement read. "This move is unhelpful to peace efforts." Peace efforts? Are we missing something here? Buying into the Abbas canard that the interim government is comprised of “technocrats”, the statement went on: "We call on the Israeli authorities to reverse this decision and to direct all their efforts towards an early resumption of the peace talks." As if in the real world the onus should be on Israel. Some might question why the EU didn’t first ask the new unity government to renounce the Hamas Charter of 1988 which calls for the destruction of Israel and the killing of all Jews within. At the Lebanon conference, Kerry went on to say: "We are going to be watching (the government) very closely, as we said from day one, to absolutely ensure that it upholds each of those things it has talked about and that it doesn't cross the line.” It makes you wonder if it’s the same line Obama drew for Assad earlier this year. In the face of such absurdity, a feckless administration, and a biased Europe reminiscent of the 30s, it may be incumbent on Israel go on the offensive, shake off the shackles imposed upon it, and conduct its own foreign policy.