ISSUE 76
SPRING 2003
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The articles in this issue have been divided upinto the following categories

 

 

 

 

 

Comment


The Palestinian Intifada

A high-profile conference of political/military leaders met a year ago to discuss the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ehud Yaari of Channel Two TV News who opened the conference said that today's conflict is not an "Intifada" - a popular uprising - but a pre-meditated war; chapter two of the Palestinian war of independence. The aim is to create a hostile state for which the 1967 or even 1948 borders mean nothing. Palestinians today speak of reversing the results of 1948 and of absorbing Jordan.

The implications for Israel are obviously very dangerous. We finished up with a draw in the first Intifada. This time, a draw constitutes disaster. Israel must decisively win this round of conflict.

Zeev Schiff of Ha'aretz said that in order to win this war, which is a classic war of attrition, the IDF must shape up fast, and Israel will need to 'tighten its lines' of defence.

Professor Cohen noted that "the IDF was not built for a static war of defence. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Shaoul Mofaz repeatedly has said that Israel must win this war, and that means taking the initiative".

As for Schiff's call to 'tighten lines', a euphemism for the dismantling of isolated settlements, it was noted that this is a recipe for political suicide. To do so now, is to reward Palestinian terrorism with the biggest victory. Maj. Gen. Yaacov Amidror warned that the IDF would never be able to effectively protect Israeli civilians from Palestinian terrorism unless a long-term re-conquest of Areas A was undertaken.

The packed conference at Bar-Ilan University drew many senior military officers, foreign diplomats and students. It was co-sponsored by the IDF National Defence College, the Menahem Begin Heritage Centre and the Ministry of Education.

Naim Dangoor writes:

One year on, there appears to be no end to the crisis. The reason why the conflict continues is that the two sides are not playing the same game. The game that the Palestinians are playing is "winner takes all", whereas Israel's game is "winner takes half". There can be no meaningful score unless and until both sides play the same game. Since the Palestinians are not inclined to change their game, Israel must also play winner takes all.

As for the Palestinian plan of reclaiming Trans-Jordan that would bring us back to the situation prevailing in 1921 when Trans-Jordan was part of the Palestine Mandate but was spitefully hived off by the Foreign Office and given free of charge to Emir Abdullah. Thus, the correct partitioning of Palestine was lost, and today the right solution to the Arab-Jewish conflict still remains valid namely that Jordan is Palestine.

After solving the problem of Iraq, and a slightly enlarged Jordan should become the home of the Palestinians.

 



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