Hillel Fendel
Arab-affairs expert Prof. Mordechai Kedar of Bar Ilan University says Israel would be "clearly suicidal" in enabling a Palestinian state, in light of the revolutionary fever sweeping the Arab world. In the latest edition of his weekly column entitled "Middle Eastern Insights," Kedar writes that given the calls in Egypt to abrogate its peace treaty with Israel, and the shakiness of even the Jordanian regime, Israel cannot afford to consider entering into a process that would lead to the formation of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria. This is especially true, he adds, now that "we already have a terror state in Gaza that torments Israel with rockets and missiles made there or smuggled from Iran.
No Guarantees
"There is no country in the world that can guarantee that the Arab League commitment to recognize Israel will be honored by a new Palestinian state," Kedar warns, "particularly if it is again taken over by Hamas through elections as in January 2006 or a military coup as in June 2007."
Kedar states that if the Arab League "wants to persuade Israel to accept the API [Arab Peace Initiative], it must treat Israel as a negotiating partner and engage in serious discussions of conditions for peace… But the words of [diplomatic adviser to Saudi King Abdullah] Mohammad Al Zulfa, spoken to the Arab nation, point to a different outcome: the Saudis and the Arab summit have no intention save the defeat of Israel without a fight, by means of false premises that harbor no commitment to real implementation."
In short, Kedar says, Israel must not enter into negotiations at this point, and it and the world "must wait patiently until the smoke clears."
(IsraelNationalNews.com)
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