Jews would live in a Palestinian Authority state for a very short time because they would end up being killed, Jewish Home party chairman Naftali Bennett warned Tuesday night in a speech at the Institute for National Security Studies Conference in Tel Aviv.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also addressed the conference, as did Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas through a video appearance.
Netanyahu in effect reminded U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of his own words – that any framework presented in the peace talks would be an American plan that does not commit Israel.
Most media, looking for something new in every word that is uttered by the players in the shaggy peace dog saga, try to turn every word into some new development. The major development is that another day has gone by before Kerry tries to save face and extend the ordeal for another round.
Netanyahu’s statement on Israel’s not having to accept the framework already has been billed as if he is playing hard ball, but the truth is that he simply stated what Kerry said weeks ago. Netanyahu emphasized the point just to make sure that no one forgets.
He again insisted that a Palestinian Authority state must be demilitarized, which is another way of telling Abbas to go jump in the Jordan.
Bennett, in his vision of the future of Judea and Samaria, provided the answer of what would happen if the Palestinian Authority were left to its own devices, especially if Jews were to try to live in a Palestinian state.
“Why Palestinians can’t rule over Jews?” he asked rhetorically. “Because they will kill them. And do you know how I know this? Because it has already happened” in the Arab pogrom against Hevron Jews in 1929 and the lynching of two Israeli soldiers in 2000 after they took a wrong turn and ended up in Ramallah.
Bennett proposed Israel’s annexing areas of Judea and Samaria where 400,000 Jews live. He said only 70,000 Arabs live in the same area, a number which is exaggeratedly low. In any case, Bennett says they could be given Israeli citizenship without any fear of a demographic threat to the existence of Israel as a Jewish state.
In his video speech, Abbas offered too little too late, withdrawing from his previous position that he would give Jews three months to leave a Palestinian state once it is agreed on.
Now he is willing to allow an Israeli presence there for three years, which is like telling Netanyahu to jump into the Jordan.
If both of them meet there, Kerry undoubtedly will bring them a life raft.
However, he does not understand that Abbas and Netanyahu know how to swim better and faster than the Secretary of State can talk.