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Why the Palestinians Keep Killing

(Commentary) Jonathan S. Tobin - In an interview with Israel's Channel 10, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas admitted that in 2008 he flatly rejected an offer of statehood from Israel that would have given him control of almost all the West Bank and a share of Jerusalem as well as Gaza. This is the first time he has owned up to the truth about what happened during the negotiations that took place during the last months of the Bush administration. It also undermines the premise of Israel's critics who claim its policies are the obstacle to peace in the Middle East. We're constantly told, both by voices in the mainstream media and the Obama administration, that if only Israel would offer the Palestinians a state of their own, then the current surge in Palestinian terrorism would not be happening. But what if Israel had already offered the Palestinians the state their apologists say would be the solution to all of the region's problems? Well, actually they have. Several times. If the lack of a state was the problem, Abbas saying yes could have solved it in 2008. Abbas knew that he could not sign any document that would recognize the legitimacy of a Jewish state no matter where its borders would be drawn. The killing continues, not because the Israelis haven't tried, but because the Palestinians don't want peace. Just like Hamas, Abbas thinks all of Israel, not just the West Bank and Jerusalem, are occupied territory. Those who are interested in the truth can no longer claim there is any doubt about who rejected peace.
2015-11-20 00:00:00
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