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The Folly of Seeking an Imposed Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
(Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies-Bar-Ilan University) Col. (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman - The notion that an externally imposed solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is viable and ultimately in Israel's best interest is sheer folly. The Palestinians continue to glorify and reward violence and cling fervently to the hope that they can achieve statehood on their own terms, without conceding Israel's basic need for security, and without recognizing the reciprocal legitimacy of the two national movements. The Palestinians' refusal to accept Israel as the embodiment of the right of the Jewish people for national self-determination - indeed, their refusal to accept that there is a Jewish people - undermines what is certainly a basic requirement if peace agreements are to hold. By advocating coercive pressure on Israel, would-be "peacemakers" make peace impossible. The idea that an elected Israeli government should impose great pain on its own people for no reward and under foreign pressure is a fantasy. The writer is former deputy for foreign policy and international affairs at Israel's National Security Council.