Mat Staver: The Oslo Accords Made Things Worse for Israel
When President Obama directed the U.S. Ambassador to Israel to allow a U.N. committee to pass an anti-Israel resolution, he betrayed Israel and America. Secretary of State John Kerry made matters worse when he ranted for over an hour against Israel.
Obama’s anti-Israel rhetoric in the final days of his presidency is not surprising, since we have known his support for Israel has never been strong. The two-state idea for a lasting peace is a fallacy. It is a failed experiment. There can be no lasting solution for peace until the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government in Gaza recognize Israel’s right to exist.
Most people do not realize there are two competing factions of Muslim Arabs in Israel. Mahmood Abbas is the figurehead for the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah. He was booted out of Gaza when Hamas took control of the government. Hamas is a recognized terrorist organization. Neither group has authority over the other. Neither the PA nor Hamas in Gaza has a mandate from the people they represent to negotiate peace with Israel. Neither group acknowledges Israel’s right to exist. Both groups want all of Israel and want to exile all Jews from the land. There can never be a two-state solution under these circumstances.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton hosted Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin and Palestinian Liberation Organization negotiator Mahmood Abbas for the signing of the Oslo Accords. The following year, the Israeli and Palestinian signers received the Nobel Peace Prize. The Oslo Accords created the PA and transferred control of certain Palestinian populated areas to the organization. The Israeli Defense Forces and security began to phase out of Gaza and later from Bethlehem. But, instead of securing peace, the Oslo Accords have worsened the situation. Gaza is now controlled by Hamas and continues to launch missiles into Israel. Jews, Christians and even Arab Muslims are not safe in Gaza, from which Jews and Christians have fled. Many Jews and Christians have also fled Bethlehem. Entering Bethlehem, Jews are confronted with a sign warning them not to enter.
The best way to fail in the future is to continue the same failed policies of the past. When the Hamas government encourages Arab Muslim children to become suicide bombers, and when their children are taught that Jews are pigs or the Satan, there can be no foreseeable two-state solution. The anti-Israel rhetoric of Obama and Kerry is shameful and will soon be gone. The anti-Israel resolution by the U.N. is more than just cause to defund that incompetent organization. {eoa}
Mat Staver is founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel and President of Christians in Defense of Israel.
