STATEHOOD -- A STUPID STATEMENT

By Schmoel Yitzhak

The headline said this: PALESTINIANS SHIFT FOCUS IN STRATEGY FOR STATEHOOD.

Since it appeared above a story in The New York Times, the first thing you would have to assume was that this was yet another pro-Arab agenda piece by the Muslim's favorite American newspaper.

Written by the notorious anti-Israel "reporter," Ethan Bronner, the story indicated that Mahmoud Abbas & Co. is trying a new marketing ploy after their other recent moves have failed.

First, the Palestinian Authority haltingly, stubbornly entered peace talks with Israel by listing pre-conditions that it knew in advance that never could be met by their negotiating partner.

Once, Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that he would not extend a settlement freeze that previously had lasted nine months without any kind of PA positive response, Abbas responded by sitting in a corner and sulking and then aborting the talks altogether.

With negotiating egg on their faces, the Arabs had to do something -- anything -- to gain some support from their knee-jerk, pro-Islam buddies. That includes the European Union and the ultra-phony United Nations Human Rights Council among other prejudiced-against-Israel outfits.

Which meant that another Arab gimmick was necessary and this time it happens to be an attempt at gaining statehood recognition from assorted enemies of Israel.

However, there are several flaws in this strategy and, first and foremost, there's the issue of Gaza.

The Abbas-led Palestinians want a state that includes Gaza as well as East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

But Abbas and his cronies were summarily thrown out -- not to mention thrown off and out of buildings -- by the Hamas thugs in Gaza and there's no way that the PA ever would be welcomed back by those who forcibly evicted them.

Add to that the fact that Hamas is dedicated to Israel's destruction and you have a very good reason not to declare statehood for an entity determined to wipe out its neighbor. Even a severely warped-minded United Nations would understand that logic.

No sane Israeli diplomat could possibly agree to giving up the land his country conquered in the 1967 war. Nor should we ever forget that that was a war in which the Arabs were fervently intent on pushing the Jews into the sea if not simply wiping out every last person who wore the Star of David.

Arab hypocrisy has been evident throughout; even before the statehood issue emerged in this somewhat new fashion.

For years peace talks between the Abbas bloc and Israel took place without a peep ever being heard from the Arab side about a settlement freeze.

So, how come the settlements issue has blown up to Promethian proportions?

For one thing, the Obama administration is to blame for inserting settlements as a key factor in moving negotiations into a higher gear.

Prior to the last American presidential election, settlement-building never had been cited as an obstacle as it has since Obama and Secretary of State Clinton decided to make it a "cause celebre."

Really, when you think about it, the settlement issue -- and the Palestinian state promotion -- has more to do with curbing the living rights of Israelis at the expense of the endless Arab attempt to eradicate the Jews in any way, shape or form that they can contrive.

It's apparent that the Islamic attempts at Jewish genocide never will end which means that Israeli resistance must remain stronger than ever!