THANK YOU NABIL SHAATH

By Simon Fischler

I would like to personally thank Nabil Shaath of Palestinian Authority for making clear the fact that the Settlements in Judea and Samaria are not at all and never have been the issue preventing peace between Israel and the Palestinians or Palestinian Statehood.

Yesterday, Shaath exposed the fact that the PA and Hamas are the same when it comes to their hope of still destroying Israel. He did this when, in the name of the PA, he outright rejected what is thought to be the new American Peace Plan to be presented by President Barack Obama.

Why have Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas all rejected what will be the Obama Peace plan?

Not because of land, i.e. Settlements.

It is been made very clear that the Obama Plan will call for the Return of the 1967 borders with land swaps for the Palestinians in return for Settlement Blocs that Israel keeps.

Not because of Jerusalem. It has also been made very clear that the Obama Plan will call for East Jerusalem to be the Capital of the Palestinian State.

So why did Mr. Shaath reject what he thinks will be Obama’s plan, outright?

Because of the Palestinian “Right of Return.” This made-up right is a synonym for the destruction of Israel. Further, it carries absolutely no legitimacy. What the Palestinians call their Right was nothing more than a suggestion in UN General Assembly resolution 148, a non-binding recommendation.

What is binding is UN Security Council Resolution 242 that says just this: “A just settlement of the refugee problem must be reached.”

The resolution was written this way intentionally because all members of the Security Council knew that Israel should not and would never bear the responsibility of the refugees created when the Arab leadership in the then-Palestine Mandate rejected Partition in 1947.

It was also written this way because of the Jewish refugees who were forced out of Arab and Muslim States after Israel won her independence.

Someone should remind Nabil Shaath that while there were 700,000 Arab Muslim refugees who left Israel -- mainly at the behest of their leadership and Arab governments (who promised everyone would be able to return to their homes after the Jews were thrown into the Sea), there were 900,000 Jewish refugees from Arab and Muslim countries who were absorbed into Israel, at great expense.

Shaath’s latest remarks simply reaffirm that the Palestinians do not want to return to the negotiating table -- not because of settlements, but because they truly have no intention of compromising to reach a peace deal. At the end of the day the leadership of the Palestinian Authority is not moderate at all; and still refuses to recognize Israel for what she is, the Jewish Democratic State.

On another note, it would be nice if the Western World could wake up and admit that the ills of the Arab and Muslim world have nothing to do with Israel, but revolve around ruthless dictators and conservative Islamic fascism.