Opuscula Asad wants Golan, PLO/PFLP deal, But offers nothing

SYRIAN DICTATOR BASHAR AL-ASSAD SAID THE ONLY WAY HIS COUNTRY WOULD MAKE PEACE with Israel is if Israel gives him the strategic Golan Heights.

PLUS, Israel must cave to its enemies.

Some people never learn.

 

A far better man than Bashar Al-Assad made a peace deal with Israel following which the man — Anwar El Sadat — got back the Sinai (but “stuck” Israel with Gaza). El Sadat and his partner for peace, Menachem Begin, were two old terrorists who had suffered personal losses in the wars between the two countries.

Al-Asad is no El Sadat and there is no one in power in Israel with Begin’s good sense.

January 8th, 1980, after first El Al flight to Egypt
Dan Hadani Archive, National Library of Israel @ https://tinyurl.com/yy87wm2x)

Iranian proxy

Al-Asad is in bed with the Iranians (Persians).

The Iranians continually promise to wipe Israel off the map.

Given the close relation with Iran, it is difficult to see how Israel would give up a militarily strategic position. It cost too many Israeli lives, both civilian — due to Syrian shelling Israeli civilian settlements — and military to claim the heights following Syria’s attacks on Israel.

Unlike a growing number of Muslim-dominated countries, Al-Asad fails to realize there are more economic and other benefits to “normalization of relations” with Israel.

Continuing to demand that Israel cave to the PLO/PFLP and Hamas/Islamic Jihad is a pipe dream. Perhaps if the Democrats recapture the White House in Washington, the U.S. will once again cater to the Palestinians, but if the Republicans prevail, Ramallah can expect less support from the U.S., Europe, and even other Muslim-dominated countries.

Impossible dream

Al-Asad’s problem festers in Ramallah.

It is impossible for Israel to make peace with an enemy that refuses to negotiate.

In the past, leftist (Labor) governments caved to every demand the PLO/PFLP even BEFORE negotiations commenced.

Actually, had the PLO et al agreed to the 1947 partition plan, it would HAVE a state much larger than Israel of 1948.

The PLO/PFLP never kept any agreements with Israel.

Egypt has.

Jordan has.

Both Egypt and Jordan have benefited from the agreements, as has Israel.

The normalization with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) already is showing signs of benefit to all concerned.

But Al-Asad?

Al-Asad has nothing to offer Israel in return for the Heights.

Israel could have, and still can, take Damascus militarily. That would be foolish and a waste of men, but it could be done. Syria cannot take Jerusalem, even with Fifth Column support.

(The same can be said for Beirut.)

If Al-Asad is serious about reclaiming the Heights, the first things (plural) he should do — but probably cannot and will not even if he could —

Get rid of Hezbollah
Settle the civil war in Syria
Disassociate Syria from Iran
Encourage the PLO/PFLP and Hamas/Islamist Jihad to (a) stop attacking Israel and (b) seriously negotiate with Israel before it looses everything.

Al-Asad and Ali Khamenei (Yousef Alhelou @ https://tinyurl.com/y2t7a2sq)

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Comment on Al-Asad

Opuscula Great idea Dies at birth

 

Choose your headlines:

   Egypt offers Abbas a Palestinian state in Sinai

   Sisi Offered Abbas: Create Palestinian State in Sinai

   Egypt: Establish Palestinian State in Sinai

Unfortunately, there were later headlines, including

   El-Sisi denies claims he’ll give Sinai land to Palestinians

   Egypt Denies Offering Land for ‘Sinai State of Palestine’

Good as it seemed, the plan if it was proposed would never be accepted by the PA politicians or the "West Bank" Muslims.

Just as we refused to accept the English offer to carve a Jewish homeland out of Uganda, the indigenous Muslims of the area controlled by the PA will never accept any land other than the land they are on now. Unlike the Jews under Israeli government control, no one will send a PA army in to forcibly remove Muslims from the homes they have occupied since the area was controlled by Jordan.

It could have been a win-win-win if (a) el-Sisi had indeed made the offer and (b) Abu Mazen and the former residents of Jordan had accepted.

The plan would have united all PA territories into one large, viable unit.

The plan would have given a united PA the ability to create sea ports in Gaza and on the Suez.

The plan would have given a united PA at least one airport - albeit one that needs substantial repair.

The plan would have given former Jordanian citizens new, modern homes compliments of the UN, EU, possibly the Arab states - especially those who want to empty the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) camps festering within their borders. New homes are contingent on the PA rulers making certain building materials are used for buildings and not tunnels or bunkers from which to fire missiles at Egypt and Israel.

The downside is that Abu Mazen would be face-to-face with his nemesis Hamas. He has proven he cannot control Hamas and he cannot prevent attacks on Israel and Egypt by Hamas.

More, the new country would be between two others it has made enemies: Egypt and Israel. Given the cooperation between the two against Hamas, the new country could could be squeezed by the two armies into a quiet, if not peaceful, state.

On top of that, the alleged offer from el-Sisi came with a rope - not just a string - attached; the former Jordanians would have to forego - give up - any demands that Israel return to its earlier borders. Any hope to have the historic Jewish capital become even a shared capital would be lost.

The real roadblocks - assuming el-Sisi did make the offer - are that

(a) The PA would lose its raison d'etre, its reason to exist.

(b) The PA would lose its claim to Israeli land, including the so-called "West Bank" captured from Jordan following the latter's invasion of Israel.

(c) The anti-Semites would lose one reason to hate Jews and Israel - they should be able to afford to give up one reason; they have imagined so many.

(d) The relocated Muslims would have to work to make the Sinai blossom; to irrigate and plant new olive trees and fruit orchards.

ON THE OTHER HAND, the Sinai has oil fields. Oil fields already in place. The map, below, shows known oil reserves. The relocated "Palestinians" could hire contractors to extract the oil and pay royalties to the residents (assuming any would get past the leadership's pockets).

It would be interesting to see how the former citizens of Jordan would vote if all the options - all the pros and all the cons of relocation - were presented to them honestly.

From Israel's perspective, creating a Palestinian state in the Sinai, to include Gaza, would have been a positive move. For the former Jordanians with foresight or greed, the move also would be a positive. For the Islamists and PA politicians, this could, if they played their cards right, also reward them with oil money and money that could be diverted to tunnels and rockets. I don't know what Egypt expected to gain; perhaps putting the PA on the hot seat to maintain a "no fire zone" in the Sinai where today bandits roam freely.

Hamas guards border

While Egypt clears Sinai

When Hosni Mubarak fell and Mohammed Morsi, with his Muslim Brotherhood associates, rose to power, Israelis had to wonder if the quiet along the Egyptian-Israeli border would remain or if the sound of gunfire would once again resound.

It’s hard to believe, but with Morsi at the helm, things actually are getting better for Israelis in Israel. At least for now.

Even attacks from Aza are down.

Morsi did what Mubarak never did: he sent in troops to clear some of the terrorists out of the Sinai after first working with Israel to modify cease fire terms on the number of troops allowed in the desert.

I still think the Sinai should be cleared of terrorists by a joint Egyptian-Israeli force; to my mind it would be a win-win situation for Egypt and Israel; only the terrorists would lose, and that’s a good thing.

The real surprise, though, is Morsi’s action toward Aza.

One of his first acts as president was to start destroying the tunnels from Egypt into Aza. The tunnels were the primary way weapons were smuggled into Aza, weapons used against Israel. The tunnels also were used to smuggle in people and consumer goods, avoiding Hamas’ import duties.

Now Morsi has gone beyond tunnel destruction.

He successfully pressured Hamas to cease attacks on Israel and charged it with preventing attacks by splinter groups such as the Salafists.

IT’S WORKING!

According to a Times of Israel article (http://tinyurl.com/lb8v4vm) :

Hamas established a special force of about 600 men to “safeguard public order;” it operates mostly along the Aza-Israeli border.

There has been a dramatic decline in the number of rockets fired at Israel. According to Israeli figures, since the end of Operation Pillar of Defense in November (2012), some 20 rockets or mortar shells have been fired into Israel, compared to about 150 over the same the previous year.

Egypt still has a long way to go get its own house in order, but from Israel’s perspective, the Morsi regime has to be a welcome surprise, even though Egypt currently is not a recommended tourist destination for Israelis. Currently there are no flights between Lod (TLV) and Cairo (CAI). El Al canceled its flights allegedly due to the high cost of security vs. the number of empty seats. A PalAir flight from Aza to Lod also is no more, probably more because of lack of passengers than the chance a terrorist missile bound for Israel might down a commercial flight. (You can fly from Lod to Cairo via Amman, but it’s pricy.)

No one ever expected two terrorists – Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin – to manage a peace agreement after years of war between their two countries, but they did, and while it cost Sadat his life, after Sadat and Begin inked the agreement, the greatest danger for Israelis visiting Egypt was traffic accidents. Perhaps, with Morsi in control, it will be that way again. (Too bad Israel lacks a man of Begin’s stature.)

 

Planning a long flight? Take heed.
Flying to TLV? Did you make your reservations via an on-line service? Take the following advice to heart. CALL THE AIRLINE AT LEAST 72 HOURS (3 days) BEFORE THE DEPARTURE DAY to assure you have kosher meals and the seat location you ordered online. We have a situation where the airline and the booking service are pointing their fingers at each other saying “It’s not our fault you didn’t get your meal and it’s not our fault that you were stuck in a middle seat instead of the window you arranged online.