OPINION:
Enough is enough. Hamas, recognized in the West as a terrorist organization, must be eliminated. United Nations agencies and the press must stop being accessories to anti-Semitism.
Under international law Israel includes Judea, Samaria and Gaza, until such time as Israel agrees to give some of it to the Palestinian Authority. The time to settle this is now.
There is no Palestine. There never was an Arab called a Palestinian until the KGB and Egypt established the Palestine Liberation Organization as a terrorist propaganda tool to drive the infidels out of the Middle East, in 1964. There is no equivalence between Israel and the PA and Hamas. Israel is one of the top 10 countries in the world. The PA and Hamas are political parties at best, and terrorists at worst.
Israel made two major diplomatic errors in the past. In 1967, when it recaptured Jerusalem from Jordanian occupation, Israel should not have given Jordan and the Waqf control of security on the Temple Mount. Second, it should not have given Gaza, already ethnically cleansed of Jews, to the PA in 2005. Rather than becoming a trust, these areas became launching grounds for violence. The PA and Hamas have proven themselves incapable of orderly governance.
Israel has a series of steps to take. It must destroy Hamas’ infrastructure and put Hamas leaders on trial for war crimes. This would be the right time for the PA to support Israel and reestablish its control in Gaza. Israel must take back security responsibility for the Temple Mount and charge those criminals who impede the access to Al-Aqsa by peaceful worshipers. Non-Muslims will be welcomed to visit the Mount. As is the case on all religious property in Israel, the Waqf will determine who may enter the mosque.
Rioting must end. Ramadan should not be an excuse to kill and maim Jews. Incitement to violence in PA schools, mosques and media must stop if there is ever to be peace and the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
There is a “Peace to Prosperity” plan on the table. I suggest the PA pick it up.
LEN BENNETT
Deerfield Beach, Fla.
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