A TIME FOR CHOOSING :

A false promise of peace (Steven Martinovich, April 1, 2002, Enter Stage Right)

There are clear differences between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The PA and Arafat depend on the continuing support of hard-line elements in the Palestinian community. By not acting forcefully against groups like Islamic Jihad and Hamas, they have tacitly given their approval for the terrorist attacks against civilians in Israel. The PA itself is an autocratic organization run by a man with an extensive Marxist past.

Israel, on the other hand, is a mature democratic and capitalist nation - the only one in the region - that generally respects the rights of its citizens. A moral nation, like Israel, which admittedly has some big faults, safeguards its citizen's rights. It has a right to its sovereignty, something that many in the Palestinian and wider Arab communities refuse to accept, and has the right to demand other nations respect that sovereignty. Logically, it has the right to defend its sovereignty.

As the Hamas statement after the Netanya attack illustrates, the Saudi peace plan strips Israel of that right and promises no assurance of a secure Israeli future. Agreeing to this proposal will be akin to waving a small scrap of paper in the air and proclaiming that the Jewish state will enjoy peace in our time.

Unfortunately, events in the Middle East are spinning out of control so quickly that the column you write today may not even be relevant tomorrow. The Saudi "Peace Plan" is already a dead letter, but these paragraphs from Steve Martinovich's most recent essay remain timely as ever. Posted by Orrin Judd at April 1, 2002 3:20 PM