By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Israel Hayom”,
Recent findings by a June 12, 2012 ”Maagar Mochot” poll, published on by “Israel Hayom”, reflect the shift in the Israeli state-of-mind, since the euphoric days of the 1993 Oslo Accords and since the recent eruption of the tectonic “Arab Street”.
Palestinian terrorism catapulted since Oslo: 250 Israelis murdered during the 19 years prior to Oslo; over 2,000 Israelis murdered during the 19 years since Oslo.
Palestinian hate-education and incitement was prohibited under Israeli control; Palestinian hate-education and incitement which is the most authentic reflection of one’s ideology – surged under the Palestinian
Authority.
The Palestinian Authority track record of the 19 years, since Oslo, has been top heavy on hate-education, incitement, terrorism, non-compliance, corruption, repression of fellow Palestinians, support of arch terrorists such as Bin-Laden and Saddam Hussein, support of anti-US terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq, friendship with Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and other enemies and rivals of the US and Western democracies.
The seismic “Arab Street” has exposed the endemic vulnerabilities of “peace treaties” in the Middle East, highlighting the Arab Middle East as the role model of intra-Arab violence, treachery, unpredictability, instability, fragmentation, non-compliance and violation of human liberties.
Israelis are becoming increasingly realistic, concluding that Arabs can not be expected to share with the “infidel” Jewish State that
genuine peace – which they have failed (during the last 1,400 years) to accord one another.
“Maagar Mochot” findings:
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* 73% (compared with 64% last year) assume that the Two State Solution will no resolve the conflict with the Palestinians.
* 64% of Israelis, residing in pre-1967 Israel, support expansion of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Only 15% (compared with 20% last year) wish to stop construction in Settlements.
* Only 45% support partial or full Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria.
* Merely 5% support a unilateral Israeli withdrawal.
* 46% (compared with 38% last year) oppose the uprooting of Settlements in return for a peace treaty.
Realism has been the secret of Jewish survival during the last 4,000 years. Enhanced realism is a prerequisite for the survival of the Jewish State in the conflict-ridden Middle East.
i wish the Goverrnment of Israel voiced similar opinions, but there seems to be too many government officials who believe that they know better than the people. For one prime example, I refer to Ehud Barak and his colleagues who promote the idea of unilateral disengagement. Any withdrawal from Judea and Samaria with or without an agreement with the arabs is suicide.
When thinking politically (survival?) REALISM should be the universal Israeli doctrine cutting across all sectors of Israeli society- reliigious, social and economic. Support of the settlements (developments?) is symbolic for support of Israel. As the settlements go so goes the country-support for their development and not their dismantlement is the true REALISM-and it can be practiced by ALL Israelis.