Jerusalem Cloakroom #204

Proposed Palestinian State –
US Asset or Liability?

by Yoram Ettinger
yoramtex@netvision.net.il

July 13, 2007

1. The nature of the proposed Palestinian state, and its impact on regional stability, terrorism and American interests and values are attested by the raging Palestinian civil war and by the track record of the Palestinian Authority (PA) since 1993 and the PLO/Fatah since 1964 and 1959: hate education, homicide bombing, systematic violent violation of commitments, inter-Arab treachery, corruption and oppression of Palestinians in general and the Christian community of Bethlehem in particular.
    

2. The broader the PA/PLO/Hamas independence, the more intense is international terrorism. PLO independence was upgraded in 1993, transformed into the semi-sovereign PA; the most intense wave of anti-US terrorism has been conducted since 1993 (1^st Twin Tower), culminating on 9/11. The 1993 establishment of the PA – by Palestinian terrorists from Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia – has adrenalized international terrorism. It has been perceived as a reward to the role-model of international terrorism, the PLO. The 1968-1970 and 1970-1982 PLO autonomy in Jordan and in Lebanon provided training and inspiration to multitude of terror organizations in the Mideast, Far East, West Europe, Central and Latin America.
    

3. Role-model of international terrorism. Modern-day hijacking was introduced by the PLO in the late 1960s, and then was emulated by other terror organizations. Since 1994, the PA has become the largest terrorist base in the world, a test site for “virulent hate-education as a manufacturing line of terrorists.” It is an incubator for modern-day terrorism, such as homicide bombing and car bombing, which have been exported to Iraq, Afghanistan, England and other arenas.
    

4. Outpost for anti-western regimes. The PA, PLO and Hamas have been allies of Bin-Laden, Saddam, post-Shah Iran, Syria, Sudan, North Korea as well as Russia, China, Cuba and Venezuela, as evident by official Palestinian education, media and clergy systems. For example, on Sept. 11, 2001, Abu Mazen’s daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida stated, “Anti-US homicide bombers are the salt of the earth... Today’s homicide bombers are the noble successors of the homicide bombers, who taught the US Marines a rough lesson [300 Americans murdered in 1983].” Palestinians fought US forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq. The ideological mentors of the PLO and Hamas were the allies of the Nazis and the Communist regimes of the USSR and East Europe.
    

5. Death sentence to the pro-western regimes. A Palestinian state would doom the pro-US Hashemite regime, whose population and territory is 65% and 75% Palestinian, would export terrorism against the relatively pro-US regimes of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain and would provide an eastern Mediterranean platform to Iran, Russia and China.
    

6. Leopards don’t change spots, only tactics. The 1993-2007 profile of the PA is consistent with precedents. In 1950, Arafat and Abu Mazen fled Egypt due to subversion. In 1966, they fled Syria after murdering a number of Syrian intelligence officers. In 1970, they were expelled from Jordan following a foiled coup against King Hussein. In 1975 they tried to topple Lebanon’s government, triggering a multi-year civil war and Syrian occupation. In 1990 (while Bush/Baker brutalized Israel!), the PLO spearheaded Saddam’s rape of Kuwait, which hosted Fatah since the 1950s. Therefore, Arab regimes prohibit PLO to bear arms on their soil, while pro-Palestinian Arab rhetoric has been matched by anti-Palestinian Arab action and by minimal financial Arab aid.
    

7. The Palestinian issue has not ignited Arab-Israeli wars. For instance, the 1948/1949 War was fought by the Arab countries at the expense of the Palestinians, hence the Jordanian and Egyptian occupation of Judea, Samaria and Gaza following that war. Neither the 1982 Israel-PLO war in Lebanon, nor the 1987-92 1^st Intifada, nor the 2000-2006 2^nd Intifada ignited Arab-Israeli wars.
    

8. The classic oxymoron. The proposed Palestinian state and US national security interests constitute a classic case of oxymoron! A Palestinian state would exacerbate problems and paralyze solutions.