Mr. President, We have met the enemy, and he is us…

Levi Randolf

Those that recall even a little history will recognize that the current wave of violence against Israel is not just a recent phenomenon. Muslims in general and Arabs in particular have been killing Jews for hundreds of years. Pogroms were occurring throughout the Middle East long before the state of Israel declared its independence in 1948. Muslim violence against Jews has been happening much too frequently for a very long time.

For the past twenty-five years the Oslo Accords have established the framework for a ‘peace process’ which, instead of bringing peace, has brought more death and destruction, not only to the Jews of Israel but also to the Arabs in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria.

A cornerstone of the Oslo Accords is the recognition, by the United States, of the PLO as the sole representative of the ‘Palestinian’ Arabs. The decision by the US to recognize a terrorist organization as the sole representative of anyone was a tragic policy blunder that is at the heart of the failure of United States Middle East policy.

Just over ten years before Oslo, the US rescued the PLO from Beirut, and facilitated the PLO withdrawal from Lebanon, thus committing another policy error that has facilitated terrorism for more than two decades.

Eleven years after being forced out of Lebanon, the PLO terrorists were invited into the heart of Israel as a result of the Oslo Accord. Giving an enemy unwarranted legitimacy is always a bad idea. Giving an enemy territory borders on suicidal. Israel and the US got nothing in return for Oslo, except more violence. Yet, the US and Israel refuse to change the failed policy of Oslo.

So Who, Other Than the Arabs, is Responsible for Perpetuating the Conflict?

A significant amount of the blame for the PERPETUATION of the conflict really lies with the United States. There are others to blame of course. Russia and Europe have both worked to perpetuate the conflict. But many US policies are diametrically opposed to resolving the conflict. Isn’t it time to hold the US government accountable for its backwards policies in the Middle East? Perpetuating conflict and funding terrorism was never in the best interest of the United States.

Yet, it is America that has funded UNRWA for nearly seventy years perpetuating the conflict and a false claim of ‘right of return’ for the Arabs. It is America that, for over fifty years, has refused to acknowledge Israeli sovereignty in Judea, Samaria, and the Golan, contrary to international law. It is America that rescued the PLO from Beirut in 1982. It is America that pushed for the disastrous Oslo Accords. It is America that continues to fund the PA, which is controlled by the Fatah terrorist organization.

The truth is, the United States has held the power for 70 years to adopt policies to help or hurt either the Arabs or Israel. Regrettably, most of the policies the US has adopted have been designed to hurt and hinder rather than help and support Israel. So far, only a few facets of policy have changed under the Trump Administration. The US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capitol, moved the Embassy to Jerusalem, and cut some funding to UNRWA and the PA.

The recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capitol and moving the Embassy were symbolic gestures, made to keep a campaign promise and ensure continued support from the President’s political base. President Trump did not recognize Jerusalem as an undivided city and specifically said the recognition does not resolve final status issues. The Embassy move, so far, amounted only to a ceremony and hanging a sign on an existing US facility in West Jerusalem.

The question now is, what next? We know the ‘peace process’ is part of the problem, not part of the solution. We know the Arabs don’t really want another state, they seek the destruction of Israel. Even if they did, the Arabs already have 21 states and 40% are failed states.

In order to make any progress toward peace, the United States must reverse the policy recognizing the PLO, and admit that there is no legitimate or viable representative for the Arabs in Gaza, Judea, or Samaria. The US should go a step further and state that the ‘Palestinians’ are not a distinct group of people deserving of their own state.

There are alternatives. Pouring billions of dollars into Gaza will only perpetuate the conflict. Half the population has already said they WANT to escape from Gaza. 30-40% of the Arabs in Judea and Samaria want to leave as well. Rather than wasting money on a fake humanitarian crisis, why not help people that want to leave so they can start a new life in a real country?

The only rational and logical course of action is to annul the Oslo Accords and dismantle the Palestinian Authority. The policy has failed. The sooner the US and Israel admit it the better.

Levi Randolf is a contributor of Blitz