| FACT: The empirical evidence of the last six decades has shown that settlements are not an obstacle to peace; nevertheless,Israel has responded to American calls for moratoriums in the hope of enticing the Palestinians to agree to peace. Most people have forgotten that Menachem Begin agreed to a three-month settlement freeze during the Camp Davidnegotiations because Jimmy Carter mistakenly believed this would convince the Palestinians to discuss the proposal to give them autonomy. Had they agreed, the Palestinianswould have likely stopped the growth of settlements at a time when the population in the territories was about 6,000. The Palestinians, instead, rejected the idea and refused to talk to Israel for more than a decade during which time thesettlement population grew to more than 100,000. By contrast, when Egypt agreed to peace with Israel, all of thesettlements in Sinai were evacuated. The Oslo accords signed by the Palestinians did not requireIsrael to stop building settlements. They continued to negotiate even as Israel expanded the communities in the territories. In fact, settlements were not an impediment to talks until President Obama demanded that Israel freeze construction. Unwittingly, the president undermined his objective of promoting peace talks by setting a condition that thePalestinians themselves had never imposed. In fact, just a year earlier, the Palestinians were talking to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (and rejected his proposal to create a Palestinian state in nearly 93% of the West Bank)400. Once Obama made settlements the issue, it was impossible for the Palestinians to be less demanding than the United States. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ultimately agreed to a settlement freeze for 10-months with the expectation that the Palestinians would immediately sit down to negotiate. Instead, the Palestinians refused to enter talks for nine months. It was only when the moratorium was about to expire, and the Palestinians were afraid to refuse the invitation of President Obama to a peace summit, that they agreed to participate in negotiations. Before the talks even began, however, they threatened to walk out if Israelresumed building in the West Bank or Jerusalem. Israel had made clear from the outset the moratorium would last for only 10 months. Now Israel is being pressured to extend the freeze to keep the Palestiniansfrom walking out, but this essentially gives them the power to blackmail Israel indefinitely. If Israel gives in to pressure and extends the freeze for, say, two months, then what is to keep the Palestinians from renewing their threat at that time? The tactic will allow them to prevent Israel from providing for the needs of its citizens without ever conceding anything. By rewarding Palestinian intransigence, the belief is reinforced that Israel can be coerced to capitulate to their demands, a delusion that damages the prospects for peace. |
