Two-state word games

Netanyahu has convinced himself that the only way for Israel to appear “legitimate” and “rational” to the world is to offer the two-state solution. He couldn't be more wrong.
by Mark Langfan

Lord Beaverbrook is said to have once asked an elegant socialite if she would spend the night with him for a million dollars, to which she responded, "yes.”  He then asked her if she would do so for 10 dollars, and she fumed, “Of course not, what do you think I am?” - to which he returned, “Madame, we have already established what you are. Now we are haggling over the price.” 

PM Netanyahu’s non-stop offerings to Abbas of the two-state solution is a bizarre takeoff on this story in reverse. 

 In this reverse-world, with Netanyahu the socialite and Abbas the questioner,  Netanyahu offers Abbas payment in the form of a “demilitarized Palestinian State” if Abbas would only agree to accept Israel. But Netanyahu’s groveling offers of a two-state solution not only don’t validate Israel’s bona fides as a legitimate state, they delegitimize Israel’s very existence.

First, Netanyahu is prevaricating to his voters  by not building in Judea and Samaria.  Netanyahu ran on a right-wing platform and has betrayed the mandate on which he was elected and the people who elected him.  He can come up with all the reasons he wants for that, repeatedly claiming  that Obama threatened him.  The facts prove he has instituted a virtually total freeze on Jewish building in Judea and Samaria.  What’s worse, the Palestinians know this and the Palestinians know Netanyahu is lying to his own people.  

Next, Netanyahu has convinced himself and his followers that the only way for Israel to appear “legitimate” and “rational” to the world is to offer the two-state solution, and to beg the Palestinian Arabs for peace talks despite their incendiary blood-curdling incitement and murder rampages. 

Netanyahu’s behavior could be compared to the sister of a victim of a mass murder inviting the mass-murderer for dinner. Netanyahu’s offer of “talks anywhere, anytime” is beneath suicidalism.  It shows pathetic desperation and rewards Abbas for his genocidal incitement and encouragement of  blood-dripping murder sprees.

Do Netanyahu’s offerings of a 'West Bank' Palestinian state make Israel appear more “legitimate” or “reasonable” to the world?  To Netanyahu, maybe.  To the rest of the world? No.  It makes Israel look like a cheap thief who was caught red-handed, and wants to start to negotiate on keeping some of his ill-gotten loot. 

Netanyahu is like the socialite, agreeing to a million-dollar “demilitarized” PA State to which Abbas responds, “How about it for $10?”  Netanyahu responds, “Of course not, what kind of country to you think I am?" to which Abbas responds, we determined that when you first offered to give me the 'West Bank' in return for my calls to annihilate Israel."

The entire world surmises that only a petty-thief who stole the land to begin with would offer half of his land as an opening offer for negotiations.  Netanyahu’s offer of  two-states only served to convince the world that the Palestinian narrative claiming that Israel “stole the land” must be true.

Imagine a Palestinian would-be terrorist listening to Netanyahu's offer for “anywhere, anytime” talks while Abbas is inciting teenage Palestinian Arabs to murder any Jew of any age. Netanyahu’s weakness incites the Palestinian would-be stabber to action because he thinks to himself, if stabbings made Israel agree to two-state solution talks, then more stabbing of Jews will make Netanyahu even more desperate to give up territory.

The terrorist asks himself, why serve Netanyahu a teaspoon of terrorism, if you can serve him a tablespoon of terrorism.  And, still, throughout the horror of Palestinian Arab murders, Netanyahu keeps begging for peace talks and spouting about the two-state solution.

Netanyahu’s two-state solution gambits don’t make Israel look reasonable, they don't make the world love us. Instead, they make Israel and the world’s Jews look desperate. And that is a far cry from what the Jewish State was supposed to be about.