Peace in the Middle East?

May 5, 2002

by Charles E. Perry

Everybody is talking about peace in the Middle East, but nobody seems to be doing very much about it. Gephardt is talking out both sides of his mouth, saying only we can bring peace and, at the same time, saying we need to get out of Sharon’s way so he can bring peace. Bush and Powell seem to be at odds on the issue, and pundits are going crazy with columns. Time for me to join in the fray, I guess.

There will never be peace in the Middle East so long as Yasser Arafat has anything to say about it. He has been offered, by Israel, the majority of what he says he needs, and he’s turned it down every time. Further, there is evidence that Arafat has direct control over the suicide bombers who touched off the latest wave of fighting over there. There will not be peace in the Middle East while Arafat is around because he doesn’t want peace.

There will never be peace in the Middle East so long as the Palestinian Authority is around. Their charter contains a clause calling for the destruction of Israel as a nation, and they have refused to take that clause out. Just how is Israel supposed to make peace with people who have sworn to destroy them, and who continue to swear to destroy them? For peace to happen, there has to be some area of common ground for negotiation, and that’s just missing. The PA has used negotiations as a way of taking a break to rebuild their strength for another assault. If anyone out there really believes the PA wants peace, I have an option on the Hoover Dam I’m willing to sell.

There are two ways you can get peace: either both sides want it, or one side completely destroys the other. That has held true throughout human history. Since one side in this conflict clearly does not want peace, that leaves us with only the second option. In my humble opinion, we ought to get our nose out of it, and let the Israeli’s handle it in whatever way works for them. On 9/11, the Palestinians cheered in the streets. The Israeli’s lowered their flags to half mast. I know what side I want to win in this conflict.

So, you want peace in the Middle East? Eliminate Arafat and the PA. I’m pretty sure that most individual Palestinians are pretty tired of the whole thing and want peace, but Arafat and the PA depend on conflict for their existence.

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Charles E. Perry is a freelance writer living in Michigan. He has done a variety of things in his life, including Ward Supervisor at the State of Michigan's Maximum Security Mental Facility. His degree is in accounting, but he discovered writing and now spends his time hunched over a keyboard, hollow-eyed, looking for just the right word. Perry is the author of "How Government Should Work: A Look at the Federalist Papers and the Constitution of the United States," currently pending publication.

Send the author an E mail at Perry@ConservativeTruth.org.

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