Prime Minister Trudeau is still talking about a "two-state solution" for Israel. The government of Canada's official website narrative perpetuates the fiction: "Canada enjoys positive relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA), the governmental entity in the West Bank and Gaza. Canada recognizes the Palestinian right to self-determination and supports the creation of a sovereign, independent, viable, democratic and territorially contiguous Palestinian state, as part of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace settlement."The Canadian government narrative does not admit that the PA in the West Bank is nearly inoperative. It also omits the political reality the PA has not had any influence or control over Gaza for at least 16 years. Furthermore, geographically a "territorially contiguous Palestinian state" is not possible.The Canada website continues: “Canada is committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, which can only be achieved through a two-state solution resulting from direct negotiations between the parties." "Canada aims to uphold and promote the two-state solution by helping to establish a law-based, peaceful and prosperous society that can ultimately become a state for the Palestinians and a stable and secure neighbour for Israel. Unilateral actions that prejudge the outcome of direct negotiations further jeopardize the prospects for a two-state solution must be avoided."The Canadian website continues with myth-making. The "two-state solution" has always been rejected and denounced after every offer made by Israel and outside political powers. The first “two-state” offer was in 1947/48. It was resoundingly rejected, and instead, the traditional Israeli areas were invaded by all the armies of the surrounding countries and outnumbered Israeli fighters 40 to 1. It was a major war of survival for the Jews, while the major powers mostly sat on their hands. The result was thousands of refugees. While combat raged, Palestinians were urged and also threatened to abandon their communities by their own leadership, as well as fleeing combat zones. This war became the basis for the stateless Palestinian refugee problem. Meanwhile, Jews were forcibly dispossessed of their homes and citizenship and expelled from all the surrounding invading countries where they had lived for generations. Consequently, there were more Jewish refugees than Palestinian refugees from the war. The displaced Jews later either moved to Israel or went to be with relatives in Europe, the USA, or the British Commonwealth which included a few to Canada. The Canada website's wishful thinking continues with the phrase, “helping to establish a law-based, peaceful and prosperous society.” Palestinian leaders have never been interested in such outsider ideas. Productive direct negotiations between the parties are not possible, as the varied Palestinian representative groups do not recognize Israel’s existence. Their oft-repeated goal is to establish an Islamic Caliphate over the whole region governed by Islamic Law (Sharia) where Israel does not exist.Then there is the mealy-mouth Canadian assertion Pollyanna: “Unilateral actions that prejudge the outcome of direct negotiations and further jeopardize the prospects for a two-state solution must be avoided.”The track record is that “Unilateral action” has been the main behaviour of Palestinian leadership and organization. Numerous wars and violent skirmishes have been the result. Israel has sometimes responded strongly with military action and there has been much human suffering because of Jew-hatred. Samples of modern 'rejectionism' and hatred are the following. The Jerusalem Mufti Hajj Amin Husseini, the leader of the Palestinian Arabs from the early 1920s to the late 1940s, in his testimony to the British Peel Commission established in January 1937, said that Jews would be deported from Palestine. He outright rejected the idea of a state and if one was established, every last Jew would be expelled from a Palestinian Arab state. He was a Nazi collaborator during the Second World War and there is a photo of him meeting with Hitler. In 1947 the same Mufti refused to adopt the UN partition plan that offered “two states" and rejected a two-state solution until the day he died. Following is a brief timeline detailing peace proposals rejected by the Palestinians:1947 UN Partition Plan: When Great Britain governed the region, the UN General Assembly proposed the establishment of two states, Jewish and Palestinian. The offer was accepted by Israel and quickly rejected by the Palestinians. Instead, the surrounding countries invaded, intent to wipe Israel off the map.1993-1994 Oslo Accords: The Oslo Accords were supposed to be a "peace process." Israel agreed to recognize the Palestinian Authority’s right to self-governance in Gaza and the West Bank in return for the Palestinians’ recognition of Israel’s sovereignty. Soon after the “peace process” was established, Palestinians began attacking Israel with suicide bombers.2000 Israel Offers Follow-up Peace Deal: Israel offered the Palestinians another opportunity to end the violence, but the offer was rejected outright. Instead of proposing an alternate peace deal, former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat initiated terror attacks on Israel that led to the death of 1,100 Israelis.2005 Israelis evacuate Gaza Strip and West Bank: Israel evacuated all Israeli settlements within Gaza and the West Bank, giving this land to the Palestinians in an attempt to establish peace. The Palestinians did not accept the goodwill and instead allowed Hamas terrorists to take over the Gaza Strip and continue rocket attacks on Israel.2008 peace proposal: Israel offered the PA another peace deal that was rapidly rejected by the PA’s president Mahmoud Abbas. Palestinians claimed they were not satisfied with the land boundary proposal in the deal, as they also wanted control over all of Jerusalem’s holy sites.2009 Israel Offers Support for Palestinian State: Israel offered conditional support for a demilitarized Palestinian state, which the Palestinians quickly rejected.2020 USA Peace Plan (Deal of the Century): Palestinians quickly rejected a peace plan formulated by the USA and supported by Israel’s prime minister. The plan’s title was “Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People,” and focused on economic incentives to quickly and drastically repair the Palestinian economy. The Palestinians refused the deal before seeing it.Violence and looting are nothing new in the troubled history of the Gaza Strip. The terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7 is just another link in the long chain of suffering between Israel and Gaza. Only when strong determined governance had full control over the Strip, as Egypt did from 1956 to 1967 and Israel did from 1967 to 1993, could development of the area thrive.Israel has spent 17 years trying to disengage from Gaza without success, and there have been round after round of attacks from Gaza. Despite its economic dependence on Israel, Gaza has remained a significant security problem. The present “Swords of Iron War” could be an opportunity to change the sad reality in the Gaza Strip. It will likely require the return of temporary Israeli military governance, until a more permanent solution is found with international help. Israel says they do not claim Gaza and do not want to govern it. Everyone hopes with international support, a solution does not merely establish a temporary quiet, but ensures peace and stability in the Gaza region for all.The Holy Land, with Jerusalem at its heart, is a place where the great tectonic plates of religion, culture and nationalism collide. The fault lines that run between them have never been quiet and always dangerous. The savagery of Hamas' attack is too raw to imagine any readiness to shake hands. But the defeat of Hamas may remove obstacles that have long stood in the way of regional peace. We need the USA, the UK, and others to take the lead in acting on the possibilities. While innocence is shattered, hope does not have to be.
Prime Minister Trudeau is still talking about a "two-state solution" for Israel. The government of Canada's official website narrative perpetuates the fiction: "Canada enjoys positive relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA), the governmental entity in the West Bank and Gaza. Canada recognizes the Palestinian right to self-determination and supports the creation of a sovereign, independent, viable, democratic and territorially contiguous Palestinian state, as part of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace settlement."The Canadian government narrative does not admit that the PA in the West Bank is nearly inoperative. It also omits the political reality the PA has not had any influence or control over Gaza for at least 16 years. Furthermore, geographically a "territorially contiguous Palestinian state" is not possible.The Canada website continues: “Canada is committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, which can only be achieved through a two-state solution resulting from direct negotiations between the parties." "Canada aims to uphold and promote the two-state solution by helping to establish a law-based, peaceful and prosperous society that can ultimately become a state for the Palestinians and a stable and secure neighbour for Israel. Unilateral actions that prejudge the outcome of direct negotiations further jeopardize the prospects for a two-state solution must be avoided."The Canadian website continues with myth-making. The "two-state solution" has always been rejected and denounced after every offer made by Israel and outside political powers. The first “two-state” offer was in 1947/48. It was resoundingly rejected, and instead, the traditional Israeli areas were invaded by all the armies of the surrounding countries and outnumbered Israeli fighters 40 to 1. It was a major war of survival for the Jews, while the major powers mostly sat on their hands. The result was thousands of refugees. While combat raged, Palestinians were urged and also threatened to abandon their communities by their own leadership, as well as fleeing combat zones. This war became the basis for the stateless Palestinian refugee problem. Meanwhile, Jews were forcibly dispossessed of their homes and citizenship and expelled from all the surrounding invading countries where they had lived for generations. Consequently, there were more Jewish refugees than Palestinian refugees from the war. The displaced Jews later either moved to Israel or went to be with relatives in Europe, the USA, or the British Commonwealth which included a few to Canada. The Canada website's wishful thinking continues with the phrase, “helping to establish a law-based, peaceful and prosperous society.” Palestinian leaders have never been interested in such outsider ideas. Productive direct negotiations between the parties are not possible, as the varied Palestinian representative groups do not recognize Israel’s existence. Their oft-repeated goal is to establish an Islamic Caliphate over the whole region governed by Islamic Law (Sharia) where Israel does not exist.Then there is the mealy-mouth Canadian assertion Pollyanna: “Unilateral actions that prejudge the outcome of direct negotiations and further jeopardize the prospects for a two-state solution must be avoided.”The track record is that “Unilateral action” has been the main behaviour of Palestinian leadership and organization. Numerous wars and violent skirmishes have been the result. Israel has sometimes responded strongly with military action and there has been much human suffering because of Jew-hatred. Samples of modern 'rejectionism' and hatred are the following. The Jerusalem Mufti Hajj Amin Husseini, the leader of the Palestinian Arabs from the early 1920s to the late 1940s, in his testimony to the British Peel Commission established in January 1937, said that Jews would be deported from Palestine. He outright rejected the idea of a state and if one was established, every last Jew would be expelled from a Palestinian Arab state. He was a Nazi collaborator during the Second World War and there is a photo of him meeting with Hitler. In 1947 the same Mufti refused to adopt the UN partition plan that offered “two states" and rejected a two-state solution until the day he died. Following is a brief timeline detailing peace proposals rejected by the Palestinians:1947 UN Partition Plan: When Great Britain governed the region, the UN General Assembly proposed the establishment of two states, Jewish and Palestinian. The offer was accepted by Israel and quickly rejected by the Palestinians. Instead, the surrounding countries invaded, intent to wipe Israel off the map.1993-1994 Oslo Accords: The Oslo Accords were supposed to be a "peace process." Israel agreed to recognize the Palestinian Authority’s right to self-governance in Gaza and the West Bank in return for the Palestinians’ recognition of Israel’s sovereignty. Soon after the “peace process” was established, Palestinians began attacking Israel with suicide bombers.2000 Israel Offers Follow-up Peace Deal: Israel offered the Palestinians another opportunity to end the violence, but the offer was rejected outright. Instead of proposing an alternate peace deal, former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat initiated terror attacks on Israel that led to the death of 1,100 Israelis.2005 Israelis evacuate Gaza Strip and West Bank: Israel evacuated all Israeli settlements within Gaza and the West Bank, giving this land to the Palestinians in an attempt to establish peace. The Palestinians did not accept the goodwill and instead allowed Hamas terrorists to take over the Gaza Strip and continue rocket attacks on Israel.2008 peace proposal: Israel offered the PA another peace deal that was rapidly rejected by the PA’s president Mahmoud Abbas. Palestinians claimed they were not satisfied with the land boundary proposal in the deal, as they also wanted control over all of Jerusalem’s holy sites.2009 Israel Offers Support for Palestinian State: Israel offered conditional support for a demilitarized Palestinian state, which the Palestinians quickly rejected.2020 USA Peace Plan (Deal of the Century): Palestinians quickly rejected a peace plan formulated by the USA and supported by Israel’s prime minister. The plan’s title was “Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People,” and focused on economic incentives to quickly and drastically repair the Palestinian economy. The Palestinians refused the deal before seeing it.Violence and looting are nothing new in the troubled history of the Gaza Strip. The terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7 is just another link in the long chain of suffering between Israel and Gaza. Only when strong determined governance had full control over the Strip, as Egypt did from 1956 to 1967 and Israel did from 1967 to 1993, could development of the area thrive.Israel has spent 17 years trying to disengage from Gaza without success, and there have been round after round of attacks from Gaza. Despite its economic dependence on Israel, Gaza has remained a significant security problem. The present “Swords of Iron War” could be an opportunity to change the sad reality in the Gaza Strip. It will likely require the return of temporary Israeli military governance, until a more permanent solution is found with international help. Israel says they do not claim Gaza and do not want to govern it. Everyone hopes with international support, a solution does not merely establish a temporary quiet, but ensures peace and stability in the Gaza region for all.The Holy Land, with Jerusalem at its heart, is a place where the great tectonic plates of religion, culture and nationalism collide. The fault lines that run between them have never been quiet and always dangerous. The savagery of Hamas' attack is too raw to imagine any readiness to shake hands. But the defeat of Hamas may remove obstacles that have long stood in the way of regional peace. We need the USA, the UK, and others to take the lead in acting on the possibilities. While innocence is shattered, hope does not have to be.
