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Tuvia Book
Author, educator, Tour-Guide, artist

Houses: The real cause of the imminent failure of the current peace talks

One might think that the reasons for the predicted failure of the current round of peace talks between Israel and the PA, which Daniel Gordis refers to as, “a war that may never end,” (and that is causing John Kerry to amass an obscene amount of frequent flyer points) might be linked to one of the following reasons:

  • The radical brainwashing of the (EU funded) PA school system that promotes a culture of violence, glorifies suicide bombers as martyrs, delegitimises, through gross historical revisionism, the mere existence of a “Zionist entity” on “Palestinian land,” and from the age of kindergarten upwards poisons young minds AGAINST peaceful coexistence.
  • The unaccountable vanishing of hundreds of millions of US and EU tax-payer’s dollars and euros, earmarked for the rebuilding the PA administered territories into private bank accounts and arms purchases, whilst the majority of the population languishes in abject poverty.
  • The apparently unbridgeable divide between the PA and the  Hamas who only agree on one thing, there should be no Israel.
  • The intransigence of the PA peace negotiation team who insist on the release of evil and warped murderers (and role-models for their society) as a prerequisite to even talk about “peace.”
  • The failure of the PA to educate their population (in Arabic) and publically recognise the legitimate right of the Jewish people to live (in peace) anywhere in their ancestral homeland.
  • The incessant demand of the “right of return” of hundreds of thousands of “Palestinian refuges” by the PA in an attempt to demographically flood Israel.

Well folks, the actual root cause of all the turmoil in the Middle East and biggest threat to world peace, believe it or not, seems to be Jews building houses!

If you think this is strange, just listen to Catherine Ashton who, on behalf of the EU, expressed “deep concern” over the announcement last week that the Municipality of Jerusalem was building houses in three Jewish neigbourhoods of Jerusalem. In an official statement, that reads as if it was issued by the PA, she said,

These plans could put at risk the prospects of Jerusalem becoming the capital of two states…The EU and the international community have repeatedly warned that any unilateral action prejudging the final status of Jerusalem threatens the current peace negotiations and, as a consequence, the two-state solution,”

The American State Department, not wishing to be outdone, also issued its own official statement, reflecting the current United States government position.

We oppose any unilateral actions by either party that attempt to prejudge final status issues, including the status of Jerusalem… We’ve called on both sides to take steps to create a positive atmosphere for the negotiations.”

In other words, “The Jews,” as Ashton frequently refers to the Israeli government, (except on the recent International Holocaust Memorial Day where, incredibly, she managed to issue an official statement on behalf of the EU remembering the victims of the Holocaust, without mentioning the word “Jew” once) are the root cause of the current impasse. The world’s only super power, the United States, concurs with the EU and Kerry, unbelievably, even recently threatened Israel with sanctions that will surely follow the predicted breakdown of the current talks.

The State of Israel is consistently forced to make “good will gestures” to the PA, such as a building freeze and releasing barbaric murderers who, not only express no regrets, but indeed are lionised (and paid with donors funds) as heroes by the PA.  Meanwhile, the intransigent PA are not held accountable for the minimal demands made of it. In fact, they do not even need to state their positions, as these are clearly mentioned time and time again by both the EU and the USA, who both make excellent spokespeople for the PA.

One thing we Jews should have learned by now, in the words of Bialik, is, “not to rely on the pity of the nations.” Israel cannot negotiate under the threat of sanctions with a “partner” who shows absolutely no desire for partnership. It takes two to tango. Israel has demonstrated time and time again the price it is prepared to pay for genuine peace. After every war for survival Israel has fought since 1948 she has reached out her hand for peace.

Finally Egypt, after trying defeat Israel on the field of battle multiple times, realised that the only way to get what it wanted was through peaceful negotiations. In 1978, the Camp David Accords set a precedent of “land for peace” by giving Egypt the entire Sinai Peninsula, and dismantling all of the Israeli settlements, Israeli-developed oil fields, and military bases, in return for Egypt recognising the Jewish State and making (cold) peace. In 1994, Jordan followed the Egyptian precedent.

Israel has been trying to make peace with the PLO since the 1993 Oslo Accords. In 2005 Israel unilateraly withdrew from the Gaza Strip every single Jew and dismantled all of the settlements, in return for… a Hamas controlled terror entity. The Arab world must realise that they will never achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict through war and terror, but only through genuine peaceful negotiation.

Israel cannot and should not by bullied.  Israel needs to be resilient and to demonstrate both tremendous strength and courage to be in charge of her own destiny and to keep the Zionist dream alive!

About the Author
Tuvia Book has a doctorate in education and is the author and illustrator of the internationally acclaimed Israel education curriculum; "For the Sake of Zion; A Curriculum of Israel Studies" (Fifth edition, Koren), "Jewish Journeys, The Second Temple Period to the Bar Kokhba Revolt, 536 BCE-136 CE," (Koren), "Moral Dilemmas of the Modern Israeli Soldier" (Rama) and the soon to be published “Jewish Journeys, The First Temple Period, 1000 -586 BCE” (Koren). Dr. Book was born in London and raised in both the UK and South Africa. After making Aliya at the age of 17 and studying in Yeshiva he volunteered for the IDF, where he served in an elite combat unit. Upon his discharge he completed his undergraduate degree in Jewish history and literature, as well as a certification in graphic design. He then served as the Information Officer and deputy head of security at the Israeli Consulate of Philadelphia, while earning a graduate degree in Jewish Studies. Upon his return to Israel, Dr. Book graduated from a course of study with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and is a licensed tour guide. Tuvia has been working in the field of Jewish education, both formal and informal, for many years. He has guided and taught Jewish students and educators from around the English-speaking world for some of Israel’s premier educational institutions and programs. Tuvia has lectured throughout North America, Australia, Europe, and South Africa. In addition, his artwork has been commissioned on every continent (except Antarctica). Tuvia served as a Shaliach (emissary) for the Jewish Agency for Israel as the Director of Israel and Zionist Education at the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York (Jewish Education Project). He was a lecturer/educational guide at the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education (AMIIE) in Israel. Tuvia has lectured at both Bar Ilan University and Hebrew University. He is a Teaching Fellow at the Tikvah Fund. He is a research associate at the Hudson Institute. His latest book, "Jewish Journeys, The First Temple Period, From King David to King Zedekiah, 1000 - 586 BCE," (Koren) is part of a series on Jewish history.