# 405 On One Condition

Israeli P.M. gave a speech to the UN General Assembly.

He reminded us of the original UN Resolution in 1947 FOR TWO STATES!!

(I wonder what would have happened had the Arabs accepted that vote. Would Jerusalem still be under UN/International rule? Would Tel Aviv still be the capital?)

Israel decided not to dwell on the (very immediate and horrible) past. It decided to focus on the future; move on. We not only reached the Promised Land, we built it!

We made peace with our neighbours – Egypt, 34 years ago, Jordan 27 years ago, and now with more countries as part of the Abraham Accords.

Israel has developed fantastically, populated by Jews, Muslims and Christians (and many others). We have nothing to prove; the country speaks for itself. Lapid repeated what I have said so often: Come visit and be surprised.

Iran – How come we continue to accept a UN member plotting the demise of another?

Peace is not weakness – War is a surrender to all that is bad within us. Peace is a victory of all that is good.

2-State solution. Most here support the wish, the intention. Lapid does. But there is a condition. There must be peace. Oooh, says most of the World and the opposition in Israel, currently embroiled in yet another election campaign. Let’s blame Israel for the lack of peace.

But, as Lapid clearly points out, we have done just about everything that is required for a peaceful existence. Everything is in place. In Palestinian-controlled areas, just about the opposite can be said.

Does the World need proof of the development of other countries in the Middle East? Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Lybia, Yemen. And Islam’s invoplvement in the demise of Afghanistan cannot be overlooked.

Israel can lift the Gaza restrictions TOMORROW MORNING! We are ready to help the Palestinians build a life, a democracy, a decent country. All preparations are in place. They just need to show that peace is the only option. They need to stop firing rockets into Israel. They need to finally release the 2 dead and the 2 living hostages we know are in their possession.

Lapid has victims in his family: his father was a Holocaust survivor; his grandfather a Holocaust victim. And he has an autistic daughter who cannot speak. But she has experienced silent fear as she was hurriedly carried into a shelter to escape the incoming missiles.

This was a terrific speech by a real diplomat. A centrist, in no way connected with left or right extremism. Yes, a list can be made of mistakes he and his coalition have made during the last year. But we have had a year of political cooperation that once seemed impossible. This is a country ripped apart by pressure and blind extremism. We might even see the return of Bibi, who certainly had done much good for the country, but got lost in self-promotion.

OK, so now you know that, because of the Palestinians, there is no hope for a 2-state solution, no matter what anyone wishes, even our PM.

Gosh, I hope he wins the next election. Remember, he’s my neighbour!

Happy New Year, 5783!

Stephen