There's a city called Maale Adumim near Jerusalem in Israel. It has about 40,000 residents and it is part of the Jerusalem metro area. That makes Maale Adumim the third largest Jewish city in the area that was under Jordanian control prior to the Six Day War in 1967. A tram ride from Maale Adumim to the old city of Jerusalem takes all of 2 minutes to complete. If you take a slow moving bus that stops on every corner, the ride still takes less than 10 minutes. I mention all these facts because the UN and many countries in the EU are now claiming that were Israel to formally annex this city, it would be a terrible blow to the "peace process".
Think about that. No one believes that any peace is possible between Israel and the palestinians that would result in Israel not keeping Maale Adumim. The Israelis will never accept any outcome under which they must give up a city of 40,000 Jews who live about 2 miles from the Israeli national Parliament. Even the Palestinians would agree that such an outcome is inevitable.
It's also important to note that Maale Adumim is surrounded on all sides by the Judean desert. No Palestinian villages or even farms had to be moved for the city to be constructed over the last 45 years. No one is clamoring to get back to their old hometown that was lost on this site. There's no reason for Israeli control of Maale Adumim to provide any reason for peace to be put off.
So why is it that there is such uproar about Israel's plan to annex certain of the so called "settlements"? The simple answer is that once again, there are too many people who think it is more important to consider what is being said rather than the actual facts. Long ago, the Palestinians started saying that not a single Israeli could remain in the Palestinian state. Just like the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s, the Palestinians want a state that is free of Jews. And the much of the world has bought into this racist idiocy.
Then there's the fact that Obama was against any Israeli settlements of any sort. When Trump became President, he elevated reality over silly fictions that went nowhere. Jerusalem is the actual capital of Israel; Trump recognized that reality. Israel controls the Golan Heights that Syria lost when it attacked Israel almost 50 years ago. Israel annexed the Golan Heights as it was allowed to do under international law. Trump recognized that reality. The Palestinians were all outraged at these moves by President Trump, but they could do nothing about it. They are being forced to deal with the actual facts and not some fantasy agenda that will never move anyone towards peace. Because Obama took one position and Trump reversed it, however, the anti-Trump forces in the media and elsewhere have an impetus to cling to the silly idea that just by giving lip service to a fantasy, the region can move towards peace.
We're not likely to see peace between Israel and the Palestinians any time soon. Still, the best thing the world can do is to recognize the realities in the region, the actual facts on the ground. The hysteria over annexation of a place like Maale Adumim is counterproductive and ought to be dropped.
Think about that. No one believes that any peace is possible between Israel and the palestinians that would result in Israel not keeping Maale Adumim. The Israelis will never accept any outcome under which they must give up a city of 40,000 Jews who live about 2 miles from the Israeli national Parliament. Even the Palestinians would agree that such an outcome is inevitable.
It's also important to note that Maale Adumim is surrounded on all sides by the Judean desert. No Palestinian villages or even farms had to be moved for the city to be constructed over the last 45 years. No one is clamoring to get back to their old hometown that was lost on this site. There's no reason for Israeli control of Maale Adumim to provide any reason for peace to be put off.
So why is it that there is such uproar about Israel's plan to annex certain of the so called "settlements"? The simple answer is that once again, there are too many people who think it is more important to consider what is being said rather than the actual facts. Long ago, the Palestinians started saying that not a single Israeli could remain in the Palestinian state. Just like the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s, the Palestinians want a state that is free of Jews. And the much of the world has bought into this racist idiocy.
Then there's the fact that Obama was against any Israeli settlements of any sort. When Trump became President, he elevated reality over silly fictions that went nowhere. Jerusalem is the actual capital of Israel; Trump recognized that reality. Israel controls the Golan Heights that Syria lost when it attacked Israel almost 50 years ago. Israel annexed the Golan Heights as it was allowed to do under international law. Trump recognized that reality. The Palestinians were all outraged at these moves by President Trump, but they could do nothing about it. They are being forced to deal with the actual facts and not some fantasy agenda that will never move anyone towards peace. Because Obama took one position and Trump reversed it, however, the anti-Trump forces in the media and elsewhere have an impetus to cling to the silly idea that just by giving lip service to a fantasy, the region can move towards peace.
We're not likely to see peace between Israel and the Palestinians any time soon. Still, the best thing the world can do is to recognize the realities in the region, the actual facts on the ground. The hysteria over annexation of a place like Maale Adumim is counterproductive and ought to be dropped.
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