Israel Matzav: Ramat Shlomo and the prospects for peace

Ramat Shlomo and the prospects for peace

I understand why the 'Palestinians' and their Arab patrons are making such a big deal out of Ramat Shlomo. Since they have no interest in peace and only want to destroy the Jewish state, their actions make sense. But what about the Americans and the Europeans? Why are they making such a big deal about it? Evelyn Gordon says that their actions show that they haven't learned a lesson that peace requires concessions from both sides.

Ramat Shlomo already has more than 20,000 residents — far too big to be uprooted even without the planned 1,600 new houses. It is also, as Rick noted, of considerable strategic importance, dominating all of Jerusalem’s major roads; thus Israel would insist on retaining it, even if not a single Jew lived there. Finally, its location in no way precludes the division of Jerusalem, which is what both Washington and Europe claim to want: situated in the corner formed by two other huge Jewish neighborhoods to its west and south, it does not block a single Arab neighborhood from contiguity with a future Palestinian state.

Thus if Washington and Europe were serious about wanting an agreement, they would essentially tell the Palestinians: “Grow up. You can’t turn the clock back 43 years, so not everything that was Jordanian-occupied territory in May 1967 will eventually become Palestinian. Some of it will remain Israeli — and that includes Ramat Shlomo. Don’t waste time and energy fighting Israeli construction in areas that will never be part of Palestine; focus on fighting construction in areas that realistically could be Palestinian under any agreement.”

Instead, by their over-the-top condemnations, America and Europe have fed the Palestinians’ fantasy that they can turn the clock back — because the only way this new construction could be the enormous obstacle to an agreement that the world has labeled it is if Ramat Shlomo actually could and should become Palestinian.

Why are the Americans and Europeans making such an issue out of Ramat Shlomo? There are two explanations. One is that they are so totally in the Arabs' pocket that they are not capable of looking at the situation objectively. The other is that they too would like to see the end of the Jewish state.

Take your pick.

What could go wrong?

Israel Matzav: Ramat Shlomo and the prospects for peace