There is no more discredited concept in peacemaking than “land for peace.” Historically, “land for peace” has always been the prelude to war. Think back to September 29, 1938. That was the day that the West, with Chamberlain at the head, signed the Munich Agreement ceding Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland to Germany. Did this appease Hitler or merely whet his appetite? Has the land that Israel given to Egypt created “peace”? For some forty years there has been a cold peace–during which time the Egyptian population has grown to hate Israel even more. Now the Moslem Brotherhood in Egypt is actively seeking to abrogate the Camp David Accords–and even the Egyptian Army is demanding that key provisions of the treaty be renegotiated. And have we forgotten Israel’s unilateral ceding of northern Gaza to the Palestinians? Where did that lead? To 15,000 rockets being fired at Israel (continuing until this moment).
Now along comes Syria. In what has to be the biggest joke in the Middle East, Syria says that it wants “peace” with Israel. This–while Syria continues to arm Hezbollah on a massive scale and gives its ports over to the Iranian Navy. FM Lieberman had it exactly right yesterday when he said that Syria is not interested in peace; it is merely interested in the Golan Heights (by the way, can you imagine the Iranians on the Kineret?). As Lieberman noted, from here on out, Israel will not negotiate land for peace; it will negotiate peace for peace.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.