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| The signing of the Abraham Accords at White House (Israel Hayom) |
As I noted earlier, the media is far more interested in
bashing the president than in acknowledging that he may have ended Iran’s
nuclear threat. It’s telling that they continue to cite that early report, even
in the face of a growing body of intelligence - some of it from the UN and even
Iranian officials - indicating that the attack was very likely as successful (or
nearly as successful) as the president described.
Even when the media begins to concede that point, they
quickly pivot to another narrative: that the mission was a failure because
several containers of 60% enriched uranium are unaccounted for, and that there
might be hidden centrifuges elsewhere capable of enriching that uranium to the 90%
weapons-grade levels. In other words, anything to deny the president a foreign
policy victory. On this issue, the Democrats and the media are in lockstep.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, claiming victory
and declaring that the nuclear program will continue at full speed is nothing
more than face-saving bravado meant to appease his fanatical supporters.
I believe we can dispense with the notion that the mission
was a failure. Although a full report has yet to be released, what we do
know makes it highly unlikely that Iran can resume its nuclear program anytime
soon. According to a number of apolitical analysts I’ve heard interviewed over
the past few days, Iran’s nuclear program has likely been set back by years.
And even if it hasn’t, the U.S. still has several of those
30,000-pound bunker buster bombs ready to MOP up any remaining threats. Against
which Iran has no real defense.
With Iran weakened to this extent, it might be time to
revisit the question of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Though I once believed a two-state solution was possible
under the right conditions, I abandoned that notion long ago. An abandonment
cemented by the atrocities of October 7th. Palestinians in Gaza cheering the
brutal murder of 1,200 Jews and 250 hostages taken by Hamas on that day showed the world that they seek nothing
less than total sovereignty over all the holy land. From the river to the sea.
A Palestinian state alongside Israel’s long and vulnerable border with Judea and
Samaria would be Gaza on steroids. Such a solution would be suicidal. It can
never happen so long as Palestinians are indoctrinated - from cradle to grave -
to destroy our presence on what they view as ‘their’ land.
Yet, according to Israel Hayom, the idea of a
two-state solution has been revived and conditionally accepted by Israel’s
prime minister as part of a comprehensive plan to end the war in Gaza. Here are
the reported details:
A four-way phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer took place immediately following the U.S. assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities. According to a source familiar with the conversation, Israel Hayom reported that all participants were euphoric about the results of the B-2 bomber mission.
They reportedly agreed in principle to the following steps, with rapid implementation planned, beginning with the end of the Gaza conflict:
- Gaza hostilities will end within two weeks, with administration of Gaza transferred to a coalition of four Arab nations (including Egypt and the UAE), replacing Hamas. Hamas leaders will be exiled, and all hostages released.
- Mass emigration from Gaza will be facilitated by countries around the world willing to accept those wishing to leave.
- The Abraham Accords will expand to include countries such as Syria and Saudi Arabia, along with other Arab and Muslim nations recognizing Israel and establishing diplomatic relations.
- Israel will express willingness to resolve the Palestinian conflict under a two-state framework, contingent on Palestinian Authority reform.
- The United States will recognize limited Israeli sovereignty in parts of Judea and Samaria.
If there’s one thing I feel certain about, it’s that
Netanyahu is a patriot who would never agree to anything that endangers Israel
or its people. So how could he agree to cede any control to people whose
ultimate goal is our annihilation?
Here are some thoughts. The greatest danger from Hamas
wasn’t Hamas itself. It was Iran, who gave them the resources and
support to carry out their attacks. With Iran now severely weakened, Hamas can
do little more than sporadic terrorism. something Israel has proven quite
capable of containing.
Yes, Palestinians still harbor genocidal desires against us,
but they may soon lack the capability to act on them. Iran will no longer be
able to fund or arm them.
The same is true of Hezbollah, which has been largely silent
since Israel dismantled their command structure. Even the former al-Qaeda
member now leading Syria appears more interested in rebuilding his country than
continuing a futile conflict with Israel, and has reportedly shown openness to
joining the Abraham Accords.
The Houthis remain belligerent, but without Iranian
sponsorship, it’s unclear how long they can sustain that posture. No other
country appears willing to take over Iran’s role as the region’s main terrorist
sponsor.
The key point: Without Iran’s backing, these groups lose a
major share of their capacity to pursue their goal of eliminating Israel. They
may be forced to settle for whatever they can get. Not because they’ve
abandoned their hatred, but because they lack the ability to act on it.
That said, I don’t believe for a moment that the Palestinian
Authority will accept a state under the conditions being proposed. They will
not reform. They remain corrupt and committed to the long-term goal of
reclaiming all of ‘Palestine.’ Even if
the U.S. recognizes a Palestinian state under these conditions, the PA won’t
accept them.
Nor will Hamas willingly release hostages in exchange for a
permanent ceasefire. Their demands - such as the release of all Palestinian
prisoners, regardless of the severity of their crimes - remain outrageous. And
even if they were to agree in principle, they would never willingly relinquish
control of Gaza to foreign Arab states or accept exile.
As for the idea of large-scale emigration from Gaza to
nations that would accept them, it’s possible, but I’m not confident it will
occur in significant numbers.
One promising outcome of Israel’s conditional agreement to a
two-state solution is that it might finally bring more Arab nations into the
Abraham Accords. Imagine what it would mean for Israel to normalize relations
with Syria and Saudi Arabia. Which would be added to the normalization between
Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and
Sudan. Imagine the increased trade,
tourism, and regional cooperation. It would truly transform the Middle East in
ways previously thought impossible.
If Trump can pull this off - his recent nomination for the
Nobel Peace Prize might actually be taken seriously by the Nobel Committee.
