Power Line posted an article yesterday regarding a decision by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to pause on peace talks with the Palestinians untill the United States makes some progress in stopping Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, has stated repeatedly that his goal is to destroy Israel.  Ignoring these statements or thinking that they are symbolic is not smart.

A peaceful Palestinian State is a great idea if that is what the giving up of further territory would create, but we know from experience that giving up territory by Israel does not bring peace–it just puts the rockets fired into Israel closer to their targets.  The United States has put and is putting pressure on Israel to give up more land.  If you look at a map of Israel, you realize that giving up the land they are being asked to give up makes the country indefensible and increases the chances of war–not peace.

Paul Mirengoff at Power Line states that he hopes Israel will stick to its guns on this policy.  I agree.  The end of the Iranian nuclear program would be a good thing for everyone.  The Palestinian problem will not be solved until the Palestinians decide to govern the territory they have, not use it as a base for terrorism against Israel.  Some of the areas they now control were prosperous under Israeli control, but when they were given to the Palestinians, the Palestinians destroyed the greenhouses that produced the income that supported the region.  Until that sort of behavior stops, the area will be in poverty and the people angry and looking for scapegoats.