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Tue., November 27, 2007 Kislev 17, 5768

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Last update - 12:43 23/11/2007

Strengthening them again

By Natan Sharansky

Tags: Palestinians, peace process

One of the high points at which the drama could have turned into a farce within seconds occurred nine years ago at the Wye Plantation summit. After exhausting and debilitating efforts, we received from Yasser Arafat a promise (even if half-hearted and unwilling) to delete from the Palestinian Charter the sections calling for the destruction of Israel.

Upon leaving the conference room, we saw one of the closest advisers of President Bill Clinton and proudly told him about our achievement.

"Are you out of your minds?" he shouted. "He's going to be killed because of that. He is too weak for dramatic steps like that. First he has to be strengthened!"

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I recalled this tragicomic story a few days ago as I was talking with a player from the international elements engaged in building up the destroyed Palestinian economy. When I asked him why they weren't making aid to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) contingent on stopping the anti-Israeli incitement on the official television channel and in the Palestinian education system, he replied, "Abu Mazen is so weak, and this is not a popular step. First of all, it is necessary to strengthen him and afterward it will be possible to demand something of him."

I have never understood this strange reasoning: First strengthen the weak leader, by giving legitimization to anti-Israeli actions that he allows (or encourages, and sometimes even operates) and then, once the anti-Israeli positions have made him popular, expect that he will suddenly change his spots and lead his people determinedly toward the desired peace.

This distorted approach has become a kind of sacred cow. "We must strengthen Abu Mazen," say Israel's leaders as a kind of mantra. It is of no importance that along the way they are educating another generation of Palestinians to hatred, violence and the aspiration to destroy Israel. It is of no importance that the way to the strengthening is the diametric opposite of peace and dialogue. The main thing is that we are strengthening Abu Mazen.

The old argument of President Shimon Peres and Meretz MK Yossi Beilin and Defense Minister Ehud Barak on "with whom to make peace, a strong leader or a weak leader" is no longer relevant. A look back over the years since the Oslo Accords shows clearly that the direction in which Palestinian society has marched is not the direction of peace. It was all in all just a hudna (truce) before another intifada. And when the society is becoming more extreme, what difference is it to us if the leader is strong or weak?

It is true that to carry out courageous reforms and educate the people to peace, a strong and bold leader is needed. Leaders like that, who understand the need for education toward peace and reforms, do exist - but not in the Muqata in Ramallah. These are people who are not afraid to challenge the tyranny of the weak leader and who believe in building a civil society as a necessary foundation for any progress on the road to peace.

As chairman of the Institute for Strategic Studies, I meet them quite frequently. It is true that they are weak, but for one reason only: We ourselves are weakening them by giving unreserved support to "moderate" tyrants. The justification that support for these troublemakers weakens the only element that is capable of stopping Hamas doesn't hold water: It is precisely the strengthening of an antidemocratic regime and the absence of an alternative that are pushing the public into the arms of fundamentalists, into the arms of Hamas. Annapolis is doomed to failure not because we or the Palestinians have not made enough concessions - it is doomed to failure because it is built on distorted reasoning to the effect that it is possible to move ahead and make a deal with some leader and totally ignore what is really happening in Palestinian society. In this, to our regret, Annapolis has become another tragifarcical Middle Eastern scene.

The writer is head of the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies at the Shalem Center.

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1.	This guy	13:11	\|	JJ	23/11/07

2.	The P.A. charter has still not been changed	13:18	\|	Zev	23/11/07

3.	If hypocrisy in this world would have a last name......	13:24	\|	Swiss (Dino)	23/11/07

4.	Abbas=USA/israel puppet	13:58	\|	unveil the truth	23/11/07

5.	Abbas=USA/israel puppet	13:58	\|	unveil the truth	23/11/07

6.	very tactical-how about some strategy	14:16	\|	sameoldagain	23/11/07

7.	Simply right	14:31	\|	Shalom Freedman	23/11/07

8.	Distorted criticism	14:32	\|	Michael	23/11/07

9.	# 5 unveil the truth	15:43	\|	tbora	23/11/07

10.	NATAN, O, NATAN MY MAN	16:06	\|	indrajaya	23/11/07

11.	Blaming the victims?	16:23	\|	new_york_loner	23/11/07

12.	Wye Annapolis	16:30	\|	D.R. Zukerman	23/11/07

13.	He Belongs Back in the Gulag!	16:45	\|	Matthew	23/11/07

14.	The Swiss - the true hypocrites of the world	16:48	\|	Gee	23/11/07

15.	Freedom-fighter.....	17:24	\|	Esther	23/11/07

16.	Mathew and memory	17:37	\|	Laura	23/11/07

17.	Another Bronxite.	17:45	\|	D.R. Zukerman	23/11/07

18.	# 14 Gee (the anti-Swissite)	17:56	\|	Swiss (Dino)	23/11/07

19.	Sharansky looking for a new excuse	18:04	\|	Tosefta	23/11/07

20.	#11 blame the victim, Loner in NY	18:08	\|	American tax payer	23/11/07

21.	To Laura	18:13	\|	Matthew	23/11/07

22.	ARe Sharansky and Bibi the Only Smart Ones Left in Israel ?	18:14	\|	Tod Zuckerman	23/11/07

23.	Zukerman Unbound	18:17	\|	Matthew	23/11/07

24.	Mathew in the Bronx	18:18	\|	MacCall	23/11/07

25.	Laura and Mathew	18:23	\|	Catherine	23/11/07

26.	d.r zuckerman you`re a clever man	19:22	\|	enough	23/11/07

27.	Road Map is part and parcel anti-Zionist ,anti-Semitic.	19:26	\|	Joseph E .	23/11/07

28.	Israel needs stronger partners	19:29	\|	Fritz Teich	23/11/07

29.	#8	19:29	\|	B	23/11/07

30.	Natan`s Education Continues	19:31	\|	Mentat	23/11/07

31.	Sharansky Doesn`t Get It	19:34	\|	Mark of Lewiston	23/11/07

32.	Someone we don`t hear from enough	19:35	\|	B	23/11/07

33.	this man is confused	20:24	\|	tadchase	23/11/07

34.	What makes Sharansky such a mega-hypocrite....???	21:34	\|	Swiss (Dino)	23/11/07

35.	Swiss Dumbo	22:22	\|	Gee	23/11/07

36.	Wow the throw a man in the gulag for speaking his mind	22:43	\|	Gee	23/11/07

37.	#20 american tax payer	23:06	\|	dan	23/11/07

38.	Comrade Sharanski-KGB agent	23:19	\|	durak	23/11/07

39.	An Israeli Leader With Ethics and Conscience	23:22	\|	Yoram	23/11/07

40.	again and again...	23:23	\|	Shmuelshachor	23/11/07

41.	#3 Good one, Swiss (Dino)	23:23	\|	Ben Alofs	23/11/07

42.	# 35 from Gee to Swiss Dino	02:28	\|	Nostupid	24/11/07

43.	#36 Gee	02:37	\|	Richard	24/11/07

44.	Effective censorship	03:15	\|	Mark Lincoln	24/11/07

45.	So much for reasoning	03:48	\|	D.R. Zukerman	24/11/07

46.	propaganda trap	03:50	\|	ron	24/11/07

47.	Strengthening the PA	04:13	\|	Gary	24/11/07

48.	An example of self-delusion (Mark Lincoln #44)	04:52	\|	Tosefta	24/11/07

49.	now that`s leadership for you	05:29	\|	ian lemming	24/11/07

50.	How To Clean a Bloody Knife	06:35	\|	Joseph E . post 1	24/11/07

51.	How To Clean a Bloody Knife	06:37	\|	Joseph E . post 2	24/11/07

52.	How To Clean a Bloody Knife	06:38	\|	Joseph E . Post 3	24/11/07

53.	How To Clean a Bloody Knife	06:40	\|	Joseph E . Post 4	24/11/07

54.	ummm...yeah but natan; have you asked yourself...	07:26	\|	eric	24/11/07

55.	#54eric fails at history again and again	08:16	\|	victor hardman	24/11/07

56.	#`s 50-53 to joseph e	08:43	\|	eric	24/11/07

57.	# 41 Ben Alofs	09:40	\|	Swiss (Dino)	24/11/07

58.	# 35 Gee, one last (desperate) try.......	09:51	\|	Swiss (Dino)	24/11/07

59.	# 55 to victor in IRELAND	09:51	\|	eric	24/11/07

60.	#59eric confirms his views are pure fantasy	11:03	\|	victor hardman	24/11/07

61.	Joseph E.	11:43	\|	Cipora Julianna Kohn	24/11/07

62.	Re Laura and memory #16	11:46	\|	Esther	24/11/07

63.	#56, eric	11:49	\|	Cipora Julianna Kohn	24/11/07

64.	victor hardman`s specifics	11:56	\|	enlighten us	24/11/07

65.	# 61 Cipora Julianna Kohn Wow !!!!!!!	12:19	\|	Swiss (Dino)	24/11/07

66.	#65, Dino	12:51	\|	Cipora Julianna Kohn	24/11/07

67.	For Joseph et Cipora	12:54	\|	Esther	24/11/07

68.	Who/what is this Sharansky?!	13:09	\|	Esther	24/11/07

69.	esther-i`ll answer that	14:16	\|	an opportunist of	24/11/07

70.	# 37, dan	14:19	\|	Callahan	24/11/07

71.	Sharansky would be a good p.m.	14:49	\|	Hilda	24/11/07

72.	#64 dear chevra in 60 years none of the silly ideas have worked	15:35	\|	victor hardman	24/11/07

73.	# 71, Hilda	15:38	\|	Bruce	24/11/07

74.	Natan	15:38	\|	Yosemite	24/11/07

75.	# 74, Yosemite	16:17	\|	Bill	24/11/07

76.	If Israel Waits for Thomas Jefferson to Appear	17:00	\|	Jane	24/11/07

77.	Hilda, Hilda, Hilda.......	17:14	\|	Wiktor	24/11/07

78.	sounds like`all the kings men` movie	17:22	\|	ROB OF MELBOURNE AUS	24/11/07

79.	Jane, How ironic you sound...	18:37	\|	Dutch	24/11/07

80.	Batan Sharansky, Ever heard of HUmpty Dumpty?	19:18	\|	dutch	24/11/07

81.	yo Dino	19:32	\|	tadchase	24/11/07

82.	Exactly and History proves the opposite	19:40	\|	Chick Corea	24/11/07

83.	#66 Cipora the conceited	20:29	\|	Mary	24/11/07

84.	PA vs Hamas	21:20	\|	ira jaffe	24/11/07

85.	peace with abbas?	21:54	\|	michel	24/11/07

86.	# 81 tadchase	22:05	\|	Swiss (Dino)	24/11/07

87.	To Zev # 2 - The PA Charter is the most ferocious	22:07	\|	Dagma	24/11/07

88.	Strengthening them again	22:10	\|	hyman peskin	24/11/07

89.	Swiss (Dino): You are wrong!	22:20	\|	Vittorio	24/11/07

90.	Safe American Babblers ( You and We Know Who You Are )	23:07	\|	Yoram	24/11/07

91.	shame	23:14	\|	indira	24/11/07

92.	arming the enemy	23:21	\|	sweis Melbourne	24/11/07

93.	# 83 mary! i think i`m in love with you!	23:36	\|	eric	24/11/07

94.	#swiss on sharansky	23:59	\|	duncan	24/11/07

95.	TO ZEV #2	00:15	\|	Steve Beikirch	25/11/07

96.	# 89 Vittorio	01:24	\|	Swiss (Dino)	25/11/07

97.	TO JOSEPH E. (the plagiarist) #50	01:29	\|	Steve Beikirch	25/11/07

98.	# 94 duncan	01:32	\|	Swiss (Dino)	25/11/07

99.	Unveil the truth = Absurdity	01:44	\|	unveil the lie	25/11/07

100.	# 63 to cipora	02:06	\|	eric	25/11/07

101.	Sharansky: Are you openminded vis a vis Palestinians?	03:02	\|	context	25/11/07

102.	Jane - agreed	03:13	\|	Mark Lincoln	25/11/07

103.	Jane - democracy and Islam	03:21	\|	Mark Lincoln	25/11/07

104.	TO Cipora Julianna Kohn #61 regarding Joseph	03:26	\|	Steve Beikirch	25/11/07

105.	And again we agree Jane	03:27	\|	Mark Lincoln	25/11/07

106.	HAMAS has threatened to take over the WB after Israeli withdrawal	03:53	\|	PETER SM	25/11/07

107.	#97, Steve	04:26	\|	Cipora Julianna Kohn	25/11/07

108.	Muslim Enlightenment Will Happen	04:26	\|	Jane	25/11/07

109.	all these rats!	04:28	\|	Gee Wiz	25/11/07

110.	Mark Linclon - Bush and Co. are On Their Way Out the Door	04:31	\|	Jane	25/11/07

111.	Mark Lincoln-You Should Read Aayan Hirsi Ali`s book	04:39	\|	Jane	25/11/07

112.	# 60 victor...you and i both know (2nd try)	04:58	\|	eric	25/11/07

113.	TO Cipora Julianna Kohn #107	06:06	\|	Steve Beikirch	25/11/07

114.	Sharansky is suggesting to maintain the status quo, what else is	06:26	\|	Smadar	25/11/07

115.	#111, Jane	06:44	\|	Cipora Julianna Kohn	25/11/07

116.	Who are these other leaders?	07:16	\|	ARTH	25/11/07

117.	#56 eric in nm	09:07	\|	No dope	25/11/07

118.	# 113 to steve in texas	09:10	\|	eric	25/11/07

119.	Mary, and your point is...?	09:17	\|	Margie in Tel Aviv	25/11/07

120.	Negotiate with Hammas and Hezbola	09:46	\|	solid jew	25/11/07

121.	# 117 to no dope	07:24	\|	eric	26/11/07

122.	TO ERIC #118	07:38	\|	Steve Beikirch	27/11/07

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