December 27, 2004
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was in the Middle East last week.
He seems to be getting it about the so-called “peace process” between Israel and the Palestinians.
In the past, Blair has suggested only a Palestinian state would bring peace to the region.
On this visit, he said something different.
After an eloquent defense of the British and American presence in Iraq, Blair flew to Israel where he said real peacemaking can’t begin until the Palestinian side cracks down on terror.
There were some platitudes from the Palestinian side about more Israeli withdrawals from land it occupied to protect it from invasion, but no pledge to end the violence.
The Palestinian leadership won’t order a stop to the violence, because violence is central to their policy of eradicating the Jewish state and eliminating the Jewish people from the region.
The say so; they have proven so; their textbooks teach hatred for all things Israeli and Jewish.
That’s their game.
Blair seems to have gotten it.
Let’s hope so, because only a united western front will show the Palestinians that violence will not achieve their objectives.
I’m Cal Thomas in Washington.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C. Watch his television show, After Hours with Cal Thomas, on the Fox News Channel, Saturdays at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.
