Those words obviously came from some Likudnik neo-con, right? Maybe from Joe Lieberman? Mitch McConnell?
No? You still give up?
Well...I'll end the suspense. Those are the words of none other than Irwin Cotler, Canadian MP from the Liberal Party. Former Attorney General and Justice Minister of Canada. A man who was once arrested for representing Nelson Mandela. A man who has represented Palestinians at both the Israeli High Court and in Palestinian Courts.
In yesterday's Jerusalem Post, Mr. Cotler accurately sets out the causes of the current conflict as well as the proposed solution.
The proximate trigger for the present hostilities was the deliberate and consistent attack on Israeli citizens by Hamas. Over 6,000 rockets and mortar shells have been launched at Israel since its Gaza withdrawal in the summer of 2005, including hundreds while the supposed truce between Hamas and Israel was in effect.
When Hamas then unilaterally declared the truce over and tripled its rocket-fire, Israel was obliged to act in self-defense.
YET EVEN this proximate trigger does not tell the whole story. It is rather a symptom, or proxy, for the root cause: the unwillingness of Hamas - and its Iranian patron - to accept the legitimacy of Israel within any boundaries in the Middle East.
The fog of war: Root causes and resolution
Mr. Cotler goes on to suggest an 8-point plan for resolving the conflict. The bullet points are as follows:
- A comprehensive cease-fire framework that addresses the above-referenced casus belli;
- A robust international protection force, one that would prevent Hamas from targeting Israeli citizens, and from using its own citizens as human shields;
- Stop the smuggling of weapons;
- Gilad Shalit must be freed, even if Israel has to release all the captives it has from the current conflict;
- The border crossings and humanitarian corridors must be maintained along the lines of the 2005 agreement;
- Humanitarian assistance must be deployed immediately, with recognition that Hamas's tactics have directly hindered humanitarian access;
- An international trusteeship, under the UN, to govern Gaza; and
- Palestinian society must stop demonizing Israel.
There you have it. I should add that I agree with everything that Mr. Cotler has said. But, I just can't wait to hear everyone's opinions as to why the defender of Nelson Mandela is too much of an AIPAC-Likudnik-neo-Con to render an appropriate opinion on this subject. Or, for that matter, why anyone thinks that they know more about the conflict from reading a few diaries than Mr. Cotler.