U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week were dangerously out of touch with reality and may leave us wondering if he is a bad guy or just incredibly ignorant. It's worth asking.
Blinken said that despite the proven example of the Abraham Accords, an Israeli-Arab peace agreement reached despite Palestinian opposition, and actual evidence that the Palestinians want to build, a Palestinian state is not possible. He reiterated that this is an essential precondition for peace in the Middle East. A unique state without the destruction of the Jewish state.
That wasn't the worst thing. The strangest comment came from Mr. Blinken. claimed Arabs want peace more than Israelis.
And, as I said before, I think the big difference is in the mindset of the leaders of the Arab world and the Islamic countries. And it's kind of a reversal, a reversal, you know better than anyone. Previously, when we were close to resolving the Palestinian issue and establishing a Palestinian state, Arab and Palestinian leaders, at Camp David and elsewhere, were trying to prepare their people for this serious situation. I think there was a perception that they were not making enough efforts. change. I think now is the challenge, now is the question. Is Israeli society ready to address these issues? Are you ready to have that kind of mindset? That's challenging. And of course, it's doubly difficult when you're so intensely focused on Gaza and all the security questions that are daily life for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Palestinians who look to the Middle East, support terrorism, celebrate the October 7 attacks, and raise their children to hate Jews have a “mindset” more conducive to peace than Israelis. If you conclude that, you may be right. Insane.
That's certainly a possibility. Blinken made the remarks during an on-stage “interview.” new york times Columnist Tom Friedman's anti-Israel comments anti-semitic explosion Opposed to the “Jewish lobby” in Congress.
It is also possible that Mr. Blinken is simply a very bad person. Remember, Blinken was an apparatchik. tidy Fraudulent letter from 51 national security “experts” in 2020 claiming Hunter Biden's laptop must be Russian disinformation.
The Biden campaign knew the laptop was real. So did the government. But Blinken and his intelligence community allies were prepared to abuse their access to information to mislead the American public so Biden could lie in the debate.
Demonizing Israelis as bad guys who don't want peace retroactively justifies the Hamas terrorists who carried out the October 7 attack, and it also fuels anti-Israel anti-Semitism on college campuses and American cities. incite hatred.
It's also just plain wrong.
The Israelis have longed for peace since before the founding of their nation. No country in history has made such a painful sacrifice for peace. The children of Israel grow up listening to songs of peace. Israelis seek it at every opportunity.
In 2012, 61% of Israelis supported a Palestinian state, compared to 30% who did not. Meanwhile, Hamas was firing rockets and building tunnels of terror. The Palestinian Authority continued to pay terrorists and indoctrinate children with hatred.
Polls of Palestinians show that about 75% support the October 7 attacks. Public opinion is similar in other parts of the Arab world. poll It found that two-thirds of Arabs supported the October 7 attack and 89% rejected any recognition of Israel.
Despite the war, it is true that the Abraham Accords remained strong. But leaders of Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia, have hardened their demands against Israel, at least in public, since the war began.
Mr. Blinken's claims are completely baseless.
It is true that Israelis are not ready to accept a Palestinian state in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks.Recent polls by Gallup suggest Currently, 65% of Israelis oppose such a state. This is a complete reversal of public opinion ten years ago.
However, this is not because there is some problem with Israel's “way of thinking.” This is a direct response to Hamas' terrorist attacks, from 2014 rocket attacks to his 2023 genocide.
This year, Blinken's bosses in the Obama administration lifted sanctions on Iran and gave it access to billions of dollars used to fund and arm Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis. Note that this was also the 10th anniversary of the Iran deal, which determined the And other terrorists. That, more than anything else, is causing war in the region.
Perhaps Blinken is trying to say that Israelis: government is the problem (although he specifically mentioned Israel) society). The Biden administration and Democrats generally hate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who resists efforts to placate Iran.
But who is he referring to when he says that Palestinian leaders are ready for peace? To Mahmoud Abbas, who recently defended Adolf Hitler and justified the Holocaust?
Perhaps Mr. Blinken is blind to the true nature of the Palestinian leadership.
After all, he actually said these words at Davos:[T]Palestinians are looking very hard at how they can create more effective governance that actually delivers what the people want. Some of the things that need to happen are basic: basic government functions, services, no corruption, and transparency in how the government pursues itself. ”
Did no one laugh? Perhaps they did so in Ramallah: 87% of Palestinians themselves believe Their own government is corrupt. Who are the reformers?
Perhaps he resents Israel or is simply ignorant. Or perhaps — Mr. Blinken finds it easier to criticize Israel than confront Iran, but he largely ignored Iran in Davos.
Perhaps he's just a coward rather than a hateful idiot, but one doesn't exclude the other.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He published his 2021 e-book “The Zionist conspiracy (and how to join it)' has been updated and a new preface has been added. He is also the author of a recently published e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
