I don't always agree with Michael Totten, but I read his blog to remind myself that there are free-thinking, thoughtful, principled liberals out there if one looks for them. (My family is another place where this species can be found.) In The Globalization of Gaza , Totten says, "It is time to ask ourselves honestly: Is it possible to support a Palestinian state without encouraging terrorists elsewhere?"
His essay proceeds to take a courageous position, among liberals that is, in that it echos George Bush's view that regards an end to Palestinian terror as a necessary precondition to the discussion of a Palestinian state, not as a negotiating chip with which they can forever "bargain". He is critical of the so called "roadmap" however:
The trouble with the road map isn't that Palestinians won't cooperate. The problem is there's no punishment if they don't...Instead, Israelis are effectively told they have no right to defend themselves; that only the Palestinian Authority is allowed to fight terror.
Totten then proceeds to spell out his solution in no uncertain terms:
First, defeat terrorism. Second, nurture democracy. Third, negotiate a settlement.
Sound familiar? In a refreshing departure from so much of the leftist rhetoric which equates the "wrongs" of Palestinian terror and Israeli occupation, Totten proposes the following:
The first phase should be simple. Terrorism must be punished. And anti-terrorism must be encouraged. The Palestinian Authority should be given one last chance to eliminate terror. And if the PA refuses, the U.S. must do the following:Classify the Palestinian Authority as a terrorist organization.
Declare "regime change" in the West Bank and Gaza the official United States policy.
Support to the hilt every anti-terror operation by Israelis short of war crimes.
The first phase would not be complete until the enemies of peace are defeated, deported, imprisoned, or killed. These include Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Yasser Arafat's Fatah, the Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigades, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. It may also include the Palestinian Authority.
Interesting plan, however simplistic and lacking in nuance it may be. Read it all.
UPDATE: This article reminded me of another recent example of a prominent liberal writer talking sense on the Palestinian question. Martin Peretz, editor of The New Republic had this essay at Front Page Magazine a few weeks ago.