From Shmuel Hollander, former cabinet secretary under Yitzchak Rabin and Shimon Peres, in Ma’ariv (excerpted by MFA):
The author, who served as Cabinet Secretary to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and his successor Shimon Peres, declares: “I have no doubt that if he had not been murdered, Yitzhak Rabin would have cancelled the Oslo accords and sent Arafat and his cohorts back to Tunisia,” and adds: “I sobered up at that time, with great pain, from the vision of peace in which I believed and which crumbled before my eyes in the blood of innocent Jews.”
The paper avers that “Whoever talks about ‘two states for two peoples’ is, for all intents and purposes, talking about establishing a Hamas state in Judea and Samaria in addition to Gaza since it is clear that Hamas will take control of Judea and Samaria, whether by elections or violence (as in Gaza). This means an Iranian proxy a few kilometers from the heart of Israel.”
The author asserts: “The gap between Israel’s positions, including moderate elements among the public, and the Palestinians is immense and unbridgeable. Not in our time,” and bids his readers closely read Khaled Mashaal’s recent speech in Gaza.
The paper suggests that “Even if there was not even one settlement in Judea and Samaria, it would not be possible to reach a lasting peace,” and adds: “Whoever accuses the Government of halting the diplomatic process and promises to change the situation is selling the public an illusion with no basis in reality. It would be better to tell the truth: We are fated to continue fighting for our land and our lives and to live on our swords for a long time, as in the past 100 years. It is much easier to become caught up in the euphoria of peace, as in the days of Oslo. The truth is hard and painful, but it is preferable to illusions.”
(h/t Yoel)
