I found this quote from Abba Eban yesterday, in a 1954 op-ed (same Indianapolis Star page as the Egyptian president I quoted earlier):
This is exactly right. The only reason Jordan and Egypt signed peace treaties with Israel is because they realized that Israel cannot be destroyed, and therefore it was in their interest to make the best of the situation.
But Palestinian media (as well as, unfortunately, Jordanian media) keeps publishing the idea that Israel is on the ropes, that the Jews are frightened, that terror attacks will force the Jews to leave. They love republishing Haaretz op-eds that forecast a horrible future for Israel. They pretend that the early bigotry against Mizrahi Jews still exists and will rip apart Israeli society.
Terror leaders parrot these same ideas in their speeches, that Israel is a paper tiger, that it can easily be defeated with rockets or stabbings.
It is that fantasy that stops peace.
For decades, the Palestinian leadership has been waiting, under the illusion that the UN or the ICC will swoop in and declare Israel to be null and void, presumably thinking the Jews will simply go so the Palestinians can move in to their houses.
So they have no incentive to compromise, because they believe they are only months away from victory. This is what they teach their kids.
Most Arab nations accept, explicitly or tacitly, Israel's existence. The Palestinians still haven't.
Abba Eban's 1954 words apply to them, today.
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