First post of the year...

...And the more things change, the more they stay the same.

One thing I am glad to see never changes is the analytical razorblade that is Caroline Glick of the Jeruzalem Post. Mandatory reading every day, but today she sparked an idea I've been having for a while (I'll get into that later on):

...we arrive at the main fact that we have refused to acknowledge since the Palestinian Authority was established. We already know what a Palestinian state is because we have been living next to it for 11 years.

For Israel, that state has four significant attributes. First, the Palestinian state is a failed state comparable to Somalia and will remain a failed state comparable to Somalia. The Palestinian state will never be ruled by law. It will forever be ruled by gangs that thrive on chaos. It will never fight terror, but rather will always enable terror. It will never build the physical, economic or ideological foundations upon which a healthy economy can grow but rather will continue to divert its funds to financing terrorism and will continue to indoctrinate its people in the culture of jihad. The transformation of the former Israeli communities in Gaza into terror training camps is just one example that illustrates this general principle.

This so cuts to the heart of the problem. For more than a hundred years now, Arab collective efforts have been directed towards a sole purpose: To get rid of the Jews. These efforts only gained in support after the formal creation of the state of Israel. Apart from the few people who just want to get on with life, every 'politician', every religious leader, anyone who ever played any role in the theater, they may have been divided on the how and when, but there has NEVER been a difference in opinion between them on this key issue: Israel has to be destroyed. There is still no Arab that feels differently. You may find some who are resigned to Israel's existence, but if they had a choice, it would be clear. It is sad, but it is crucial to recognize this.

There have been NO Arab Palestinian leaders who strove to live in peace with Israel. There have been none who recognize its right to exist. There have been none who took initiatives to stop the incitement in schools and mosques.

And there are none today.

What is even more sad is, none of Israel's neighbours feel any different on the matter.