Israel must say “no” to extending the freeze formally or de facto.

Israel must also say “no” to the peace process sooner or later. Even if Israel continued to build and the PA was prepared to return to the peace process, Israel should refuse to negotiate unless of course she is prepared to swallow the deal the international community has in store for her.

According to FM Avigdor Leiberman,

“During my recent visit to the US I learned that Washington is planning to force a permanent agreement on Israel – two states for two peoples along the 1967 borders, plus-minus 3 or 4% of the territory exchanged,” Lieberman said. “This is the objective of a continued freeze – to give the US and the international community two months to come up with a solution that will be forced on Israel.”

Such a deal comes with the division of Jerusalem or with its internationalization.

Benny Avni writing in the NY POST under the title Peace Malpractice reported

“The offer to Abbas included (again, in writing) US acceptance that the border of the future Palestinian state should be based largely on the 1949 armistice lines — ignoring the new reality in the land Israel took in the defensive war of 1967, where there are now large Jewish settlement blocs”.

All the more reason to say “no”.

That is not to say that if she refused to enter negotiations with such a predetermined end, the international community would not impose their solution on her anyway, or at least, try to.

Israel must bite the bullet sooner or later. Either accept her fate at the hands of the international community, lead by the US, and get whatever goodies she can, or stand her ground. She must declare openly that she will not accept such a deal. No more hiding behind the need for security or the demand for recognition as a Jewish state. She must cut to the chase and refuse such a deal. No more pretending.

A very recent Israeli poll showed Israelis favored building and ending the freeze by a margin of 54/39. Of course anyone in favour of building is against the two state solution. Why build if you are going to give it away?

Those who want peace are placing too high a value on it, considering that it is likely to be ephemeral and too low a value on retaining Judea and Samaria which would be eternal.

So we are really back to the rejection of the two-state solution which was Netanyahu’s position before and during the last election. When Netanyahu was forming his government, it immediately became apparent that he was not to be trusted. He brought Dan Meridor, a left of center politician into Likud, rejected Moshe Feiglin and invited Labor to join the coalition. Netanyahu didn’t want to be controlled by the right and looked to diversify his government

Nevertheless, the pressure is building on Netanyahu to extend the freeze and he is saying we have a few days to decide. At the moment he is outnumbered and lacks Cabinet support for extending the freeze.

If he agrees to it without Cabinet support, the government will fall.