September 21, 2015: In Israel Palestinian leaders don’t even try to hide what they are doing as Palestinian media regularly runs stories encouraging Palestinians and Israeli Arabs to use whatever kind of violence they can to attack and kill or injure Israeli Jews. Palestinian leaders get on TV and tell teenagers that throwing rocks and fire bombs at Israelis, especially those in cars or busses, is not breaking any law and is justified resistance to Israeli repression. The Palestinian politicians further encourage the teenagers by pointing out that if Israel uses force against rock throwers and kills or injures any of them it is the Israelis who will be guilty of war crimes. Naturally this encourages a lot more Palestinian teenagers to throw rocks and those that manage to injure or kill Israelis are considered heroes.

The Palestinian leader believe they can manipulate world media and bully their way to victory over Israel. They are calling this type of violence the “Third Intifada.” Peace is definitely not on the Palestinian agenda. Most Israelis and according to a recent U.S. opinion polls, most Americans agree. Casual violence in the West Bank is increasing. This usually takes the form of young men throwing stones at Israeli soldiers or civilians. Israeli women and children are the preferred targets because they are the least likely to shoot back if the rocks begin to inflict injuries. Palestinian propaganda praises those who kill children just as much as those who killed soldiers or police. All are heroes of the Palestinian struggle to destroy Israel. This is becoming embarrassing for some Western nations when it was pointed out that their aid money was being used directly to make some of this propaganda possible. Peace efforts are further hampered by the fact that Palestinians lack a single leader, with Fatah in charge of the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza. There is no progress (or much hope) in healing that rift. This is in spite of a much publicized peace agreement between Fatah and Hamas. The current Palestinian plan is to go back to the UN and get recognition there as a “sort of” state and build on that to get the UN to impose economic and military sanctions on Israel for imaginary war crimes. Arab oil states have been throwing their money around for decades in the UN, to get nations to go along with meaningless resolutions condemning Israel, so this plan has a chance of success. Money talks at the UN and there are many states willing to sell their support if the price is right. Now the Palestinians want resolutions with teeth but that may prove a scam too far.

Israel has always made more of an effort than the Palestinians to work out a peace deal. This has included some bold moves that backfired. Thus the pullout of Israeli troops from Gaza and southern Lebanon backfired. Pulling out of the West Bank has been considered but there’s too much chance of anarchy and more violence. Israelis find the Palestinians amazingly self-destructive, largely because they remain officially (via their media and comments by officials) committed to the goal of destroying Israel, yet pretend to try and make peace. As one Israeli official commented, “the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”

The only thing the Palestinian Authority (Fatah) has to offer is written and unwritten agreements with Israel whereby Fatah helps Israel control Islamic terrorists in the West Bank and Israel helps keep Fatah in power. Fatah is regarded by most Palestinians as corrupt and self-serving but at least they provide some jobs and public services. With Fatah the Israelis know they are basically dealing with gangsters. For the Palestinians their inability to create competent, honest and efficient leaders is a great shame and the main reason by so many Palestinians want to emigrate, or support terrorism (against Israel or, in support of Hamas, against Fatah). Many Palestinians understand, but will not say out loud, that even if the Palestinians somehow eliminated Israel and the entire area became Palestinian the Palestinian people would still suffer from corrupt and ineffective government.