Not this time, either

Editorial

Encouraged is not the right word. News that the Palestinian factions have agreed to a ceasefire – a hudna – with Israel strikes us as better than violence. But the reality of past peace deals, temporary or, as we once imagined the Oslo process, permanent, is that Palestinian terrorists have often used gestures of peace to bide time to restock weapons. Is the latest olive branch the same? Probably.

Forgive the negativity, but has there been any tangible reason to hope for lasting peace with Israel's neighbors? Terrorist factions still agitate for the end of the Jewish presence in the Middle East. The Palestinian Authority, often blatantly, continues to support and harbor these factions. In the PA and throughout the Arab world, hateful messages still comprise the curriculum of schoolchildren. Playgrounds, schools and community centres still bear the names of "martyrs" believed to have entered heaven through the blood of Jews. Religious extremists still whip their flocks into hysterical hatred against the infidel Jews.

If Israel has learned anything from the past decade, it is to hope for peace, but prepare for war.

The Palestinian Authority and the various factions within its society make noises about peace every few years when they have an ulterior motive to do so. We fear that this most recent peace initiative, too, shall pass.

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