The Latest on the Israel-Hamas Front:
A Proposal Dismissed. Another Suggested and Not Yet Rejected. Will There Ever Be a Two-State Solution?
Iranians at an anti-Israel rally in Tehran
If there is one thing I’ve learned from researching the Israel-Arab conflict, it is that Arab terrorist groups have never shown any real interest in ending it. Furthermore, as I eventually realized, they have no real interest in a “two-state” solution.
For 70 years, the US and other nations have attempted to negotiate some sort of mutual peace pact. And each time, the Arabs have either rejected the deal outright or officially agreed to a cease-fire… only to use the cease-fire to rearm and attack Israel again.
It’s happened almost too many times to count.
And yet, the US once again finds itself in the same position: trying to solve this centuries-old problem by working with Israel and the Arabs as if both sides were serious about finding peace.
From the WSJ, April 16:
President Biden’s strategy of pressuring Israel and pleading with Hamas for a cease-fire and hostage deal has met one more dead end. Hamas rejected another offer over the weekend, countering with new demands designed to throw negotiations into disarray.
As State Department spokesman Matthew Miller explained, “Israel moved a significant way in submitting that proposal,” but Hamas rejected it. “It is Hamas right now that is the barrier and the obstacle to a cease-fire in Gaza.” The Times of Israel reports that Hamas rejected every clause of the proposal brokered by the US, Egypt, and Qatar.
Hamas now demands a six-week truce in which it releases no hostages while Israel stops fighting, withdraws from Gaza’s cities, and commits to a permanent cease-fire, a withdrawal from Gaza, and the return of all Palestinians (including Hamas) to northern Gaza. In other words, an Israeli surrender.
Since then, the Biden administration has smartly partnered with Saudi Arabia to try another tactic that is getting, for the moment at least, some hopeful reporting.
I’d like to think this new version of the Two-State Solution might work. But I doubt it. I’m expecting it to become, at best, an idea that will satisfy neither Israel or Hamas (or Iran and its proxies). But if the talks can continue for another six months, it may be enough to help Biden get reelected.
Read more here and here and here.
Denver’s New Plan for Caring for Asylum Seekers
Migrants in Denver
Denver is cutting $45 million from city agencies, including the police, to help fund a program to deal with a rise in its illegal immigrant population. That $45 million, plus another +/-$45 million in new spending, will be part of “providing a long-term sustainable solution” to the migrant problem, according to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
The $90 million Denver Asylum Seekers Program will help migrants secure housing and work authorization for up to six months after they apply for asylum. “Individuals arriving in Denver after April 10 will be provided a short-term stay at a congregate site along with assistance securing onward travel to another destination,” the mayor’s office said in a news release. “Newcomers who choose to remain in Denver may utilize available local and community support.”
Not surprisingly, most of the reporting on this has been positive, as most of the news agencies covering it lean toward the left. Click here and here and here for some examples.
My guess is that the program is going to be a massive failure. It will quickly blow itself up as the number of migrants looking for free health and human services will skyrocket… and I’m betting it will collapse under its own weight before 2025.
