In "The provocations of Trump's ambassador to Israel are upturning decades of U.S. diplomacy" (07-08-19), The L.A. Times blames the U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, for...well, actually doing something.  Nothing has been accomplished in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the U.S. for decades, but now there are changes.  The Palestinians (and the L.A. Times) may not be happy with what's going on, but let's face it: the Palestinians have done nothing to show they want a state in Gaza and the West Bank.  They just want to fight and defeat Israel.  Why is everyone so afraid to say it?

The Palestinians have two distinct groups, Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank, who can't even form a unity government.  Whom could Israel possibly make a deal with?  Israel has no peace partner!  And let's look at the distinct areas of Gaza and the West Bank.  What sort of nation-building have these two areas done to show the world they are ready for a nation of their own should they even reach an agreement between themselves?  Where is the infrastructure?  Why has corruption run rampant at unprecedented levels?  How is it permissible for Palestinian terrorists to be given pensions for killing their neighbors in Israel?  Why are town squares and high schools in Palestinian areas named after suicide bombers who murder women and children?  Is this the hallmark of a nation that is needed, especially in such a volatile area of the world?  Would any country want this potential nation as a neighbor?  Not in my backyard!

The L.A. Times chooses to highlight a new poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research that determined that "90% of respondents did not trust or believe the Trump administration, and a majority remained skeptical about any forthcoming peace plan."  What would be more interesting is to see a poll on how many Palestinians "trusted or believe" their own leader, Mahmoud Abbas.  The corruption and nepotism of the regime are notorious.  The polls conveniently sidestepped that question, because that's what pollsters from totalitarian regimes do.

Further, the L.A. Times unsurprisingly chooses Aaron David Miller to comment on the Trump administration's moves in Israel.  There comes a point in time when it makes sense to conclude that a so-called expert such as Miller, who has been wrong decade after decade, should not be the "go-to" person to quote for an article about the Israeli-Arab conflict.  Miller has "helped" instruct a multitude of administrations on both sides of the political aisle in the conflict, but his advice has yielded absolutely nothing. 

At this juncture, the Palestinians are incapable of statehood, based on the basic facts on the ground.  One merely has to view what they have done, where they are, and their inability to have one voice.  The Trump administration has followed through on promises of previous administrations (moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem), recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights (a fait accompli and a necessity), and is spearheading an economic initiative to aid the Palestinian people.  What's the problem with this? 

The Palestinians have been given offers of sovereignty an exhausting number of times over decades — enough is enough.  The world needs to move on and live, as do the Palestinian people.  Maybe one day they will be ready for a state, but playing victim and terrorizing their neighbors should not be rewarded with a pass to a nation of their own.