Weekly Commentary: Destroying terror infrastructure better compliance test
than stopping incitement

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 20 August 2009

Stopping Palestinian incitement against Israel and destroying the terror
infrastructure are both important Palestinian obligations. But it would be
a serious mistake on Israel's part on all counts if it opted to focus on
Palestinian incitement as the primary test of Palestinian compliance.

Don't get me wrong. Palestinian incitement against Israel serves to not
only poison the atmosphere today but also plants the seeds for yet another
generation of Palestinians brainwashed against co-existence.

It is important to shame the Palestinian media, education system and other
platforms for Palestinian incitement and efforts in this field certainly
deserve our praise and support.

But years of Oslo have taught us that "incitement" isn't a workable
compliance test.

#1. Over a decade of various Palestinian-Israeli committee meetings have
yet to come up with a robust and readily applicable definition of
incitement.

#2. There is no agreed way to measure or rank the severity of different
"incitements" (something that is a function, among other things, of not only
the content of the incitements but also the identities of the inciters and
the venues of the incitements).

As a result, the determination of compliance (in particular, when compliance
is judged on a comparative rather than absolute basis) is readily
susceptible to self serving manipulation and distortion.

Put in simple English: If the Netanyahu team focuses on incitement as the
test of Palestinian compliance they will ultimately find themselves being
told by Washington that the Palestinians have kept their part of the
bargain - regardless of what horrific evidence PMW and others come up with
to the contrary.

In sharp contrast, it is possible to come up with a schedule of readily
observable terror infrastructure destroying activities for the Palestinians
to carry out as well as indicators of the continued existence of a terror
infrastructure.

Hint: "Moderate" Fatah's own armed militias are part of the terror
infrastructure and PLO Conference declarations notwithstanding, the
Palestinians are obligated to permanently close them down along with all the
other militias.

Again: Ending the poisonous Palestinian incitement against Israel would make
a vital contribution to long term stability. But it would be a terrible
mistake to focus on Palestinian incitement as the primary test of
Palestinian compliance.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il