The Oslo Accords - still killing people

(JNS) — We are fast approaching Sept. 13, 2023, which will mark 30 years since the Oslo Accords were signed on the White House lawn under the auspices of then-President Bill Clinton.

It was one of the worst mistakes Israel has made over its 75 years of statehood. The Accords elevated arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat into a statesman, but he never changed his stripes. Israel has suffered immensely since Arafat and his minions were given diplomatic status and legitimized.

Since the Oslo Accords were signed, at least 1,661 Israelis have been murdered in terror attacks. Many more have been wounded. Sixty-four Americans have been killed by Palestinian terrorists as well. Not a whisper from the State Department.

The Oslo Accords were by no means accepted by a clear majority of Israelis. Shimon Peres convinced two members of the right-wing Tzomet Party, Gonen Segev and Alex Goldfarb, to vote for the Accords. They were given ministerial positions in return.

Had Segev and Goldfarb voted with the rest of their party, the Oslo Accords would have never come to be. The Tzomet Party was led by true right-winger Rafael Eitan and how Segev and Goldfarb could have broken ranks still troubles me 30 years later.

Israelis by and large see the Oslo Accords as a mistake, but Israel continues to fall prey to the same type of thinking that brought them into existence. Giving guns to terrorists is always a bad idea, but this was precisely what Israel did. The consequences have been tragic and devastating: More than twice as many Israelis were murdered from 1993 to the present as from 1967 to 1993.

The recent murders of Lucy Dee, Maia Dee, Rina Dee, Or Eshkar, Elan Ganeles, Hallel Yaniv, Yagel Yaniv, Shlomo Liderman, Yaakov Yisrael Paley and Asher Menachem Paley all have their roots in the Oslo Accords.

Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas still honors the murderers and continues to pay large sums of money to terrorists and their families. Until Israel and the international community stop the 30-year charade of the Oslo Accords, terrorism will remain a major problem in Israel. Enough is enough.

Dr. Joseph Frager is a lifelong activist and physician. He is chairman of Israel advocacy for the Rabbinical Alliance of America, chairman of the executive committee of American Friends of Ateret Cohanim and executive vice president of the Israel Heritage Foundation.