Israel Must Last Forever

Why write such a title? Why must we even consider such a thought as Israel no longer existing?

What would the world be like without Israel? Would all of the problems of the Middle East at once be solved? Will the Arabs and Middle East Muslims, amidst the rubble of Israel, finally find pluralism, democracy, human rights, reform . . . . ? I find that unlikely - without an Israel, the Middle East bullies will search for some other scapegoat, someone else to paper over the fact that te Arab nations, Iran and the extreme Islamic movements do little for their people in terms of education and economic development.

I bring this up after reading an interesting piece in Ha'Artez by Bradley Burston. Do Palestinians really feel that they can just wait and wait and wait and wait for one day, one day when Israel will no longer exist, when Iranian President Ahmadinehad will actually make good on his words, when Hamas will fulfill their charter, when the Arab world will finally redeem itself after having been defeated by the Jewish State? Should I expect this conflict to outlive me, my children, my grandchildren . . .