"Take Risks For Peace"? I Think We Get The Idea

George Will writes about the need-to-take-risks-for-peace lecture that Israel often gets:

In the intifada that began in 2000, Palestinian terrorism killed more than 1,000 Israelis. As a portion of U.S. population, that would be 42,000, approaching the toll of America’s eight years in Vietnam. During the onslaught, which began 10 Septembers ago, Israeli parents sending two children to a school would put them on separate buses to decrease the chance that neither would return for dinner. Surely most Americans can imagine, even if their tone-deaf leaders cannot, how grating it is when those leaders lecture Israel on the need to take “risks for peace.”

How much more grating is it when risks for peace such as the Disengagement result in nothing more than years of having thousands of rockets fired at Israeli civilians.

Besides the current administration has delivering that lecture...

Obama, July 2010: I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu wants peace. I think he’s willing to take risks for peace.

Sometimes the lecture includes both Israel and the Palestinian Arabs as well:

Danilo Turk, President of Slovenia to UN August 2003: “We must do all in our power to encourage Israelis and Palestinians to take risks for peace, and even consider new initiatives to energize the process

Sometimes the US says that it is willing to take risks as well:

Colin Powell, May 2004: "Addressing the opening session of the World Economic Forum convening in Jordan for the second year in a row, Powell added that the US administration will take risks in the cause of peace."

Truth be told, other countries have also been urged to take risks for peace:

Congressional Record on first anniversary of Irish Good Friday Peace Agreement, March 1999: Those who take risks for peace can be assured of timely support by President Clinton, Congress and the American people.

Colin Power, speaking about India and Pakistan January 2003: ‘‘But it is crucial that they both take risks for peace on the subcontinent and work to normalise relations’

Hillary Clinton, August 2010: "Clinton, in Tanzania, urges Africa to take risks for peace"

And you don't even have to be a country to take risks for peace:

Bill Kovarik, "Sometimes journalists take huge risks for peace"

But while Israel and the Palestinian Arabs are together asked to take risks for peace, and sometimes Israel alone has been urged to take risks for peace--the question remains:

Michael Kolker, April 2010: Why doesn't anyone ever ask Palestinians themselves to take risks for peace?

Because instead, what we are getting is:

Abbas, April 2010: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas calls on President Obama to impose a Mideast peace deal

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