Effective deterrence against Arab terrorism will require, among other things, a consistent and unsentimental public policy. Arabs who would slaughter Jews should know in advance that they will be hunted down and, if not killed in pursuit, will be quickly captured, quickly tried and convicted, and severely punished, so that the price they pay [and Israel must not be soft on their accomplices] will not be worth whatever they deem the benefit of their crimes. But this is not enough….
Any Arab who openly incites acts of violence against the State of Israel or any of its citizens, Jewish and non-Jewish, will be promptly deported. Any current law to this effect must be rigorously enforced and with all due publicity.
Any Arab who supports, in word or in deed, any organization, domestic or foreign, that engages in bellicose activity against the State of Israel will be promptly deported….
But now let us go to the heart of matter. There is no greater incitement to on-going Arab terrorism than Israel’s puerile policy of “territory for peace.” So long as Jewish politicians and intellectuals encourage Arabs to believe they can regain control of Judea and Samaria, this will incite them to attack Jews everywhere…. Israeli weakness—its lack of national leadership, solidarity and purpose—is an incitement to Arab terrorism.
The lesson should be clear: the best deterrent to Arab terrorism is rapid Jewish settlement of Judea and Samaria [after eliminating the entire Arab terrorist network]. This can be facilitated by the passage of a Homestead Act comparable to that which the U.S. enacted back in 1862. Small plots of vacant land should be sold at relatively low prices to Jews on the condition that they will reside there for at least five years.
Such a policy would not only encourage aliya, but many Jews from Israel’s crowded cities would move to Judea and Samaria. Also, a Homestead Act would encourage capital investment—both foreign and domestic—which should be accelerated by liberal fiscal policies.
Once the Arabs see this political commitment and economic investment and development, they will resign themselves to the permanent and increasing presence of Jews in Judea and Samaria, from which many will decide to leave….
Contrary to its critics, the Jewish settlement of Judea and Samaria—and I have not forgotten Gaza—is in the best interest of peace. Indeed, many American senators and congressmen have called Jewish settlements “obstacles to war.”
Once the government of Israel screws up its courage and acts consistently with this strategic assessment, the settlements of Judea and Samaria will become a constructive deterrent to Arab terrorism.
