President Chaim Herzog of Israel told Palestinian Arabs Wednesday that their opposition to the Jewish state over the past 40 years was a series of dead ends that has brought them nothing but bloodshed, misery and frustration.
“Even now, many Palestinians know in their heart that the uprising which began at the end of 1987 is another mistake, a dead end leading nowhere,” Herzog said, in a broadcast on Israel Radio’s Arabic service program on the eve of the 40th anniversary of Israel’s independence.
Referring to the Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza Strip which began Dec. 9, Herzog said, “This struggle is fruitless, because it shows neither sensitivity nor wisdom, but rather a withdrawal, a withdrawal to the path of violence which was attempted time after time by the Palestinians, and always failed.”
The Israeli chief of state stressed that the Palestinians had repeatedly “missed the boat” during the last 40 years on opportunities for peace with Israel.
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