ISRAEL NEEDS ROWDY YATES
[This Monday’s Archive was written 20 years ago on August 22, 2003. It is particularly apt to re-publish it this week given the proto-hominid barbarism of Hamas upon Israel on October 7. Given this, the conclusion may seem Pollyannic, yet nonetheless, let’s hope Bibi Netanyahu is the Rowdy Yates that Israel needs now.]
TTP, August 22, 2003
You know I’m not Jewish. And I’m not a supporter of Israel for Millennial Christian reasons (e.g., Jews have to get the Holy Land back before there can be a Second Coming). I support Israel because I support Western Civilization, of which Israel is a part and because of which she is under attack.
And also because I think proto-hominids who slaughter women and babies on purpose have no right to exist.
Let’s put it this way — they have no human rights because they are no longer human in the first place.
The only silver (well, maybe pewter) lining to the latest suicide bus-bomb massacre in Jerusalem is that it may cause enough Israelis to demand the Rowdy Yates Solution.
Rowdy Yates was the character played by Clint Eastwood in the 1960s television series “Rawhide.” It was Clint’s first regular acting job, propelling him to stardom, in which he played second-in-command of a Texas cattle drive in the 1870s. It was Rowdy Yates’ job to implement the orders of the Trail Boss, Gill Faber, to “Head ’em up, move ’em out” — keep the cattle moving out of Texas and to the railhead in Kansas, fighting off Indians, rustlers, and assorted bad guys in the process.
The Rowdy Yates Solution for Israel is to head up the Arabs within its borders who insist on calling themselves “Palestinians” and move them out of Israel — including that part of Israel called by Israelis “Judea & Samaria” but that the media insists on calling “The West Bank.”
It should be obvious by now there is no other viable solution for Israel’s continued existence. There are simply too many “Palestinians” who do not and will never recognize Israel’s right to exist, and who subsequently condone any act of anti-Israel terrorism no matter how depraved.
The Rowdy Yates Solution for the Survival of Israel has three components:
- That Israel do what it should have done after it recaptured its territory in the Six Day War 36 years ago: annex the West Bank.
- Declare that Gaza is no longer Israeli territory, but is now recognized as an independent State of Palestine.
- Announce that inhabitants of the West Bank have a choice: become Israeli citizens or emigrate to Gaza or another (presumably Arab) country.
Every Arab and EU country will boil over in anger — but so what? How could Arab hatred and European anti-Semitism get worse than it is already? Arab and EU refusal to support Israel’s defense against Palestinian terrorism negates their objections. There will be much wailing and gnashing of international teeth, but it will pass as the new reality is accepted.
How could all those millions of Palestinians fit into tiny Gaza? Easy — just like all those millions of Chinese fit into tiny Hong Kong.
Root out Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, throw out Arafat and all remnants of the PLO, supply Gaza with an honest rule of law, create institutions that enable honest businessmen to flourish and punishes corruption, ensure basic democratic liberties, and Gaza will be a peaceful and prosperous Palestinian State.
If these requirements are not achieved and the place craters, well, it’s just not Israel’s problem any more. It’s a lot easier to wall and fence off Gaza than the West Bank.
Yet the truth is, the Rowdy Yates Solution of annexing the West Bank and turning Gaza into a sink-or-swim Tough Love City would give Palestinian Arabs their best shot at a future. The current cynical “Road Map” leads to continued control over their lives by either Hamas thugs or Yasser Arafat and his utterly corrupt cronies in Ramallah.
Palestinian businessmen are plenty smart. Palestinian workers work hard and well. Set them up in a Hamas and Arafat-free Gaza and they will create a Palestinian Hong Kong. Before you know it, they’ll have bought the Sinai from Egypt to increase their territory, and will be doing so much business with Israel the “Arab-Israeli Conflict” will seem a stupid anachronism from the 20th century. “Make Money Not War” will be their credo.
Ariel Sharon doesn’t look much like a young, or old, Clint Eastwood. But for Israel to survive, either he or some other Israeli leader has to start playing the role of Rowdy Yates. As Johnny Lane sang the theme song to the crack of a whip, “Head ’em up, move ’em out…. Rawhide!”