My Word: White flags, red flags, giving in, and giving up - opinion

• Published date: 15 March 2024
• Author: LIAT COLLINS
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

All the world's a stage, as Shakespeare put it, but it's a theater of global war and terror. And there's a chorus standing on the sidelines, parroting tired lines disconnected from the plot. This week, I vowed to concentrate on what was going on in the wider world, although obviously, I couldn't entirely take a break from the war in Gaza, continued rocket and terror attacks, and the plight of the hostages still being held by Hamas and other terrorists

On Sunday morning, my eyes were drawn to the headline of a Reuters story: "Pope: Ukraine should have 'courage of white flag' of negotiations." The Reuters report noted that Pope Francis "made his comments in an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, well before Friday's latest offer by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to host a summit between Ukraine and Russia to end the war." As the report noted, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that "while he wants peace, he will not give up any territory." Putin's Russia, on the other hand, predictably refuses to pull its forces out of the country it invaded without provocation two years ago.

In the interview, which will be broadcast on March 20, the interviewer raised the "white flag" question and the pope reportedly replied, "...But I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people, and has the courage of the white flag and negotiates."

Instead of concentrating on finding international partners to force Putin's blood-stained hand to stop his aggression, the pope would like to see foreign powers mediating, even if it means the victim, Ukraine, loses.

"In another part of the interview," Reuters reported, "speaking of the war between Israel and Hamas, Francis said: 'Negotiating is never a surrender.'"

The 87-year-old pope was still a young boy when Britain and the Western world thought that negotiating with Nazi Germany – handing Czechoslovakia to Hitler – was a good idea and would prevent war. He's old enough to know the consequences.

Appeasement doesn't work

Appeasement doesn't work. If you give in to the bullies – Putin, the Iranian-backed terrorist organizations (and Erdogan, for that matter) – you don't save lives. You set the stage for the next round of hostilities.

While we're on the subject of negotiations, here's a headline from last week's Jerusalem Post that should serve as a warning to the "negotiate at all costs" brigade. A report by Yonah Jeremy Bob sported the title, "IAEA Chief...