How many times have we heard complaints from Israeli politicians about the evils of the Hamas Charter or even the PLO Charter of past days, proof pudding that the Palestinians do not wish peace, but wish to throw Israel into the sea? It's just plain terrorism.

But how many of us appreciate that there is also a Likud Charter that is no less evil, if by that we understand that it is not a pathway to peace, but prescribes a formula for dissolving Palestinian aspirations for statehood, of obliterating the Palestinians as a people.

The Truth of Israel's Intentions was written by Karen Nakamura for The Electronic Intifada back on 30 July 2006. What it provides three years later is the play book of the Netanyahu government, the Likudniks of today and how they see the conflict enfolding. It is enlightening because while not a damned thing has changed over the years, the Obama administration is hung up in it: the Likud Charter.

This section is from Likud's Charter.

PEACE AND SECURITY chapter of the Likud Party Platform

1. Declaration of a Palestinian State: A unilateral Palestinian declaration of the establishment of a Palestinian state will constitute a fundamental and substantive violation of the agreements with the State of Israel and the scuttling of the Oslo and Wye accords. The government will adopt immediate stringent measures in the event of such a declaration.

2. Settlements: The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria [West Bank] and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an important asset in the defense of the vital interests of the State of Israel. The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop these communities and will prevent their uprooting.

3. The Permanent Status: The overall objectives for the final status with the Palestinians are: to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians on the basis of a stable, sustainable agreement and replace confrontation with cooperation and good neighborliness, while safeguarding Israel's vital interests as a secure and prosperous Zionist and Jewish state.

4. Self-Rule: The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan River. The Palestinians can run their lives freely in the framework of self-rule, but not as an independent and sovereign state. Thus, for example, in matters of foreign affairs, security, immigration and ecology, their activity shall be limited in accordance with imperatives of Israel's existence, security and national needs.

4. Jerusalem: Jerusalem is the eternal, united capital of the State of Israel and only of Israel. The government will flatly reject Palestinian proposals to divide Jerusalem, including the plan to divide the city.

5. The Jordan River as a Permanent Border: The Jordan Valley and the territories that dominate it shall be under Israeli sovereignty. The Jordan River will be the permanent eastern border of the State of Israel. The Kingdom of Jordan is a desirable partner in the permanent status arrangement between Israel and the Palestinians in matters that will be agreed upon.

6. Security Areas: The government succeeded in significantly reducing the extent of territory that the Palestinians expected to receive in the interim arrangement.

In short, the Likuds do not see a Palestinian state in the future, and everyone should understand that the deception could implicate prolonged peace talks to no where as happened with the Olmert government. Netanyahu has already indicated that no sovereign Palestinian border is possible, the Jordan Valley belongs to us, Jerusalem will be undivided, and so on and so forth.

What we are seeing from Netanyahu is just a play out of the Likud platform. Nothing more, nothing less. There just is no peace process and there will never be one under a Likud government.

Hence, just what do the Palestinians have to lose by seeking statehood through the UN, especially since the Obama-Clinton-Mitchell team have conceded victory to Netanyahu.