British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain visits with Nazi Officials in Munich, 1938. Photo: German Federal Archive

History is full of agreements similar to the one just negotiated with Iran – agreements made on paper, but never enforced or carried out. Here is a short chronological list.

1. The Palestinian Mandate was set up in 1922, granting Jews the whole of Palestine as their homeland and giving them the right of close settlement. This never came to fruition – and Jews only obtained control over much of Israel after the 1967 war. And right now, Jews are being denied Judea and Samaria (West Bank) as their homeland.

2. The Versailles Treaty, entered into at the end of World War I, prohibited Germany from re-arming itself. In the 1930s, Hitler began rearming Germany and nobody, though they had the authority and the power to do so, had the will to stop him. By the time they decided Hitler was a threat, it was much too late.

3. In 1956, Nasser imposed a blockade on the Straits of Tiran, preventing maritime access to the Israeli port in Eilat. Israel invaded the Sinai and conquered it. President Eisenhower forced Israel to retreat, and the U.S. guaranteed that the Straits would remain open. In 1967, Nasser closed the Straits of Tiran again, and the U.S. reneged on its guarantee.

4. After the ’67 war, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 242, which permitted Israel to remain in occupation until she had secure and recognized borders. Israel had the right to keep some of the land and to negotiate borders. Now President Obama and the UN are trying to force Israel to vacate all the land without negotiations.

5. In 1995, Israel and the PLO/PA signed the Oslo Accords. The accords were like a constitution for the governance of the Palestinian territories in question. Since then the PA has blatantly violated the Accords – but no one, including Israel, has wanted to abrogate the Accords or force the PA to comply. For one, no one lifts a finger to stop the PA from funding and carrying out terrorist attacks against Israel.

6. In consideration for Israel agreeing to withdraw from Gaza, President Bush gave Prime Minister Sharon a letter in which the U.S. committed to certain policies, such as upholding Resolution 242, not requiring full withdrawal from Palestinian territories, and limiting the “right of return.” Elliott Abrams, who helped draft the letter on behalf of the Bush Administration, said this letter constituted an agreement. After Obama’s inauguration, he nullified the agreement.

7. When the second Lebanon War was ending in 2006, the UNSC passed Resolution 1701, which called for the disarmament of Hezbollah. The resolution was never enforced, and Hezbollah now has 100,000 rockets ready to rain down on all parts of Israel.

Are we to expect anything better from Iran, which has a long track record of cheating on agreements and violating resolutions?

The Munich Agreement was signed in 1938, as an attempt to appease Hitler. On returning home, Chamberlain celebrated the agreement as ushering in “peace for our time.” The agreement was opposed by Winston Churchill, who famously said to Chamberlain: “You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will have war.”

The same might be said today of Obama and Kerry. They sacrificed the interests of Israel and the U.S. on the altar of peace and appeasement, and may get war as a result.