Israel is losing the battle for public opinion in America, says Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie. For “an important group of public intellectuals”, the Israeli government’s failure to engage in the peace process with the Palestinians, and its policy in the occupied West Bank, are sources of real concern. “And we are not talking here about the usual cast of anti-Israel characters, but of mainstream journalists, scholars, and opinion makers.” Last week, The New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman “castigated” Israel for its building of settlements in the West Bank; a few weeks before that Alan Dershowitz, usually a “ferocious” supporter, proposed a settlement freeze. “A broad spectrum of respectable, pro-Israel opinion is emphatically suggesting the need, right now, for some sort of movement on the Palestinian issue.” Meanwhile, Dani Dayan, a figurehead for the settler movement “so warmly embraced” by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has been proclaiming his vision of the future. “It is to build more settlements so as to keep things in the West Bank as they are and to formally reject the two-state solution that has been at the heart of American foreign policy for decades.” No mention was made of “democracy or the needs of the Palestinians”. In the light of these extremist views, the critics “seem not only reasonable but welcome. It is essential that these voices be listened to.” Haaretz (Tel Aviv)
When at the Convention the Democratic leadership insisted yesterday that ” Jerusalem is the capital of Israel” there were boos from the audience. Things are beginning to change. Epicureans should always reject extremism and promote fair compromise. It is our duty to do what little we realistically can to support intelligent Jewish moderates in Israel and elsewhere.
You can’t compromise with Palestinians. The goal of Hamas is to wipe Israel of the face of the earth. It’s written in their charter. Most serious Muslims have a similar view. There will never be peace between Israel and Muslims. Never. Ever. Islam is a war creed, as per the head chopping example of the “prophet” Muhammad himself. The Koran and Hadith are littered with Jew hatred. “Epicureans should always reject extremism”. Yes, and Islam is an extreme religion so the only sane response is a policy of containment and pre-emptive self-defence.
Obama (and much of the media) see the world through a simplistic oppressor v. oppressed mentality. That’s why Obama droned on about winds of change in the Arab Spring. In reality, a Muslim world without oppressive dictators will not result in liberal democracy, it will revert to fundamentalist Islam. Even Turkey is headed that way: hundreds of secular journalists and military have been imprisoned/charged recently. Obama is a fool.
Having friends in both Israel and Palestine, and hearing both points of view, I have great deal of sympathy for both sides of this tragic situation. Jews and Palestinians lived peacably together until the influx of immigrants arrived after the second world war, bringing to the Palestinians upheaval and threat of ‘land grab’. As a result Jews have lived with fear of attack (of rockets, for instance) while they work with “one hand on a sword and the other on a plough”
On both sides there is fear, mistrust, bullying and terrorist activity well entrenched and passed on generation after generation. No wonder Michael says there will never be peace while one side means to wipe the other off the map and the other means to squeeze their enemy out of the land.
What impresses me is that the friends I have are working hard for reconciliation. Two examples: One Palestinian Christian organisation works with young people, enabling them to understand and befriend those of the ‘other side’. Meanwhile there is an orchestra which includes young people from both sides which we have heard this summer.
‘On the ground,’ therefore, there IS hope, and I pray, that a just and fair solution can be reached eventually. The alternative is a conflagration we will all suffer.