Reminder: The 'Palestinians' still haven't recognized the Jewish state
Ronald Lauder reminds the Obama administration that the 'Palestinians' still have not recognized Israel as a Jewish state. The administration would also do well to take heed of the Palestinian Authority’s continued refusal to recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. This is not a trivial matter. A long-term settlement can only be forged on the basis of mutual recognition and respect. To deny the essence of the Zionist project—to rebuild the Jewish people’s ancient homeland—is to call into question the seriousness of one’s commitment to peace.The 'Palestinians' will never recognize Israel's existence as a Jewish state. To do so would undermine the reason for the 'Palestinians' existence: To be the club for the Arab states to destroy the Jewish state in their midst.
It is a sad statement of the Palestinians’ approach to peace-making that denial of the Jewish homeland is not simply contained in the openly anti-Semitic leadership of Hamas. It is a widespread belief across the spectrum of Palestinian opinion. This reality must be confronted.
Today’s leadership must never forget that the core historic reason for the conflict is the Arab world’s longstanding rejection of Israel’s existence. The two-state solution was accepted by Israel’s pre-state leadership led by David Ben-Gurion in 1947 when it agreed to the partition plan contained in United Nation’s General Assembly Resolution 181. The Arabs flatly rejected it. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knows all too well, President Bill Clinton’s peace plans in 2000 foundered due to Palestinian rejection of the Jewish state, even as Israel, once again, accepted their right to statehood.
The problem is that all of the 'peacemakers' are approaching this conflict as if what's in dispute is the results of the 1967 war. They're all wrong. What's in dispute is the results of the 1948 war. The 1948 war cannot be resolved by compromise. A woman cannot be half pregnant. She either is pregnant or she is not. So too with the State of Israel; it either exists or it doesn't. That is the message that Israel must drive home for all the potential 'peacemakers.' The conflict is existential. Ultimately, one side will survive and the other will not, and until then there will be no resolution.
Read the whole thing.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:58 PM
1 Comments:
The Middle East does not lend itself to simple solutions. If it was that easy, peace would have been attained there long ago. The so-called two state solution obscures the root of the conflict. Its not an issue that can be settled at the negotiating table. And don't look for talks to resume any time soon.
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