Liberal American Jews and the Israeli consensus
Last week, the URJ issued a statement condemning Israeli settlement activity, “especially in the E-1 area,” saying it “makes progress toward peace far more challenging, and is difficult to reconcile with the Government of Israel’s stated commitment to a two-state solution.” Now here’s what Livni–long the darling of liberal American Jews for her dovish views, and someone who has consistently blamed the Netanyahu government for the impasse in peace talks–told a gathering of foreign ambassadors today:
“It doesn’t matter what you think about settlements,” Livni said with uncharacteristic bluntness. “We have settlement blocs close to the Green Line and the only way for the conflict with the Palestinians to end is for Israel to keep them. Any pre-agreement by the international community to a withdrawal to 1967 borders before the talks occur, makes it difficult to negotiate. It was clear in the talks I conducted with the Palestinians that there would not be return to 1967 borders.”Given that E-1 is the corridor that links one of those settlement blocs, Ma’aleh Adumim, to Jerusalem, it’s hard to reconcile those two views. After all, if the settlement blocs will be part of Israel under any agreement, then so will E-1–which, as Rick noted yesterday, is precisely why every peace plan every proposed, including former President Bill Clinton’s, in fact assigned E-1 to Israel. Indeed, the annexation documents for E-1 were signed by the patron saint of the peace process himself, Yitzhak Rabin, less than a year after he signed the Oslo Accords. Like everyone else who has seriously studied this issue, Rabin concluded both that it was vital for Israel’s security and–contrary to the widespread misconception today–that it would in no way preclude a viable and contiguous Palestinian state (a point Rich’s post also explains).
So if everyone knows that Israel is going to retain this area anyway, how can advancing construction within it possibly “make progress toward peace far more challenging”? In fact, as Livni noted, the opposite is true: The real impediment to negotiations is the Palestinian belief that the world will back their demand for a full withdrawal to the 1967 lines and eventually force Israel to comply. And that’s precisely the belief the URJ reinforced via its condemnation: After all, the Palestinians must be saying, if even American Jews won’t back Israel’s position, it will soon have no choice but to capitulate.But Liberal American Jews just won't get it. They're still living in their fantasyland where Israel consists of a bunch of Kibbutzim and the national consensus calls for taking whatever the world will give us and relying on miracles. We do rely on miracles. But only when we have to.
Labels: E-1, liberal Jews, Tzipi Livni, Union for Reform Judaism
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:14 PM
5 Comments:
Jews in America understand bubkes of Israel, on one side (Livni) just like on the other (Feiglin).
They tend to consider as important people who in reality count little more than nothing.
Actually, Our Sages of Blessed Memory always taught NEVER TO RELY ON MIRACLES!
לא שומכים על הנס, it's written, that is: WE DO NOT RELY ON MIRACLES.
That is a Xtian, not Jewish attitude.
Jews believe in miracles, BUT NEVER RELY ON THEM, also because it is written:
"וְזָֽכַרְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כִּ֣י ה֗וּא הַנֹּתֵ֥ן לְךָ֛ כֹּ֖חַ לַעֲשֹׂ֣ות חָ֑יִל" [Dev 18:8] , that is: and you'll remember H" your God, because HE gives YOU the force to fight [the strength to struggle].
It's UP TO US!
It would help American Jews to understand if every discussion of E1 came with a map showing Jerusalem, and nearby Jewish towns. It made no sense to me until went to some effort to find a map with E1 labeled; now I get it.
Actually, HaDaR, many (most?) Jews in Israel know bubkes about the Jewish world at the ends of the diaspora in America, either. Many of the "Liberal American Jews" use us out here as an excuse for fighting with Israel, because top to bottom, the Israeli structures have illegitimized we mongrels, with prejudice and no reprieve and ZERO leadership to date. Still hoping for that. And the "Liberal American Jews", along with the union-loyal Orthodox, are demolishing the American constitution in favor of New Left marcuse marxism, which also has taken over your own and the Euros' Left. Those of us who don't cooperate with dictatorial effort are shunned and maligned by the American Jews. The solution to these issues could be a Torah Economics effort... an intellectual beginning, based on ZERO of the streams of Israeli, US, liberal, orthodox, whatever. Just the Torah. Since that is apparently not in the works, the Miracle that I'm praying for is that I can find my inner Road Runner to live successfully in regards to the Wile E. Coyote that has been unleashed all over the world.
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=wile+e+coyote&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
American Jewish Libs would have taken communion in 1492 Spain.
When push comes to shove , they really dont care about Israel
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