Thursday, March 28, 2013

A Comment Left at the NYTimes

At Dani Dayan's contribution

 The Two-State Formula Is Impossible

Here:
if Jewish residency locations are treated by Arabs in an apartheid fashion (in that they will not allow Jews to live in their new "Palestine" state as, for example, the new Rawabi town advertises mosques & churches but no synagogues), shall we then refer to the Arabs in Israel as "settlers", their communities as "settlements" and demand quid pro quo? That was a rhetorical question.  But consider the moral problems: Dismantlement for dismantlement?  Expulsion for expulsion?  Do we forget or ignore that Jordan was originally part of "Palestine"?  How illogical and non-historical do we go?  Or do we look at the reality and seek arrangements, even if for a start, like Jordanian-linked condominium or such and see how we can progress?  Or do we blithely blind ourselves to Hamastan in Gaza and Fatahland in Judea and Samaria aka the West Bank (the only river bank that extends 20 miles into the hill country), which oppresses its own population and terrorizes Israel and think a two-state solution which the Arabs rejected in 1947 and never accepted unless all the refugees "returned", Jerusalem becomes a capital, etc., etc., etc., all moves dedicated to assure, eventually,, Israel's disappearance.

Land and borders is not the issue.  Israel's existence is.  The dispute is not over territory and so "two states" is not a solution.  No "occupation" nor "settlements" existed prior to 1967 but there was terror and a war broke out.  Withdrawal from Judea & Samaria does not solve those problems


And something related I saw:

...One point in U.S. President Barack Obama's speech on Thursday was crucial: He stated that "the Palestinians must recognize that Israel will be a Jewish state." That is the concept behind the two-state solution, which focuses on a Palestinian-Muslim recognition of the Jewish people's right to their land, or at least a part of it.

...Obama urged us to "make history," but history over the past century has taught us differently. You cannot make peace if the other side is reluctant to do so, and you cannot discuss compromise if the other side won't hear of it — despite your meeting, Mr. President, with young Palestinians who "want the same things" Israelis do.

The Palestinian mindset — their media, education, religion, academia, youth movements and politics — is not geared toward change, not even in the name of political compromise. They are focused solely on one thing: fighting the Jews' right to their homeland...

 ...The Left knows how to market attractive romantic notions. After all, who wouldn’t prefer to make love rather than war?

.... The notion that you can impose a rational solution on a region with a different, more ancient, even mythical, mindset, reflects a lack of humility toward history — and it is also the root of the disappointments we have been fed by our neighbors over the past 100 years...
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UPDATE


My comment has been published.


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