I was pretty amazed to find out the other day that Google blogger tracks my hits, and that people have actually been reading my articles. I had no idea. I'm motivated to start writing a lot more stuff. But first I think I'm going to repost something I circulated by email in 2006, when there was still time for us to turn around and change our attitudes. A lot has happened in the last five years, and I'm afraid it's too late for me to do any good now, but I still want to have it on the record. It's my list of commonly held beliefs among the Jewish people that I believe are the real reason we won't settle with the Arabs. Here they are:
1. The Oslo process was doomed to failure.
Who wrecked Oslo, us or them? The "process" lasted exactly eight years, from the initial signing until the outbreak of the intifada. In all that time we gave them thirteen percent of the West Bank and doubled the settler population from 100,000 to 200,000. How did we expect them to respond?
2. Force is the only language they understand.
And are we any better? During the intifada, I applauded our targeted killings and other military countermeasures. But when the Palestinians managed to hold their fire for five or six weeks at the height of the violence, did we respond withthe positive gestures (e.g. prisoner releases) that would have given the moderatessomething to show for their efforts? No we did not. So they went back to bombingus, because that is the only thing that gets our attention.
3. Hamas and Hizbullah are terrorists, and we don't negotiate with terrorists.
Are they really now? Read a list of their operations. Mostly they attack Israeli military targets. Shelling cities? Not very nice of them, but is that terrorism? The allies bombed Germany and Japan in WWII, and we don't call that terrorism. Classic terrorism is all about hijacking airplanes, shooting up schoolhouses, and blowing up cafes. Not exactly Hizbullah's style.
4. We made the desert bloom.
Well good for us, but so what?
5. The Palestinians already have a state, and it is called Jordan.
There is actually a grain of truth to this claim, but once again: so what? The Jews also have a state, and it is called Florida.
6. There is no one to talk to.
Wrong. This might have been the case immediately after the "Three No's" (Khartoum 1967), but it hasn't been true for years. Nowadays we are the ones who refuse to talk. And when positive overtures come forward from the other side, we just scoff at them. (Arab League peace plan, Beirut 2002?)
7. The "Right of Return" is a plot to destroy Israel demographically.
The Arabs are not stupid. Every Arab who talks about peace knows that the unrestricted "Right of Return" is a deal-breaker for us.
8. The two sides will never be able to agree on how to divide Jerusalem.
Have you been to Jerusalem recently? I have. It's already divided.
9. The Arabs are just liars anyways.
This is just such racist crap that I'm not even going to respond to it.
10. ***WE ARE BETTER THAN THEM***
More racism, but so fundamentally ingrained that it MUST be dealt with. Listen: we Jews are a clever people and we have a right to be proud of our accomplishments. But all the Nobel prizes in the world don't make us BETTER than the Arabs. We are all just PEOPLE. Get over the "chosen" bullshit.
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My solution to the conflict:
1. Israel accepts the Saudi proposal and recognizes an independent Palestine
within the 1967 borders.
2. Palestine accepts the Barak proposal and gives Israel a 99-year lease on
three percent of the West Bank.
2. Force is the only language they understand.
And are we any better? During the intifada, I applauded our targeted killings and other military countermeasures. But when the Palestinians managed to hold their fire for five or six weeks at the height of the violence, did we respond withthe positive gestures (e.g. prisoner releases) that would have given the moderatessomething to show for their efforts? No we did not. So they went back to bombingus, because that is the only thing that gets our attention.
3. Hamas and Hizbullah are terrorists, and we don't negotiate with terrorists.
Are they really now? Read a list of their operations. Mostly they attack Israeli military targets. Shelling cities? Not very nice of them, but is that terrorism? The allies bombed Germany and Japan in WWII, and we don't call that terrorism. Classic terrorism is all about hijacking airplanes, shooting up schoolhouses, and blowing up cafes. Not exactly Hizbullah's style.
4. We made the desert bloom.
Well good for us, but so what?
5. The Palestinians already have a state, and it is called Jordan.
There is actually a grain of truth to this claim, but once again: so what? The Jews also have a state, and it is called Florida.
6. There is no one to talk to.
Wrong. This might have been the case immediately after the "Three No's" (Khartoum 1967), but it hasn't been true for years. Nowadays we are the ones who refuse to talk. And when positive overtures come forward from the other side, we just scoff at them. (Arab League peace plan, Beirut 2002?)
7. The "Right of Return" is a plot to destroy Israel demographically.
The Arabs are not stupid. Every Arab who talks about peace knows that the unrestricted "Right of Return" is a deal-breaker for us.
8. The two sides will never be able to agree on how to divide Jerusalem.
Have you been to Jerusalem recently? I have. It's already divided.
9. The Arabs are just liars anyways.
This is just such racist crap that I'm not even going to respond to it.
10. ***WE ARE BETTER THAN THEM***
More racism, but so fundamentally ingrained that it MUST be dealt with. Listen: we Jews are a clever people and we have a right to be proud of our accomplishments. But all the Nobel prizes in the world don't make us BETTER than the Arabs. We are all just PEOPLE. Get over the "chosen" bullshit.
=======================
My solution to the conflict:
1. Israel accepts the Saudi proposal and recognizes an independent Palestine
within the 1967 borders.
2. Palestine accepts the Barak proposal and gives Israel a 99-year lease on
three percent of the West Bank.
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