But Jabotinsky Said That

Yehezkel Dror has written:-

As a hypothetical - though not unrealistic - example, consider a permanent agreement with the Palestinians that calls for withdrawal from most of the West Bank and the removal of Jewish settlements there, and dividing Jerusalem based on the Barak and Clinton proposal, with some form of joint rule over the Temple Mount.

As opposed to other matters, such as security issues and refugees, which are mainly "Israeli," giving up parts of the Promised Land, Jerusalem and full rule over the Temple Mount is likely to hold far-reaching significance for the future of the Jewish people. Therefore, the entire Jewish people should be involved in that decision.

And his practical idea is to set up

a small, permanent group of senior Jewish leaders in the Diaspora that may advise the prime minister and cabinet; second, by expanding this group into a kind of "Jewish People Council" that reflects the views of most Jewish groups, including the State of Israel (but is not based on political parties). Third, including elected representatives in this council where feasible. Fourth, conducting public-opinion studies among Diaspora Jewry to determine opinions on major issues.

Well, this is what Jabotinsky suggested many times. The last time was in "The War and The Jew" published in New York by The Dial Press [c1942] when a 1935 article, "Senatus Populusque Juadiacus" was inlcuded in that volume of articles.

He also asserted way back in 1918 that as the territory of the future Palestine Mandate was intended for all the world's Jews, resident Jews could not yield up any terriroty that might be needed in the future to save Jews and that the argument that there were many more Arabs than Jews in the area was worhtless.

Since Jews were kept from coming to Eretz-Yisrael, it would be unfair to count numbers as of the present. Sort of offsets the demographic argument of Olmert and crew.

And by the way, why, as Toby Willig suggested to me, don't we push off any partition of Jerusalem until we separate Jaffa from Tel Aviv first abnd see how that works out?