But she writes:
By emphasizing recognition, Mr. Netanyahu has also exposed several profound, unresolved questions: Can Israel preserve its identity as a Jewish democratic state while also providing equal rights and opportunities to citizens of other faiths and backgrounds? With a largely secular population, who interprets Jewish law and custom for public institutions and public spaces? Is Judaism a religion, an ethnicity or both?
That, I would suggest, has nothing at all to do with the Arabs recognizing Israel as a Jewish state.
Those are other issues, of an internal Israel nature. Connected, yes; but peace is not contingent on the resolution, satisfactorily or not, of those matters.
Peace is getting this woman to realize how wrong she is:-
Hind Khoury, a former Palestinian minister and ambassador [said] “Why doesn’t Israel call itself at the U.N. whatever they want to call it — the Jewish whatever, Maccabean, whatever they want. Then the whole world will recognize it.” “We will never recognize Israel the way they want, I mean genuinely, from our hearts,” she added. “Why for them to feel secure do we have to deny our most recent history?”
Oh, and something else. This, from the UN 1947 Partition recommendation, could have been included:
"Part I. - Future Constitution and Government of PalestineA. TERMINATION OF MANDATE, PARTITION AND INDEPENDENCEThe Mandate for Palestine shall terminate as soon as possible…The mandatory Power shall use its best endeavours to ensure that an area situated in the territory of the Jewish State, including a seaport and hinterland adequate to provide facilities for a substantial immigration, shall be evacuated at the earliest possible date…Independent Arab and Jewish States and the Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem, set forth in Part III of this Plan, shall come into existence in Palestine…The boundaries of the Arab State, the Jewish State, and the City of Jerusalem shall be as described in Parts II and III below..."
Did I read a "Jewish state" there?
P.S. I just listened to the clip. There's a mistranslation. A serious one.
Netanyahu says in Hebrew
בעם הישראלי
which is the "Israeli people/nation". Not the "Jewish people".
Big difference, especially as that mistranslation contravenes what Netanyahu is pointing out about the Arab refusal.
And my comment is up.
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Bernard Avishai gets pessimistic.
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3 comments:
The Arabs insist the Jews are a religion.
Jews insist they are a nation.
And this has implications as to whether the Jew is - how do I phrase it - this is more than just being the Jew among the nations.
Jewish equality is not taken for granted in our time. The fact it even has to be raised at all tells us in truth that peace is far, far and far away indeed.
Both yourself and your wife (though she is MUCH more delusional) are in denial. There is no part of modern "Torah Judaism" which is intrinsically capable of operating a "Jewish State". If there had been, we would have seen attempts at it hundreds of years ago. The only organizing force that is capable of running a civil state in Israel is the Hebrew Ethnic Identity. The only organizing force which can plausibly call upon 3500 year old historical facts is - Hebrew Ethnic Identity.
The presence and existence of "Torah Judaism" is no more important to the future of Israel than is a source of supply for Red Heifers.
Yes, we do. And who is anyone else to tell the people of an independent nation to call itself? The Arabs in the territories want to call themselves Palestinians, which is based on the Indo-European people, the Phalestains.
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