As election season here in Israel heats up there are debates being held around the country on a variety of issues. Last night, at the port in Tel Aviv, representatives from five Israeli parties spanning the political spectrum debated the issue of peace with the Palestinians in English. As this excellent article points out, one of the main problems with these discussions is that both left and right wing politicians easily make valid, important points for which the other side doesn't have a good answer.
Right wing politicians will point out that giving up the West Bank is completely unfeasible due to security concerns (putting aside the fact that many religious Jews have a problem giving up the land where the forefathers of the Jewish people lived). Every time we pull out of a territory (Southern Lebanon, the Gaza Strip) the result is rocket fire. Given the West Bank's elevation and its nearness to Israel's population centers and critical infrastructure (such as the airport) pulling out is especially problematic. Even if you believe the current Palestinian leadership will effectively prevent such fire, who knows when there will be a coup, like what has been happening throughout the Middle East, including a few years ago in the Gaza Strip.
On the mainstream left politicians have largely stopped talking about the indignities suffered by the Palestinians, which are certainly significant (and if we're going to be a Jewish state, shouldn't that say something about how we behave, not just our demographics?). Instead, they point to the fact that the ongoing occupation deeply damages Israel's credibility abroad. The BDS movement and this summer's protests make that abundantly clear (Here are some results from a survey in Britain during this summer's conflict, which name Israel as the second most hated country in the world by Britons). Left wing politicians are also the only ones offering any sort of long term solution. You may think that a two state solution is the worst idea in the world, but it's aiming for a long term solution. One speaker last night even made the very reasonable point that Palestinian independence would give us more legitimacy to respond, should there be rocket attacks. I wholeheartedly agreed with this argument...when it was made about the Gaza strip in 2005. Unfortunately, I was horribly wrong.
And that's the problem. Both sides have excellent points. Neither side has an answer to the other side's critiques. For people who support Prime Minister Netanyahu, this seemingly unsolvable conundrum is what justifies his approach, which is basically to maintain the status quo, with no long term solution in sight.
We also touched briefly on a few other current events in class today, which I'll mention briefly. Egypt, whose economy is in desperate straits, and particularly in need of a source of power, has decided to import some of Israel's recently discovered natural gas. Partially, this is due to Egypt's great need, but it also points toward a relatively warm relationship between Egypt's leadership and Israel. Sisi, the current leader of Egypt, overthrew a government that was very supportive of Hamas. Since then, Egypt has been doing everything in their power to harm Hamas, including destroying a large swath of area near their border with the Gaza Strip. As always, my enemy's enemy is my friend.
Israel just awarded medals to a number of soldiers from the Gaza operation this summer. Of particular note is Lt. Eitan Fund, who was recognized for racing into a tunnel to rescue a comrade who we feared had been kidnapped. You can check out the article, which includes many other soldiers who were honored here.
In the least surprising bit of news this week, the Syrian Civil War rages on. It's hard to know for sure, but it seems like there are over 200,000 casualties (some estimates are close to 300,000) and probably close to ten times that many refugees. And, finally, this article explains why Israeli cartoonists don't draw Mohammed. In fact, when the first post-attack issue of Charlie Hedbo was set to go on sale, there was anger from the Muslim community, leading to the cancellation of the sale, though you could still buy it online.
Right wing politicians will point out that giving up the West Bank is completely unfeasible due to security concerns (putting aside the fact that many religious Jews have a problem giving up the land where the forefathers of the Jewish people lived). Every time we pull out of a territory (Southern Lebanon, the Gaza Strip) the result is rocket fire. Given the West Bank's elevation and its nearness to Israel's population centers and critical infrastructure (such as the airport) pulling out is especially problematic. Even if you believe the current Palestinian leadership will effectively prevent such fire, who knows when there will be a coup, like what has been happening throughout the Middle East, including a few years ago in the Gaza Strip.
On the mainstream left politicians have largely stopped talking about the indignities suffered by the Palestinians, which are certainly significant (and if we're going to be a Jewish state, shouldn't that say something about how we behave, not just our demographics?). Instead, they point to the fact that the ongoing occupation deeply damages Israel's credibility abroad. The BDS movement and this summer's protests make that abundantly clear (Here are some results from a survey in Britain during this summer's conflict, which name Israel as the second most hated country in the world by Britons). Left wing politicians are also the only ones offering any sort of long term solution. You may think that a two state solution is the worst idea in the world, but it's aiming for a long term solution. One speaker last night even made the very reasonable point that Palestinian independence would give us more legitimacy to respond, should there be rocket attacks. I wholeheartedly agreed with this argument...when it was made about the Gaza strip in 2005. Unfortunately, I was horribly wrong.
And that's the problem. Both sides have excellent points. Neither side has an answer to the other side's critiques. For people who support Prime Minister Netanyahu, this seemingly unsolvable conundrum is what justifies his approach, which is basically to maintain the status quo, with no long term solution in sight.
We also touched briefly on a few other current events in class today, which I'll mention briefly. Egypt, whose economy is in desperate straits, and particularly in need of a source of power, has decided to import some of Israel's recently discovered natural gas. Partially, this is due to Egypt's great need, but it also points toward a relatively warm relationship between Egypt's leadership and Israel. Sisi, the current leader of Egypt, overthrew a government that was very supportive of Hamas. Since then, Egypt has been doing everything in their power to harm Hamas, including destroying a large swath of area near their border with the Gaza Strip. As always, my enemy's enemy is my friend.
Israel just awarded medals to a number of soldiers from the Gaza operation this summer. Of particular note is Lt. Eitan Fund, who was recognized for racing into a tunnel to rescue a comrade who we feared had been kidnapped. You can check out the article, which includes many other soldiers who were honored here.
In the least surprising bit of news this week, the Syrian Civil War rages on. It's hard to know for sure, but it seems like there are over 200,000 casualties (some estimates are close to 300,000) and probably close to ten times that many refugees. And, finally, this article explains why Israeli cartoonists don't draw Mohammed. In fact, when the first post-attack issue of Charlie Hedbo was set to go on sale, there was anger from the Muslim community, leading to the cancellation of the sale, though you could still buy it online.
I agree with your idea of the two state solution. It's a difficult predicament however, because both the Arabs and Jews believe that they solely should have the land for themselves. Your point about dividing the state into two is definitely a long term effect. Currently, firing missiles into each other's territory is temporary assistance, and doesn't even solve a remote piece of the conflict. It's going to be a fight within Israel to follow through with this solution because no resident wants to get up and leave their deep-rooted ancestry for someone else. In the long run, Israel can have great outcomes from the division. Missiles won't be as prevalent from Palestine, and even if they are, Israel has a valid reason to retaliate. Additionally, they look negotiable to the rest of the world, which can increase the likability. Likability is a significant aspect, because powerful countries like Britain, who establish Israel as one of their most hated countries, won't have a reason to loathe Israel so much anymore.
ReplyDeleteI think that although it may be uncomfortable, the two state solution is the best option. In numerous videos, Palestinian radicals have said that even if we merge with them, they want all of Israel, not just a fraction and they do not want to live with Jews. I feel that it is better to keep the land that we have and keep the way Israelis live the same while encountering the occasional rockets, than to have the everyday fear that Israel and a homeland for the Jewish people will no longer exist.
ReplyDelete