I AM A JEW (PART XXV - Discussion)

Happy New Year to one and all! May the New Year bring peace to all mankind and end the suffering that afflicts so many!

As the title shows this is the 25rd part (actually the 26^th, if you count the Special Bulletin) of the series. If you haven’t read the other parts I urge you to do so. They are, after all a continuum. Easy access to the others can be obtained by clicking on Part I and then scrolling upwards or by accessing the label I Am A Jew.

In my last commentary entitled "I AM A JEW (PART XXIV - Dershowitz Again)" that I posted before the holidays, on December 15, 2014, I quoted a very short excerpt from a May 2013 article by Alan Dershowitz written in May of 2013. Since most do not read the articles that are linked, allow me to quote a little more from it, for it expresses my views precisely:

There are a small number of extremely vocal right-wing Jews who believe that retaining the entire West Bank is more important than trying to make peace with the Palestinians. Some of them believe that God gave the Jewish people the West Bank and it is a sin to give any of it up. It was that kind of thinking that led to the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin when he tried to exchange land for peace with the Palestinians. There are others who believe that because Jews lived in Judea and Samaria thousands of years ago, Israel has no right to end any current Jewish settlement on the West Bank. There are still others who believe that it is foolish even to try to trade land for peace with the Palestinians, since the Palestinian leadership has no real interest in arriving at a peaceful solution. 

This noisy clack boos disrespectfully when they hear the name of President Obama, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or anyone else who favors a two-state solution that does not compromise Israel's security. I have now joined this distinguished company of people who get booed for advocating territorial compromise in the interest of peace. I was booed and jeered at the Jerusalem Post Conference on April 28, 2013 when I proposed an idea for restarting peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.

I can only say amen!!!! Unfortunately, Dershowitz has now decided he will no longer take positions that are likely to produce boos.

Now let me share with you some of the comments I have received, and discussions I have had.

One person whose comment I had quoted earlier is Leonard Levenson of Manhattan, N.Y. and my previous exchange with him can be found at: "I AM A JEW (PART XXI - Voices in Defense of Israel."

Since he had raised the issue of the sharing of water rights, I could not resist sending him an article that I ran across in the Times of Israel dated February 19, 2014 with the title: “In Rawabi, the brand-new Palestinian city, both sides win” and the subheading: “Projects like this bring our peoples closer together, says Bashar Al-Masri, the entrepreneur behind an unprecedented construction project that is changing the West Bank landscape.”

When I first read the article I thought to myself, now that is the way to build peace and security.

Alas, six months later an article appeared in the New York Times dated August 26, 2014 with the heading: “Palestinian Town Awaits Israel’s Approval for Water.” 

That promising gesture by Israel toward a promising and peaceful Palestinian town had come to naught. Israel had refused to allow water to be connected.

As I said above I couldn’t resist sending the two articles to Levenson. Now what was his response? I quote:

I have read the articles and my first reaction is "infuriating bureaucracy". I suspect that you and many Palestinians suspect something more sinister at work.  I am not a big fan of Netanyahu and his party.  He reminds me of the right wing of the Republican Party.  Neither is given to compromise but in times of crisis, their mindset is needed.   

Levenson is right about one thing: I believe that something more sinister is at work. Isn’t it obvious that this is war by other means!

Terry Steichen of Fairfax, Virginia contributed this:

You say:

 So as long as the forces of decency reigned in Israel, it would have been wrong to even mention these horrendous deeds. But the Israel of its founders, the Israel of Ben-Gurion, is no more. The enemies of the Haganah, the enemies of Ben-Gurion, the very people who called Yitzhak Rabin a Nazi, and whose denunciations of him were directly responsible for his assassination, are now running the Israeli government.

 Amen.

 You also say:

 There are many American Jews who are deeply concerned that the Israel that true Zionists like my father and I, and untold survivors of the Holocaust, and their children, is no more. We want an Israel that returns to the ideals of its founders, to the people, like Levenson, who went to Israel to work on a kibbutz, but that Israel is no more. .. True Zionists seek the ideals on which Israel was founded!! Not the one of Netanyahu and Lieberman.

 Amen in spades.  I've admired the culture of the Jews.  But have come to realize that the longer that Jews "link arms" with real (but perhaps not "true") Zionists, they will split from that culture.  The current regime in Israel is destroying Jewish values.  I'm disheartened that many of my Jewish friends don't see their own self-immolation.

 More:

 People in Israel are beginning to see the crisis that Israel has brought on itself... True American supporters of Israel, of whatever faith, must stop blindly labeling resistance to oppression terrorism, and not excuse the inexcusable, defend the indefensible, rationalize the irrational, or justify the unjustifiable.

 We can only hope - for Judaism's sake.  And real world peace.

Herb Reiner of Cedar Grove, NJ added this:

I think it's relevant to point out that what is now Israel was occupied and inhabited by many different powers and people throughout history. One justification for a Jewish state is a popular misconception that the Jews were the first there -- when in fact, they were preceded by the Canaanites - and who knows how many other tribes preceded the Canaanites. The Jews may have executed one of history's earliest recorded ethnic cleansings in Canaan because God commanded, "whoever sacrifices to any god but the Lord shall be utterly annihilated.” (Exodus 22:20) -- so I wouldn't say the Jewish kingdom was not exactly founded in a blaze of glory -- (although, unfortunately, some would). Joshua and his underlings did the job.

  The concept of a Jewish State, an Islamic, a Christian nation or a state dedicated any religion seems contrary to democratic principles. This is especially provocative in Israel where a substantial minority is not Jewish.

 Your blog on the Israel-Palestine conflict is a breath of fresh air. We hear almost exclusively about the considerable misdeeds on the other side. But most of the American Jewish community refuses to see the moat in our own eye. This is true of Congress and the media as well. Obama was soundly berated when he dared suggest that Israel halt the settlements. It's considered almost un-American to criticize Israel.

To which I responded:

“I must say that I disagree with you on this point. While I am very critical of Israel’s blatantly racist policies, I have always, and continue to support the concept of a Jewish state. Without, at this point, going into great detail, I think that the Nazi era, once and for all, showed that the world needs one state where Jews will always be welcome.

“There are many countries that are Christian or Muslim or Hindu, etc. states, so I don’t see why there cannot be a Jewish state. It need not effect any of its policies except on immigration.

“I understand that this means that there can be no right of return to Israel, but if we force the creation of a viable Palestinian state, the Palestinian diaspora, can find good homes in a country of their own, but I reject the concept of an Arab Palestininan State being denied the right to arms, or any limitations on its sovereignty.

“I don’t give any credence to a Jewish right based on the Bible, or on who was there first, only the need for a haven for a historically persecuted people.”

Finally, Pearl Duncan of Manhattan, NY raised an interesting question when she wrote:

Are you working on a book? You can collect your political commentary in a book.

Ms. Duncan, who is herself getting ready to publish a book, hit the nail on the head. That is indeed my hope.

I hope that my readers enjoyed the holidays, whether that was Chanukah, Christmas, and/or Kwanza, and that all are looking forward to a happy and prosperous New Year, with the many dark clouds lifting throughout the world.

I now welcome any comments readers care to make and will publish same, with or without attribution, as the contributor wishes.