By Daniel Goldschmidt. Pesach is the time of the year that we as Jews reflect upon our enslavement and exodus from Egypt and pledge that at all costs we will remain a free people. Therefore, I feel this to be a very appropriate time to speak up concerning criticism by Jews living in the Diaspora of Israeli peace policy.
I spent the first seventy-five years of my life in the Midwest of the United States. I lived in the “bible belt” and I was constantly aware of anti-Semitism and the terrible effects resulting from fellow Jews being critical of Judaism and Israel regardless of whether their facts were creditable or not. Currently it is more important than ever to not contribute to the paranoia and propaganda that is being disbursed throughout the world to discredit Israel which supports today’s blatant anti-Semitism.
The narrative of the next or third intifada is to label Israel as an apartheid state. Jews must do everything possible to defeat this effort and certainly not to be a contributor to it. Most of the world, including most members of the United Nations, feels that they have the right to set a new precedent toward a democratic non belligerent country and dictate what their peace policy should be. For Jews in the Diaspora to voice critical opinions in such a political environment outside of Jewish circles is very counter productive. Even if the facts justify the Diaspora criticism it would be detrimental to voice them overtly. But the truth as I will attempt to express it in this article does not even justify the criticism.
Within the short time of just over six months since I immigrated to Israel I have witnessed hundreds of missiles being fired into civilian communities here. This includes the murder of an entire Jewish family and a three month old infant. Just last week a school bus was attacked by anti-tank missile fire from Gaza which critically injured a 16 year old student. Is it any wonder that I feel so strongly that our prospects for peace are slim and that our only chance for a lasting peace is to be firm and strong.
Politically it is impossible to negotiate with Abbas who has been selected by the world as representative of the peace effort for the Palestinian cause. Abbas is not only the leader of the Palestinian Authority but the chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and Fatah which both have in their charter the goal to destroy Israel. Furthermore, Abbas needed to postpone elections since 2009 due to Hamas in Gaza not being willing to participate. It is believed that Hamas which has been labeled a terrorist organization would most probably be victorious in any future Palestinian election.
The two state solution which has been offered to the Palestinians previously has always been rejected. Even in cases such as the Oslo accords where the Palestinians agreed in principle to eliminate from their public school curriculum teaching hate of Jews and Israel, eliminating naming locations after suicide bombers, and not publishing or broadcasting in state owned media hate related programs sadly continues. In fact in the five years after the Oslo Accords was agreed to by both parties 279 Israelis were killed in 92 terror attacks.
In every case where Israel has given up land for peace, including southern Lebanon, which now has 205 missile bases hidden among civilian populations, Gaza which is currently firing missiles and mortars into southern Israel, and even in the Sinai where caches of arms have been discovered and missiles have been launched, giving land for peace has been disastrous.
Even if it were accepted the solution is faulty in many respects. Currently the Israeli Defense Force, has allowed the armament of Palestinian forces, but this has curtailed the freedom of operation of the IDF for many months before attempting to seek the perpetrators in Palestinian controlled areas. If a Palestinian State is established it would possess all powers of a state including the right to establish peace treaties and military alliances, controlling their own borders, importing weapons, and control of their air space, Even if some of these rights were not given initially or completely they would soon be demanded and the world would push Israel to permit them to happen just as they did when Germany in 1937 nullified the non military zone. One can readily see that in effect the establishment of a Palestinian State on the West bank would be allowing a third hostile military border that would easily have the ability to fire missiles into the Tel Aviv metropolitan area and Ben Gurion International Airport.
Concerning the refugee problem, even though I recognize that there is a humanitarian problem involved and I am sympathetic the facts point to a fabrication of truth. In 1948 there were many more Jewish refugees from surrounding Arab countries that were either killed or forced to emigrate than the number of Palestinians that left Israel of their own accord. Those who stayed and became Israeli citizens are much better off than if they were in any of the surrounding Arab countries and have no desire to leave Israel.
The name Palestinian itself was a name fabricated by the Romans upon the destruction of the Second Temple in order to discredit the Jewish population and the name was still used during the British protectorate. In fact Jews lived in Israel as they have always been, carried Palestinian passports and were labeled as Palestinian Jews.
On the subject of land possession and the legitimacy of Palestinian claims there appears to be no justification. Most of the land including Judea and Samaria were purchased from absentee landlords (re: Land Question of Palestinians by Dr Kenneth W. Stein of Emory University). I have read several opinions of International Law experts that disqualify any and all claims of any rights of the Palestinians to the West Bank based on International law.
Based on these facts it is detrimental for Jews in the Diaspora to criticize Israeli Peace efforts especially when it is not based on facts. An excellent example of faulty information which some Jews based criticism of Israel is the recent Goldstone report accusing Israel of targeting civilians during Cast Lead in Gaza. Only recently Goldstone has retracted his accusation that the Israeli military did not fire indiscriminately on the civilian population in Gaza.
So as a new immigrant to Israel and someone devoutly concerned with the continued existence of the only Jewish State in the world I implore you not criticize the peace efforts particularly in non Jewish circles. I wish you and yours a happy and intelligent Passover and look forward to your comments.
