Yoram Getzler: Jerusalem Post reports on former Israeli envoy to the UN, industrialist Dan Gillerman remarks: Lack of Israeli policy encourages delegitimization; “We in the last two years haven't taken initiative, haven't shown resourcefulness, haven't shown leadership...”
One reason for this failure is the tactic of making a major issue in negotiations with the Palestinians; the recognition of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people this emphasis is a well meaning but mistaken policy. While the Palestinian/Arab/Muslim world asserts that we Jews are no more than European colonizers, we are often left speechless. This must be contrasted with the superior Jewish claim, which for some reason, is poorly propagated. We need to remember that the ongoing core issue between Israel and the Palestinian/Arab/Muslim world is; the legitimate historical claim of the Jewish peoples to any of the land between the river and the sea. PERIOD! This fundamental understanding is necessary for several reasons. One is the basic need to realize why we are not here. No, Mr. Chief Palestinian Negotiator Mr. Saeb Erekat; Mr. Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas; Mr. President Salam Fayyad; Mr. Ahmad Qurei, Mr. Nabil Shaath; it was not guilt payment for the Holocaust; it was not as a agent of European colonialism; it was not for the riches of its oil, gold or diamonds, neither the wealth of well watered fertile agricultural land that we came to the far reaches of Western Asia, to the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea It is only because “ERETZ-ISRAEL (Hebrew) – the Land of Israel, [Roman named Palestine] was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their (our) spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they (we) first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books.” as our deceleration of Independence makes so clear.
It is for that reason, and that reason alone that we came here. It is that claim that has brought us here, to what was the backwater of the Ottoman Empire, and it is that claim that the Arab/Palestinian/Muslim world denies, and that forms the basis for misrepresenting misunderstanding rejecting our legitimate claim of national determination and recognition.
We must also say NO to the notion that Middle-East is the monopoly of the Arab/Muslim nations. That would be geographic apartheid.
Therefore the basic demand of any Israeli government should be for recognition/understanding of our national rights as we define them. It is no more than is asked of us, to accept the self definition of a Palestinian Arab people who demand a sovereign nation state.
The response by the Palestinian negotiators to Mr. Netanyahu’s demand for recognition of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people is that they have already recognized the state of Israel. As far as they are concerned that is all that is required. This statement was what I heard from Chief Palestinian Negotiator Erekat himself.
OK, we should remind them and ourselves that recognition of Israel is recognition of the state as it was articulated in its deceleration of independence, and defined by our founding document, our Declaration of independence:
“…WE, MEMBERS OF THE PEOPLE’S COUNCIL, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ERETZ-ISRAEL AND OF THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT, ARE HERE ASSEMBLED ON THE DAY OF THE TERMINATION OF THE BRITISH MANDATE OVER ERETZ-ISRAEL AND, BY VIRTUE OF OUR NATURAL AND HISTORIC RIGHT AND ON THE STRENGTH OF THE RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HEREBY DECLARE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE IN ERETZ-ISRAEL, TO BE KNOWN AS THE STATE OF ISRAEL.
In addition it seems that there is a need to remind the world including the Palestinians that “Israel” is another name for the Jewish people. As the term is used in the Bible; the “Children of Israel” / the “Tribes of Israel” and the “Land of Israel”.
In other words; the state of Israel that Palestinian leaders have recognized is by definition a Jewish state. There need be no argument about that. Especially if the Palestinians expect Israel to recognize their state, which defines itself as a “Palestinian Arab” state fifteen times in its deceleration of independence.
We should simply declare that we accept the Palestinian recognition of Israel, as it (Israel) defines itself; period!
Then we need to turn to the real, core, issue, the legitimate historical claim of the Jewish people to any of the land between the river and the sea. Thus we would place the onus of continued negotiations on the Palestinians.
