By Yoram Getzler.A statement to be reckoned with, when considering if there are Palestinians as true peace partners.
..and I say that because Mr. Nusseibeh has been considered for decades as a peace partner extrodanaire, an example of the kind of political moderate intellectual the Palestinians could produce if only we would only let them.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
I would like to begin with the title of the paper “The Israeli demand to be recognized as a “Jewish state” by the Palestinians is an inherently problematic concept”. With a typical stereotyped “Jewish answer”… is a Palestinian Arab state problem free?
Now on to the first paragraph where Mr. Nusseibeh for some reason reminds us that “1.6 billion Muslims and 2.4 billion Christians regard Jerusalem as holy.” I am not sure what significance he finds in that “55 percent of the worlds population” hold this view? He is careful not distracted us by including that the miniscule 14 million Jews who also regard Jerusalem as holy, we are obviously just too small a people to be put into the equation. However it does leave the real question; why on earth would 55 percent of the worlds population consider this “small, insignificant, mountain village of any special importance”? After all, according to University of Tel Aviv professor of Archeology Israel Finkelstein’s “description of 10th century BCE Jerusalem, the period associated with the biblical kings David and Solomon, as a mere ‘village’ or tribal center” There is no great port or river, spectacular buildings or vistas here. As a matter of fact when Jerusalem was enshrined in the list of holy cities by the Muslims, it was a wreck, a truly forgettable ruin of a small town in an environment depleted of people, with centuries old rubble that had never been repaired or removed. What possible reason would this new developing religion have for including this devastated city of Jerusalem as the direction of prayer and as its third holiest city?
I suspect we ALL know the answer, even Mr. Nusseibeh, tho he seems incapable of saying so out loud, in the presence of his fellow Palestinians and God.
Jerusalem is known through our the world of human beings for one reason only and that is because of the place is was assigned in the history of the Jewish people PERIOD. (Before the advent of either Christianity or Islam.), For that one reason its name was then carried to the ends of the earth by Christianity and Islam as part of their doctrine and esoteric connection to Judaism. Had not the Temple of the Hebrews/Jews been erected there, if the Jews/Hebrews had not assembled on that hill for the pilgrimage festival of Passover it is unlikely that the Jew Jesus from the northern city of Nazareth would have been there to fulfill his mission. If Mohammad (pbuh) had not chosen that same Jerusalem for his night journey, and in its place a more well known, holy temple of greater grandeur, like the Egyptian Luxor, that was still standing to bear witness might have been chosen for his “night journey”.
Paragraph two: As it happens I consider the demand by the current Israeli government for the official Palestinian recognition of Israel as a “Jewish
state” to be a foolish and meaningless waste of energy without merit or meaning. And while I agree with Mr. Nusseibeh’s statement that that recognition was already explicate in the 1993 Oslo Accords, I can not help but note that all the official Palestinian/PLO/Palestinian Authority spokespersons deny that this recognition is possible or will ever happen. A little more explanation on this subject would be helpful in clearing up what and who the Palestinians think they are negotiating with, please.
I think the greatest irony in this paper is that almost all the reasons Mr. Nusseibeh gives for essentially denying the legitimacy of the State of Israel are even more valid in the arguments against a Palestinian Arab state. I would hope the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and any of its representatives and spokespersons carefully read these arguments, and just change the name of the entity referred too.
First; Nusseibeh comments on the difficulty of categorizing or defining “Jew”. OK. Would he be so kind as to provide the definitive definition of “Arab” that would satisfy all concerned. Can he explain why Bedouin, who speak Arabic, live in Arab countries, also come from Arabia are categorized differently than “Arabs”?
Is “Arab” a cultural, genetic, or linguistic definition, are Jews who speak Arabic “Arabs”? Is a person who was born in Germany and speaks Arabic, an “Arab”Etc?
Secondly he tells us that, “having a modern nation-state being defined by one ethnicity or one religion is problematic in itself-if not inherently self-contradictory…
Yes, that does present a problem in these modern times. So how do you feel about the definition of “Palestine” as Arab. You realize of course it is so declared more than fifteen times in the 1988 Palestinian declaration of independence? Have you objected or criticized the official name of the Islamic Republic of Iran, or the Egyptian Arab Republic, or the Arab Republic of Syria. Has he refuse to have relations with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan?
Third; the recognition of Israel as a (the) “Jewish State” means that there is one state in the world in which the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur is observed nationally. There is no state radio or TV, there are no cars or trucks
on the roads, no restaurants are open. Its must feel to a Jew like Ramadan feels to a Muslim in Egypt after living in New York or London..
In that context is should be explicitly be made clear that no homes are entered by the police to make sure everybody is fasting. Non-Jews know to stock up on food and DVD’s ahead of time.
As to his fourth & fifth problem, I would like to remind Mr. Nusseibeh that the Jewish State of Israel holds all citizens legally equal and entitled to the same benefits of citizenship, including universal medical care, access to higher education, diplomatic positions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc. In contrast we know of Islamic laws of Diminihood which in effect place non-Muslims as legally designated second class citizenship.
Evidently a reminder and reality check in in order; in this Jewish state non- citizen Jews have no voting rights while non-Jewish citizens have full voting rights.
And of course there is the issue of the “Palestinian refugees”. If you insist on their “right of return” you are against any peaceful arrangement for our collective future. I believe this belief disqualifies you to be considered a “partner for peace”. What do we have to partner about if you are committed to destroy me by indirect measures, and also deny me my most basic integrity and identity. Its the one step too far !
…and most problematic of all as well as pathetic and absurd is the situation; that the very people who wish to create a state with the name given by the Romans to an area in which the people it was being named after, had already disappeared, can not even properly pronounce that name. (1230)
