Roadmap and PeacemakingIsrael and Palestine
What starts the numerous peacemaking efforts? What brings them to a halt? Are they doomed to fail because the problem is intractable? Or are some peacemaking plans simply unrealistic? With one-sided conditions and expectations?
Monday, January 21, 2008
The day will come when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights.
IS ZIONISM COMING TO AN END? | Thursday, December 20, 2007
...
Why? Ehud Olmert. Let me clarify. Better yet, let's let him clarify:
"The day will come when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights. As soon as that happens, the state of Israel is finished."
That's right, the Prime Minister of Israel is currently trying to negotiate a "two-state solution" specifically because he realizes that if he doesn't, Palestinians might begin to demand, en masse, equal rights to Israelis. Furthermore, he worries, the world might begin to see Israel as an apartheid state. In actuality, most of the world already sees Israel this way, but Olmert is worried that even Israel's most ardent supporters will begin to catch up with the rest of the world.
"The Jewish organizations, which were our power base in America, will be the first to come out against us," he told Haaretz, "because they will say they cannot support a state that does not support democracy and equal voting rights for all its residents."
Perhaps Olmert is giving American Jews too much credit here, but he does expose a basic contradiction in the minds of most American people, Jewish and not: most of us -- at least in theory -- support equal rights for all residents of a country. Most of us do not support rights given on the basis of ethnicity and religion, especially when the ethnicity/religion being prioritized is one that excludes the vast majority of the country's indigenous population. We cannot, of course, forget the history of ethnic cleansing of indigenous people on the American continent. But we must not use the existence of past atrocities to justify present ones. ...
IS ZIONISM COMING TO AN END? | Thursday, December 20, 2007
...
Why? Ehud Olmert. Let me clarify. Better yet, let's let him clarify:
"The day will come when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights. As soon as that happens, the state of Israel is finished."
That's right, the Prime Minister of Israel is currently trying to negotiate a "two-state solution" specifically because he realizes that if he doesn't, Palestinians might begin to demand, en masse, equal rights to Israelis. Furthermore, he worries, the world might begin to see Israel as an apartheid state. In actuality, most of the world already sees Israel this way, but Olmert is worried that even Israel's most ardent supporters will begin to catch up with the rest of the world.
"The Jewish organizations, which were our power base in America, will be the first to come out against us," he told Haaretz, "because they will say they cannot support a state that does not support democracy and equal voting rights for all its residents."
Perhaps Olmert is giving American Jews too much credit here, but he does expose a basic contradiction in the minds of most American people, Jewish and not: most of us -- at least in theory -- support equal rights for all residents of a country. Most of us do not support rights given on the basis of ethnicity and religion, especially when the ethnicity/religion being prioritized is one that excludes the vast majority of the country's indigenous population. We cannot, of course, forget the history of ethnic cleansing of indigenous people on the American continent. But we must not use the existence of past atrocities to justify present ones. ...
''There is no credibility to [Bush's] words after what the region saw during his presidency,'' ...
Bush trip called largely futile | President Bush will end his Middle East tour Wednesday after making few apparent gains, experts said. | Wed, Jan. 16, 2008 | BY HANNAH ALLAM | McClatchy News Service | DUBAI, United Arab Emirates --
President Bush wraps up a weeklong tour of the Middle East Wednesday, leaving many Mideast political observers mystified as to the purpose of the visit and doubtful that the president made inroads on his twin campaigns for Arab-Israeli peace and isolation for Iran.
...
''There is no credibility to his words after what the region saw during his presidency,'' said Mohamed Fayek, the Cairo, Egypt-based director of the nonprofit Arab Organization for Human Rights
..
The challenges were evident Tuesday. The Israeli military carried out an operation in Gaza that killed at least 18 Palestinians, including the 24-year-old son of Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, in the most violent day since the militant group seized control last year. Separately, a Palestinian sniper killed a young farmer from Ecuador who was working on an Israeli kibbutz near the border with Gaza. ...
Bush trip called largely futile | President Bush will end his Middle East tour Wednesday after making few apparent gains, experts said. | Wed, Jan. 16, 2008 | BY HANNAH ALLAM | McClatchy News Service | DUBAI, United Arab Emirates --
President Bush wraps up a weeklong tour of the Middle East Wednesday, leaving many Mideast political observers mystified as to the purpose of the visit and doubtful that the president made inroads on his twin campaigns for Arab-Israeli peace and isolation for Iran.
...
''There is no credibility to his words after what the region saw during his presidency,'' said Mohamed Fayek, the Cairo, Egypt-based director of the nonprofit Arab Organization for Human Rights
..
The challenges were evident Tuesday. The Israeli military carried out an operation in Gaza that killed at least 18 Palestinians, including the 24-year-old son of Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, in the most violent day since the militant group seized control last year. Separately, a Palestinian sniper killed a young farmer from Ecuador who was working on an Israeli kibbutz near the border with Gaza. ...
United States was asked in 1948 to recognize the "Jewish state", but offered recognition instead to the "state of Israel". Just as the PLO does today.
19 December 2007 | It's Not Just The Palestinians Who Won't Recognize A "Jewish State"
I am currently working on a long post about why the PLO recognizes the state of Israel, but refuses to meet Olmert's demand for formal recognition of Israel as a "Jewish state"; and about the hysterical response that the PLO's refusal has provoked among some of the Usual Friends Of Israel™.
While I was working on it this afternoon, I came across a document in the U.S. National Archives (click image left to enlarge), that I thought deserved a mention in its own right.
The document is from 14 May 1948. The context is that the Zionist government has proclaimed a "Jewish state" in Palestine, and is seeking U.S. recognition of that state. The document is President Harry S. Truman's response to that request.
The interesting thing is that the original text of the document is edited with hand-written corrections, to produce the wording finally approved by Truman. And the purpose of the editing is specifically to remove the suggestion that the U.S. recognizes a "Jewish state", and to clarify that it recognizes instead the "state of Israel".
How about that: the United States was asked in 1948 to recognize the "Jewish state", but offered recognition instead to the "state of Israel". Just as the PLO does today.
So why exactly is it uncontroversial when we do it, but an obstacle to peace when they do it?
19 December 2007 | It's Not Just The Palestinians Who Won't Recognize A "Jewish State"
I am currently working on a long post about why the PLO recognizes the state of Israel, but refuses to meet Olmert's demand for formal recognition of Israel as a "Jewish state"; and about the hysterical response that the PLO's refusal has provoked among some of the Usual Friends Of Israel™.
While I was working on it this afternoon, I came across a document in the U.S. National Archives (click image left to enlarge), that I thought deserved a mention in its own right.
The document is from 14 May 1948. The context is that the Zionist government has proclaimed a "Jewish state" in Palestine, and is seeking U.S. recognition of that state. The document is President Harry S. Truman's response to that request.
The interesting thing is that the original text of the document is edited with hand-written corrections, to produce the wording finally approved by Truman. And the purpose of the editing is specifically to remove the suggestion that the U.S. recognizes a "Jewish state", and to clarify that it recognizes instead the "state of Israel".
How about that: the United States was asked in 1948 to recognize the "Jewish state", but offered recognition instead to the "state of Israel". Just as the PLO does today.
So why exactly is it uncontroversial when we do it, but an obstacle to peace when they do it?
"It is impossible for negotiations to continue as long as settlements continue,"
Abbas says Bush must speak out on Israeli settlements AFP Published: Wednesday January 2, 2008
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Wednesday that US President George W. Bush must speak out against Israeli settlements during his visit to the region next week, because they were making peace talks impossible.
"When he arrives in the region President Bush must speak clearly about eliminating all obstacles which are hindering negotiations and settlement activity is the main obstacle," Abbas said.
"It is impossible for negotiations to continue as long as settlements continue," he said after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. ..
Abbas says Bush must speak out on Israeli settlements AFP Published: Wednesday January 2, 2008
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Wednesday that US President George W. Bush must speak out against Israeli settlements during his visit to the region next week, because they were making peace talks impossible.
"When he arrives in the region President Bush must speak clearly about eliminating all obstacles which are hindering negotiations and settlement activity is the main obstacle," Abbas said.
"It is impossible for negotiations to continue as long as settlements continue," he said after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. ..
Monday, January 07, 2008
Olmert: Israel not living up to road map
Olmert: Israel not living up to road map | Olmert Acknowledges Israel Is Not Living Up to Road Map | AMY TEIBEL | AP News | Jan 04, 2008 15:42 EST
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in an unprecedented public acknowledgment, called continued Israeli construction in West Bank settlements a breach of Israel's obligations under a recently revived peace plan.
The remarks, published Friday in The Jerusalem Post daily, came just days before President Bush arrives in the region to build on the momentum created at a Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Md.
Bush, in a separate interview, urged Israel to uphold its commitment to remove the settlement outposts in the West Bank.
...
Israel has long maintained it has the right to continue building in existing settlements to account for "natural growth" of the existing population — something the peace plan explicitly bans. But Olmert acknowledged that Israel was not honoring its commitments — a significant development because Israel has never before admitted it was violating the internationally backed "road map" peace plan.
"There is a certain contradiction in this between what we're actually seeing and what we ourselves promised," Olmert said.
"Obligations are not only to be demanded of others, but they must also be honored by ourselves. So there is a certain problem here," he was quoted as saying. ...
Olmert: Israel not living up to road map | Olmert Acknowledges Israel Is Not Living Up to Road Map | AMY TEIBEL | AP News | Jan 04, 2008 15:42 EST
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in an unprecedented public acknowledgment, called continued Israeli construction in West Bank settlements a breach of Israel's obligations under a recently revived peace plan.
The remarks, published Friday in The Jerusalem Post daily, came just days before President Bush arrives in the region to build on the momentum created at a Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Md.
Bush, in a separate interview, urged Israel to uphold its commitment to remove the settlement outposts in the West Bank.
...
Israel has long maintained it has the right to continue building in existing settlements to account for "natural growth" of the existing population — something the peace plan explicitly bans. But Olmert acknowledged that Israel was not honoring its commitments — a significant development because Israel has never before admitted it was violating the internationally backed "road map" peace plan.
"There is a certain contradiction in this between what we're actually seeing and what we ourselves promised," Olmert said.
"Obligations are not only to be demanded of others, but they must also be honored by ourselves. So there is a certain problem here," he was quoted as saying. ...
