Page 46 - HaMizrachi #9 Yom HaAtzmaut 5779

David M. Weinberg
ABANDONING
THE JEWISH STATE

O n Yom HaAtzmaut last year, despite that organization’s terrorist Jerusalem. But the PA rejected these

Israel
novelist,
record. Then, it added that peace could
the
offers, arguing that only if Israel gave
Prize
laureate and peace activist, A.B.
Yehoshua, published a 7,000-word essay only ensue if Israel allowed the creation them 100% of their demands, including
the so-called “right of return,” might
of the first self-governing authority
calling for the demise of the Jewish in Palestinian history. Then Labor they be willing to continue talks.
State. The details of Yehoshua’s dark and Party governments insisted that the
unrealistic plan for the replacement of Palestinian Authority could sustain In 2012, Mahmoud Abbas sought
Israel by a bi-national Israeli-Palestinian itself only if Yasser Arafat had a police to claim the end result without
federation are not important. What force with tens of thousands of rifles and having to engage in any process, and
is scary are his motivations. What other military equipment. It was further get his statehood “declared” by the
motivates A.B. Yehoshua is not Jewish explained that only if Israel turned a international community without
nationalism or identity, but what he calls blind eye to PA human rights abuses and having to compromise with Israel. The
“humanity.” virulent anti-Semitic propaganda could UN “recognized” the virtual PA state,
the peace process continue. against Israel’s objections. And how did
Yehoshua begins by admitting that the A.B. Yehoshua and friends respond?
two-state solution is no longer viable. Next, it was imperative to give Arafat They called upon Israel to embrace this
“It is time to say goodbye” to this dream, more land in Judea and Samaria; only recognition and withdraw unilaterally
read the headline of his article. Which then could he solidify his regime. So from the territories.
leaves him and his camp in self-declared Israel signed the Oslo II accord, and
“weariness and fatalism.” then the Wye accord, which put 98% They admitted that peace wouldn’t
of the Palestinian population of the necessarily ensue from Israeli withdrawal,
Therefore, Yehoshua reaches the territories under Arafat’s control, along but divesting of the territories was
conclusion that defense of a Jewish state with about 45% of the land and some necessary nevertheless to ensure Israel’s
in the historic Land of Israel is no longer Jewish majority. Which led, finally, to A.B.
possible. There is no choice but to “stop important mountain aquifer resources. Yehoshua’s latest ideological denouement.
the apartheid process in principle,” and But that wasn’t enough. Only if The movement he represents can no
to “unilaterally” decamp into some form Palestinian prisoners were released could longer support independent Jewish
of “de facto bi-national partnership.” the peace process prevail, said many statehood if the Palestinians can't obtain
“peace activists” (including, I remember, full national rights too.
“It is not (Israel’s) Jewish and Zionist
identity that I fear for,” wrote Yehoshua, A.B. Yehoshua). So Israel began freeing In the end, he says, there is something
Palestinian security offenders “without
“but something more important: more important than Jewish statehood:
our humanity and the humanity of blood on their hands,” eventually freeing “our humanity and the humanity of the
the Palestinians in our midst.” This many terrorists whose hands were Palestinians in our midst.” Which leads
overriding concern for “humanity” significantly smeared with Jewish blood. to the call for a one-state confederated
requires abandonment of the dream Israelis then suffered more than two “solution,” meaning the dissolution of
of independent Jewish sovereignty in years of terrorist violence and suicide Israel.
Israel; the dream of Jewish generations. bombings before launching Operation
Defensive Shield and beginning to build This is the inevitable result of a long
Of particular relevance is the trajectory the security fence. process of loss of Jewish-Zionist identity
on which Yehoshua arrived at this nadir; that afflicts the hard Left; an identity
a path of deception and ideological But the Left's “only if” syndrome still that has been overwhelmed by fealty to
bankruptcy that leads from the Oslo held sway. Only if Israel conceded a ephemeral “humanity” and extremist
Accords to the “two-state solution,” and full-fledged state to the Palestinians liberal principles that apply nowhere else
then having despaired of this solution, to was there a chance of peace. So at and to nobody else.
dumping the idea of Israel all-together. Camp David in 2000, Taba in 2001,
and Jerusalem in 2008, Israeli leaders David M. Weinberg is vice president
In the 1980s, the Left argued that only presented offers of statehood that would of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy
if Israel agreed to talk directly to the have given the Palestinians virtually and Security (jiss.org.il). His personal
PLO could peace become a possibility, all of the West Bank, Gaza and eastern site is davidmweinberg.com

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