Page 42 - Jewish News_November-2020

42A November 2020 COMMENTARY

Will agreements facilitate peace Thoughts regarding the death

between Palestinians and Israelis? of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

By Harold M. Halpern
ast month my column touched about the agreements? per columns. Israel has been given the have leverage with Israel. They have
upon the normalization agree- First, the need of these countries to right to fly in Saudi Arabia airspace, said that the depth of the relationship
Lment with the United Arab jointly protect themselves from Iran, and Saudi Arabia has not criticized with Israel will depend on Israel’s will-
Emirates (UAE). Since then, Bahrain a Shia Muslim country. Iran is an ex- Arab countries for normalizing rela- ingness to be flexible.
also signed and Qatar has announced istential threat to Israel and to Sunni tions with Israel. Other Muslim coun- This is the scenario of those who
it too is eager for normalization with Arab governments. Secondly, a con- ties may feel comfortable following believe the normalization agreements
Israel. cern about the extent of future com- suit. enhance peace opportunities.
Recently, I mitment of the U.S. to remain a Middle What affect will the agreements The other school of thought is
have participated East military and economic force cou- have on the possibility of a two-state that the normalization agreements will
in several Zoom pled with a need to strengthen their own agreement between Israel and the drive the PA to seek new sponsors –
sessions about independent effectiveness. And finally, PA? Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran – all of
the agreements. the willingness of the U.S. to act as a There is no consensus of opinion. whom condemned the agreements as
I’ll share with broker. This facilitated the give-and- On the one hand, there are those who a sell-out by the Arabs of their Pales-
you the most fre- take, together with an agreement with say that the agreements enhance the tinian brothers. Or failing that, Israel
quent questions the UAE, that the U.S. would consid- opportunity. They argue that the Arab will continue to expand its settlements
Harold M. Halpern and answers. er providing it with its most advanced nations’ policy of non-recognition of in the West Bank to the point where a
How does Israel benefit? aircraft. Israel until peace was made with the two-state solution is no longer viable.
Before the agreements, the Arab What affected the timing? PA, enabled it to say no to all Israeli Those who hold this position, while
Gulf States did not recognize the right Prime Minister Benjamin Net- proposals. In meetings in 2000 with giving favorable lip service to the nor-
of Israel to exist. Their narrative was anyahu announced he would begin President Bill Clinton and Prime Min- malization agreements, are in effect
that Israel was an unlawful state occu- annexation of a part of the West Bank. ister Ehud Barak, Chairman Yasser condemning them.
pying Palestine, an Arab land. All con- This was strongly opposed by the PA, Arafat turned down an offer of 97% of No one knows what will happen.
tact and trade were clandestine. They Jordan, the Arab and Muslim world, the West Bank. He held on to the Arab Hezbollah, which in effect controls
pledged that Israel would not be recog- the European Union and the liberal narrative that Israel is an invader to Lebanon, has its hands filled. Iran is
nized until it made a peace agreement communities in Israel and the U.S. Ne- be expelled as were the Crusaders. To economically in deep trouble. Hamas
with the Palestinian Authority (PA). tanyahu suspended annexation as part eliminate Israel as a Jewish democra- and the PA are enemies, and as such,
Israel has been delinked from the of the normalization agreements. In cy, Arafat demanded that the millions Hamas is not a reliable supporter of the
PA and recognized as a fully indepen- addition, the agreements meant poten- of descendants of Palestinians be given PA.
dent state in the Middle East. More than tial political gain for President Donald the right to return to Israel. Israel was The status quo may very well con-
this, it has been greeted with open arms Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. not ready to commit suicide. tinue in the near future with the PA in
by nations that welcome increased, Will more Muslim countries nor- Israel’s reward for its offer was charge of its cities, towns and villag-
trade, tourism, technology transfer and malize relations with Israel? the Second Intifada five months af- es in areas A and B of the West Bank
investment. They will coordinate eco- Yes. Oman, Sudan and Morocco ter the failed meetings. It continued (40%), and Israel controlling area C
nomic and military planning to contain are thought likely to do so. Saudi Ara- for five more years until 2005. Israeli (60%) as well as security.
destabilizing activities of Iran. bia may later. Favorable sermons are deaths and serious injuries from sui- Palestinian resistance to the Jew-
What circumstances brought delivered in its mosques and newspa- cide bombers and terrorists were in the ish people returning home is 100 years
thousands. This took a great toll on the old. It may continue for more years. I
Israeli psyche. Their prime interest be- join with Yossi Klein Halevi’s dream
came security and remains so. in Letters to My Palestinian Neighbors build. advocate.
Robert and Esther Heller lost its enablers. The Arab states are of two states for two peoples living in
Now the PA, after 20 years, has
CRC tired of the Palestinian issue. They er rather than later. remember. support.
peace, side by side. May it come soon-
onnect
onnect
want a Palestinian state but not at the
Harold Halpern is a retired attorney
expense of their relations with Israel. living in Lakewood Ranch Florida. He Bridges
Arab media are beginning to call upon is a member of the Board of Directors
the PA to recognize Israel as they have of the American Association of Jewish We build bridges between people by visiting synagogues, churches and civic groups to make
Have you ever been asked and to accept the reality of 400,000 Lawyers and Jurists, and of the board presentations about Israel, antisemitism and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement

questions about Israel Israelis living in the West Bank. The of the West Coast Florida Chapter of (BDS). In addition, we send clergy and community members on missions to Israel to
Arab nations have the leverage to give
the American Jewish Committee.
experience and learn about the land while forging friendships that deepen
or antisemitism that or withhold support to the PA to nudge STAY and continue back home in Sarasota-Manatee.
it to the negotiating table. They will
you can’t answer? need Israel’s help to get the PA to the
table. Their new Arab partners now
Crossword Puzzle CONNECTED ^ Builds Bridges
CRConnect, a program of
CR C onnec t Solution to puzzle on page 27A Robert and Esther Heller
the Heller CRC, addresses CRC ^ Advocates through Government Affairs

these difficult questions COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE ^ Remembers the Holocaust
such as Palestinian vs. Israeli

sovereignty, Israel as a Outreach

“superpower,” the “Apartheid” Fighting antisemitism is an ongoing battle. We have CRC
claim, peace in the region Ambassadors ready and able to educate the community to

and much more. better understand what antisemitism looks like and how
.com/jfedsrq to fight it alongside the Jewish community.

Read our monthly article and then visit
JFEDSRQ.org/CRConnect JFEDSRQ.org/CRConnect What do you think? HELLER CRC’S MISSION
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