The only solution is the 2-state solution for both Israel and Palestine to live in peace. I will soon share with you a letter and an article by Dr. James Zogby which I have recently written to Teaneck Mayor commenting on a resolution passed by its Council.
Joe, I understand this situation must be distressing on a personal level. I apologize for being insensitive in the past to your ethical dilemma and divided loyalties.
The late Dr. Kirby Farrell spoke eloquently about how to respond to a seemingly unresolvable conundrum. He said one sometimes must go beyond the conventional and explore what has been, until now, unthinkable. One must “think the unthinkable.” Step back and identify what you really want. Is it a Jewish state despite all costs? A Jewish state perpetually in bloody conflict with six million Palestinians has been the reality for generations. The conflict corrupts the integrity of both sides, pulling both Jewish Israeli and Muslim Palestinian into a world of hate. The conflict also pulls the world around them into its orbit. Look at the clash of pro and anti Israeli and Palestinian Americans in the US alone. The world wants peace. The question you have to ask yourself is do you? What do you really want? If it is peace, what lengths are you willing to go to to achieve it? Are you willing, for example, to see Israel fundamentally change, i.e., think the unthinkable.
The way to peace, in my opinion, is not a militarized nation of seven million dominating a de-militarized nation of six million crammed into tiny pieces of land. The smaller and weaker will forever resent the larger and dominant. The two-state solution, as outlined for the last 30 years, is doomed from the start. Realists like Netanyahu understand that and have stopped pretending. What road leads to lasting satisfying peace? Killing all the Palestinians is one unthinkable solution that I have heard expressed over the years. It seems impractical if not inhuman. The only other unthinkable idea is one I first heard proposed by a rabbi guest speaker at a humanist meeting a decade ago. He proposed the one state solution as the only way to peace.
The six million Palestinian inhabitants of Israel, including Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank, and those in camps and forced diaspora must be welcomed back into the state of Israel as equals with full rights as citizens. The right of return must be negotiated fairly and justly. Jewish Israelis and Muslim and Christian Palestinians must see themselves as one Semitic people. Let me repeat that: The Israelis and Palestinians are one Semitic people. The new state of Israel-Palestine will struggle, just as the United States, South Africa, Canada, Australia, and many other countries have struggled with histories of ethnic cleansing, racial bigotry, and apartheid. The US is hardly a model of peace and justice. But the various races, religions, and ethnicities in this and the other countries with similar histories are not lobbing bombs and missiles at each other. If we can do it, Israel can do it. But it will require everyone on both sides to think the unthinkable and work toward real, lasting peace. Are you willing to think the unthinkable?
The anguish and dilemma of cultural Jews is well stated in this essay. This conflict along with Ukraine also weigh heavily on me. It articulates the reactions of humanists who identify with Israel but abhor the tragedy that is Gaza. I too grasp at the idea of a Palestinian state because it seemingly offers a happy end to the perpetual cycle of violence. Yet, in my heart of hearts a smidgen of doubt resides over a two-state solution.
Why if given a Palestinian nation will terrorist Arabs not continue their assault on Israel, especially considering how ferociously Iran seeks to gain dominance through fomenting disorder? Why will militant Israelis not continue to seek Arab land? And why would Israelis not retaliate against Arab terrorism leading to a continuation of the cycle of violence.
I wish I had an answer. A shred of optimism remains by reminding myself that Ireland and England were able to find a peaceful resolution. Perhaps after Netanyahu somehow Israeli and Palestinian leaders will broker an arrangement by which peace and prosperity might be achieved.
The only solution is the 2-state solution for both Israel and Palestine to live in peace. I will soon share with you a letter and an article by Dr. James Zogby which I have recently written to Teaneck Mayor commenting on a resolution passed by its Council.
Joe, I understand this situation must be distressing on a personal level. I apologize for being insensitive in the past to your ethical dilemma and divided loyalties.
The late Dr. Kirby Farrell spoke eloquently about how to respond to a seemingly unresolvable conundrum. He said one sometimes must go beyond the conventional and explore what has been, until now, unthinkable. One must “think the unthinkable.” Step back and identify what you really want. Is it a Jewish state despite all costs? A Jewish state perpetually in bloody conflict with six million Palestinians has been the reality for generations. The conflict corrupts the integrity of both sides, pulling both Jewish Israeli and Muslim Palestinian into a world of hate. The conflict also pulls the world around them into its orbit. Look at the clash of pro and anti Israeli and Palestinian Americans in the US alone. The world wants peace. The question you have to ask yourself is do you? What do you really want? If it is peace, what lengths are you willing to go to to achieve it? Are you willing, for example, to see Israel fundamentally change, i.e., think the unthinkable.
The way to peace, in my opinion, is not a militarized nation of seven million dominating a de-militarized nation of six million crammed into tiny pieces of land. The smaller and weaker will forever resent the larger and dominant. The two-state solution, as outlined for the last 30 years, is doomed from the start. Realists like Netanyahu understand that and have stopped pretending. What road leads to lasting satisfying peace? Killing all the Palestinians is one unthinkable solution that I have heard expressed over the years. It seems impractical if not inhuman. The only other unthinkable idea is one I first heard proposed by a rabbi guest speaker at a humanist meeting a decade ago. He proposed the one state solution as the only way to peace.
The six million Palestinian inhabitants of Israel, including Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank, and those in camps and forced diaspora must be welcomed back into the state of Israel as equals with full rights as citizens. The right of return must be negotiated fairly and justly. Jewish Israelis and Muslim and Christian Palestinians must see themselves as one Semitic people. Let me repeat that: The Israelis and Palestinians are one Semitic people. The new state of Israel-Palestine will struggle, just as the United States, South Africa, Canada, Australia, and many other countries have struggled with histories of ethnic cleansing, racial bigotry, and apartheid. The US is hardly a model of peace and justice. But the various races, religions, and ethnicities in this and the other countries with similar histories are not lobbing bombs and missiles at each other. If we can do it, Israel can do it. But it will require everyone on both sides to think the unthinkable and work toward real, lasting peace. Are you willing to think the unthinkable?
The anguish and dilemma of cultural Jews is well stated in this essay. This conflict along with Ukraine also weigh heavily on me. It articulates the reactions of humanists who identify with Israel but abhor the tragedy that is Gaza. I too grasp at the idea of a Palestinian state because it seemingly offers a happy end to the perpetual cycle of violence. Yet, in my heart of hearts a smidgen of doubt resides over a two-state solution.
Why if given a Palestinian nation will terrorist Arabs not continue their assault on Israel, especially considering how ferociously Iran seeks to gain dominance through fomenting disorder? Why will militant Israelis not continue to seek Arab land? And why would Israelis not retaliate against Arab terrorism leading to a continuation of the cycle of violence.
I wish I had an answer. A shred of optimism remains by reminding myself that Ireland and England were able to find a peaceful resolution. Perhaps after Netanyahu somehow Israeli and Palestinian leaders will broker an arrangement by which peace and prosperity might be achieved.