(New York Times) Michael B. Oren - Nearly 63 years after the UN recognized the right of the Jewish people to independence in their homeland, the Palestinians are still denying the Jewish nature of the state. Why should it matter? Because mutual acceptance is essential if both peoples are to live side by side in two states in genuine and lasting peace. So much of Palestinian identity as a people has coalesced around denying that same status to Jews. Reconciling with the Jewish state means that the two-state solution is not a two-stage solution leading, as many Palestinians hope, to Israel's dissolution. Recognition of Israel as the Jewish state would prove that the Palestinians are serious about peace. The writer is Israel's ambassador to the United States.
2010-10-15 09:58:56Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive