(Israel Hayom) Amb. Dror Eydar - While Israel has recognized the Palestinian national movement, the Palestinians never recognized Zionism as a legitimate Jewish national movement with rights over at least part of the land. Article 20 of the Palestinian National Charter states: "Claims of historical or religious ties of Jews with Palestine are incompatible with the facts of history....Nor do Jews constitute a single nation with an identity of its own." The "two-state solution" seeks "two states for two peoples." The idea is that each group should recognize the other as a nation and the legitimacy of each other's claims. The Palestinians never accepted this. Given the choice of territorial compromise or continuation of the conflict, they prefer the latter, because compromise necessitates recognition that the Jews have some rights in their historic motherland. Israel does not need the recognition of the Palestinians. There is a certain irony that a group that has not been here for long denies the identity of one of the most ancient peoples in the world. More than 50 countries in the world have a Muslim identity and over 100 have a Christian majority and Christian characteristics, but only the Jews don't deserve a state of their own. It is the Judaism of the State of Israel that will ensure the country remains democratic. That is the default mode of our people. Even in biblical times, the kings of Israel were civilian leaders and not absolute monarchs, as was the case in Europe. Even the problematic kings in the Bible had to bow before the ancient biblical laws and stand before the council of elders. The writer is the Israeli Ambassador to Italy.
2023-01-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive