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Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-oew-dayan19-2009jun19,0,4816470.story
What's Really Blocking Mideast Peace?
[Los Angeles Times] Jacob Dayan - Prime Minister Netanyahu clearly articulated that Israel does not want to control the lives of the Palestinians. Although those Palestinians live in the epicenter of the Jewish homeland, Israel is willing to make compromises to ensure safe and comfortable living conditions for everyone. Netanyahu declared that there will be no new settlements in the West Bank, nor will the borders of existing settlements be expanded. Among the important points he made is the willingness of Israel to resume negotiations for a two-state solution right away. Netanyahu's reference to the Jewish identity of Israel is not a novel concept. The UN partition resolution of 1947 divided the land of Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state. All of the Arab leaders chose to reject this resolution. In a democracy, the majority is entitled to define its own identity. The recognition of Israel as a Jewish state does not mean that we "ignore" the Arab population. Arabs have been living with us in the Jewish state and are doing much better than their brethren in the neighboring non-Jewish states. The real key to peace lies in this recognition. When our partners understand where we come from, and respect our heritage and tradition, as well as our very long history in the region, only then will we be hopeful that real peace can be achieved. The writer is the consul general of Israel to the Southwest United States.