(New York Jewish Week) David Bernstein - Most mainstream Jewish leaders acknowledge that Israel's rule in the territories ain't pretty. But we are far less certain Israel has the power on its own to bring about peace and security. Those calling for an immediate end to the "occupation" are often sketchy on the details. They simply assume that if Israel tried to cut a deal, the Palestinian leadership would follow suit and make peace. Few, however, seem to question whether the Palestinian Authority would agree to a solution that leaves a Jewish state intact. In 2008, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused an offer from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that would have given Palestinians a contiguous state with a capital in Jerusalem. Eight years earlier, Yasir Arafat's Palestinian Authority demonstrated little willingness to cut a two-state deal. There were multiple offers put on the table from September to December 2000, the last of which was extended by President Clinton. The Palestinian leadership would not budge. Unfortunately, the Palestinian population, not just the leadership, overwhelmingly rejects a peace deal. Moreover, high-minded plans sometimes look better on paper than they do on the ground. It's not at all certain that the PA would survive the winds of instability blowing through the region. It's quite possible that the PA would be deposed or implode, and Israel would eventually face a hostile adversary in the closed quarters of Jerusalem and a few miles away from its international airport. These reservations about the achievability and sustainability of a peace deal don't mean that Israel shouldn't pursue such a peace deal. Pursuing peace offers hope. Such doubts do, however, influence my public stance toward the Jewish state. I don't demand that Israel take action that may not work. And I believe that peace takes two. The writer is president and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
2016-07-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive