Perspectives on Israel’s 60th Anniversary and Naqba

Israel is celebrating sixty years since its establishment and at the same time the Palestinians will be mourning. For the Palestinian people there is no cause to celebrate. Many of us who were born in Israel or who had immigrated and become Israeli citizens under the Law of Return do not see much cause to celebrate either. Undoubtedly, disapproving eyebrows will be raised at this statement! The Jewish communities of Europe had almost been exterminated in the Holocaust of the 1930’s and 1940’s by Hitler and his Nazis. After the Second World War, remnants of the Jewish survivors made their way to Palestine.

On 29 November 1947 the United Nations voted to terminate the British Mandate of Palestine by 1 August 1948 and, to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict in the British Mandate of Palestine, for a plan for the partition of the Mandate territory. The plan came to be called the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine or United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181. The plan was approved by the United Nations General Assembly by 33 votes to 13, with 10 abstentions.

The plan would have partitioned the territory of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, with the Greater Jerusalem area, including Bethlehem, coming under international control. (From Wikipedia).

The establishment of the State of Israel unfortunately resulted in the displacement of the indigenous Palestinian people and this in itself is the basis of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that defies a solution to this day.

This country had known so many wars and both Arabs and Israelis have paid a heavy price in blood.

Many members of the Knesset are party political hacks who have no interest in the people they are supposed to serve. They are there because of the prestige that being a Knesset member holds. Many of them including cabinet ministers have police investigations pending for corruption and moral turpitude. A famous example of this is the ex-president of Israel, Moshe Katzav. Even PM Ehud Olmert is under investigation by the police for suspicions of corruption.

The Arab nations were never prepared to recognize Israel’s right to exist or to negotiate a peace settlement. The reason for this was their view that Israel had stolen Arab land and driven out much of the indigenous Palestinian population. This created a massive and tragic refugee problem that defies a solution to this day. Palestinian refugees are the indigenous inhabitants of Palestine, the majority of who were dispossessed, forced to run away or expelled when the state of Israel was created in 1948. This dispossession and expulsion has continued since with the second largest such event in Palestine taking place during the 1967 war, launched by Israel on its Arab neighbors and resulted in the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Palestinian refugees generally fall into three main groups: Palestinian refugees displaced in 1948, internally displaced Palestinians who remained within the areas that became the state of Israel, and Palestinian refugees displaced in 1967 from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel has continued to deny Palestinian refugees their right to return to their ancestral towns, villages and homes.

At least three generations of Palestinians were born of refugee ancestors. Some of them had been dispersed all over the world but many live in refugee camps under the most shocking conditions and in extreme poverty. The latter have no hope and no future and they have been exploited by heartless politicians who do not intend to solve this tragic problem. Israel had achieved much despite its struggle to survive, however it had failed in its human relationships in many ways. It claims to be a democracy but is it really? The Arab populations that remained behind and did not run away have Israeli citizenship and yet suffer from unofficial discrimination when it comes to job placements. When a country is an occupying power, it cannot be a true democracy. Occupation and democracy do not mix. Domination and control of the Palestinian People are essential elements of the occupation. Roadblocks, permits and licenses are essential for every procedure despite its insignificance to Israel’s security. Arbitrary seizure of land, privileges concerning water use, cheap labour are all part and parcel of suppression of Palestinian human rights not to mention the enhancement of the occupation.

Benjamin Pogrund was a journalist with the Rand Daily Mail newspaper in Johannesburg for 26 years, who reported and commented on apartheid's evils. He was arrested and ostracized by the white apartheid government of South Africa in the 1960’s and 70’s. He was banned from reporting. He has lived in Israel for more than ten years. He wrote in a thought provoking article “Catastrophic, but not apartheid” that the occupation and settlements are catastrophic to both Israelis and Palestinians. He continues, “I want two states, side by side in peace: That's an agreed-upon separation, not apartheid. I share the dismay and shame of many Israelis about the morass into which the occupation has dragged us - the mutual killings, the infliction of suffering, and the brutalization of both Israelis and Palestinians as perpetrators and victims. I am desperately worried about our betrayal of our moral values and of the lessons of our own persecution down the centuries”.

All these symbols of the occupation developed from a mixture of economic greed, religious messianism and security claims which are an integral part of the desire of religious zealots who received the green light from the Israeli Government to build homes and settle on usurped Palestinian lands captured in the Six Day War of June 1967.

The occupation is corrupting Israel society and is ruining it!

The settlers who live in the occupied territories have created facts on the ground which makes the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel impossible. A Palestinian state can only be established in the territory occupied in the Six Day War of June 1967. If it were possible, it would mean a massive return of the settlers to within the green line. It is unlikely that these settlers would agree to that in order to make the establishment of a viable Palestinian state possible. It is doubtful if Israel really intends to move forward towards a two-state solution despite the utterances of its leaders. The facts on the ground prove the opposite because Israel is expanding existing settlements, even building new ones in the West Bank.

The alternative solution to this is a binational state whereby the settlers remain under joint Palestinian/Israeli rule which would allow for the right of return of Palestinian refugees who fled. There is no third solution. The nature of the binational state would have to be determined by a joint Israeli-Palestinian plebiscite. The chance of this happening is very remote indeed under the present circumstances and even in the near future. Nevertheless it has to be considered given the impossibility of achieving a two-state solution.

Israel had also adopted a divide and rule policy which also pushed the idea of a two-state solution onto the backburner if not making it impossible to achieve. Israel was instrumental in strengthening Hamas in order to weaken the PLO. Today Palestine is divided into two entities, Gaza ruled by Hamas and the West Bank ruled by the Fatah affiliated Palestinian Authority. These two entities are at severe loggerheads with one another. The US, EU, UN and Russia are delegitimizing Hamas which they view as a terrorist organization. However, the reality is that without Hamas no peace will ever be achieved. This is an irrefutable fact! At the same time, Hamas has suggested a tahida – a period of calm. The main problem with this is the possibility of Hamas using this calm to re-arm and attack Israel when it feels strong enough to do so. This could be prevented by a serious and neutral third party monitoring the situation to prevent both sides from acts of aggression and arms build up. After all, there is no sign that Hamas is prepared to negotiate with Israel or cease its terror activity. The success of a cease-fire that moves in the direction of a peaceful solution is dependent on the desire of both sides to negotiate a peace agreement. Both sides must share a common interest to make peace. Without this the violence will continue unabated. Mahmoud Abbas is despised by his own people and is very weak. Yet, he is being artificially propped up by Israel and the US.

“Unfortunately, throughout its history, Israel has acted as though its definition as a Jewish state provides it with a license for favoring the country's Jews over its Arab-Palestinian citizens. This democratically unacceptable favoritism has dictated a policy of institutionalized discrimination toward the country's Arab- Palestinian citizens in all areas of life: community infrastructures, access to health services, education, use of land, water and other natural resources, lack of equal job opportunities, and more.

As a result, there are today wide discrepancies between the country's Jewish and Arab communities, and these gaps constitute a powder keg in the relations between Israel's majority and its minority. We all know that there are those who claim that discrimination is inherent in Zionism, but this was never a principle of the movement, nor does the idea appear in Herzl's writings. On the contrary: Herzl pointedly related to the Arabs in his ideas and plans in an inclusive manner”. From Haaretz, 02/05/08, “The 'nations test'”.

Despite these problems, Israel has made great advances in technology, science and medicine. All this was achieved while fighting for its survival. The price was heavy and no real progress was made for a true peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours and of course the Palestinian people.

So much more could be achieved had both the Palestinians and Israelis ceased their hostilities against each other and worked towards achieving a true peace which would guarantee justice, democracy and prosperity for both sides. For each person killed, whether Palestinian or Israeli, results in more hate, more violence and revenge.

Only two Arab states have a peace treaty with Israel – Egypt and Jordan. Other Arab states in the Gulf such as Qatar have hosted Israelis. However, progress on all the fronts depends very much on solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Israel has failed to integrate its Arab citizens into Israeli society. While the situation in Israel is still very distant from apartheid South Africa and there is no resemblance at all to the situation prior to black majority rule, Arab citizens do not feel an integral part of Israel. The emphasis of Israel as a Jewish state alienates the Arab sector. An example of this is the national anthem, which is not all-embracing and Arab Israelis are unable to identify with it.

Israeli society has ceased to be the caring society that it once was. The behaviour in the streets, abrasiveness, impoliteness and lack of consideration for others has become a national way of life. Educational standards are dropping and so are the achievement rates. This loutish behaviour is evident on the roads where road manners are severely lacking. This results in very high accident rates. Family violence is on the increase and so is violent crime.

It is also becoming increasingly more difficult for young, qualified people to find jobs. Those that do are poorly paid. Many youngsters have to undergo a battery of pathetic psychometric examinations before being admitted to university. This results in many potentially good students being beaten by the system before they even start. However, if the parents happen to know the right people in the right places at the right time, many potential students somehow have their futures assured - very different from meritocracy.

What society and future can we promise to our children? Zionism has ceased to be relevant. It achieved its objective of establishing a homeland for the Jewish People who have been a persecuted minority for generations in the Diaspora. This objective was achieved but at a very heavy price. It resulted in the displacement of about 700 000 Palestinians from their homeland and a severe Palestinian refugee problem which remains unsolved to this day. We have to look at the future and realize that time is running out. The core of the conflict here is the refugee problem and repatriation of the refugees as well as compensation.

If this problem is not addressed in a serious manner, the whole area will be involved in violence for many years. All the negotiations that have been conducted with the Palestinians in the past have been futile as this problem has never been addressed in a serious manner so that a just solution could be found with which both Israelis and Palestinians can live. The situation is so complex and bound with strong emotions on both sides that objectivity can result in accusations of cooperation with one side or the other to the detriment of both sides. The mindset of many Palestinians is that Israel is stolen Palestinian land and these lands have to be returned to the Palestinian people which could spell the end of Israel’s existence.

Another source of concern is the cynical use that Hamas has made of the Holocaust in describing the plight of the Palestinians. It wishes to portray Israel as committing genocide against them. This exercise is futile as much as it is false. They believe that if one delves on this ad nauseam it becomes truth.

Where is Israel heading in the next 60 years? There will be deterioration in the situation and Israel will find itself in an untenable situation arming itself to the teeth. This will exact a high cost in lives as the Palestinians will also become stronger and more resilient.

As the two-state solution is showing signs of not being practical because of territorial expansion of illegal settlements in the so-called future Palestinian state, it will lose support due to it not being a viable option. The binational state solution will once again return to the drawing boards for serious debate. The nature of this option is not clear at this stage. Suffice it to say that the possibility of a federal solution which would take into serious consideration a solution to the refugee problem as well as the illegal settler problem. This state will have to be secular and democratic in nature so that there is no religious domination of one group by another. The chance of this solution being acceptable by both sides remains very remote indeed.

Jimmy Carter’s Visit to the Middle East

Source: Al-Bayan, UAE, April 20, 2008

The ex-President of the US, Jimmy Carter, should be judged by his deeds and achievements in making peace in the Middle East and not by his book “Palestine: Peace or Apartheid”. The agreement that he organized between Egypt and Israel was one of his greatest achievements. Memories here are short and we forget that Egypt was the main decision maker when it came to declaring war on Israel.

OK, so he wrote a book (Palestine: Peace not Apartheid) that was “not so nice” from Israel’s point of view. Israel has not kept its word on the agreements and understandings that it signed in the past. Israel's control over Palestinian lands and their confiscation, and especially the continued settlement activity, contravened all promises Israel made and signed with the Palestinians. Israel’s policies in the occupied territories resemble apartheid. There have also been human rights abuses in the occupied territories that gave impetus to the development of Hamas and other groups hostile to Israel’s existence. Carter’s book must be viewed within this context. In the eyes of the Israeli government, Israel is right and the Palestinians are not. Those who criticize Israel’s expansionist policies and behaviour are accused of anti-Semitism! Surely this is indicative of irrelevant Zionists becoming paranoiac whenever Israel is criticized. They seek anti-Semitism under every nook and cranny in order to resuscitate their dying and irrelevant ideology. If they do not find it, they create it!

After all, ex-President Carter had achieved far more for peace in the Middle East than all the presidents of the US. President Bush has done very little and far too late. His policies on Iraq were and still are a total disaster. Jimmy Carter has been snubbed and boycotted by PM Ehud Olmert and his government. He is not deserving of this treatment! All the roads to peace have failed. Surely a man of Jimmy Carter’s stature should be given carte blanche by Israel to try to mediate, even with Hamas. What is so dangerous about him talking to Khalid Mash’al, the Hamas leader in Damascus, Syria? Carter believes that the only way to make peace is to speak to one’s enemies even though their views are poles apart. Carter does view himself as a troubleshooter and he has adopted a different path that has never been tried.

Jimmy Carter’s intentions are genuine. It is questionable whether Israel’s intentions are as well. If their intentions are genuine then they would freeze settlements instead of making cosmetic changes which does not indicate any real change in their illegal settlement policies in the occupied lands.

The history of Israel’s establishment in 1948 from the Palestinian point of view is a total tragedy. Israel must recognize this and empathize with it in the same way that Israel expects the world never to forget the Holocaust and correctly so. Palestinians should not be expected to forget Al Naqba (the catastrophe, as they view Israel’s establishment) in the same context that Israelis would never forget the Holocaust. This is the basis of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. Everything else stems from this fact.

Jimmy Carter, whose energy and motivation to find a way to end the bloodshed between Israelis and Palestinians, should have been encouraged and supported. Instead, the US and Israel condemned his efforts at troubleshooting and he was snubbed by the Israeli Government who refused to meet him. Israel does not have anything to lose and may have something to gain. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the US. However, it also has great support from the Palestinians which must be taken into account. Adopting a policy of divide and rule will never isolate Hamas. Negotiations for peace will only succeed if Hamas and Fatah reach an agreement. Gaza and the West Bank must be treated as a single entity for peace negotiations.

According to Maan News report 22^nd April 2008, Hamas agrees to the establishment of a Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories which Israel occupied in 1967 if the Palestinian people accept this in a referendum. However, Hamas will not recognize Israel, Khalid Mash'al, chief of Hamas politburo, said on Monday, 21^st April 2008.

"We accept a Palestinian state within the borders of June 4 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital, and with real sovereignty free of any Israeli settlements and including the right of return for Palestinian refugees in Diaspora, but without recognizing Israel," Mash'al told a press conference in Damascus.

However, if one were to examine the statements that came out of the Carter-Mash’al meeting one could sense a very small change of heart on the part of Mash’al. Perhaps it is a microscopic hint that there is a desire to reach an understanding with Israel even though at this point it does not necessarily mean recognition of Israel. That will come later when Israel agrees to Hamas’s conditions. It does appear one-sided but one must bear in mind that Israel is the occupier of Palestinian lands and its credibility is poor. Evidence of this is the constant enlargement of settlements in the territories as well as the building of new settlements and claiming that it is legal. Israel has also been building roads for the comfort of settlers while the Palestinians are not allowed to use these roads and are limited in their travel because of road blocks and humiliating army body searches.

According to an Haaretz Report, 23^rd April 2008, Mash’al offers a 10 year truce for a Palestinian state beyond the pre-1967 borders. This, in effect, gives Israel implicit recognition by Hamas. Once Israel has received this recognition, it cannot be reversed. Perhaps here lies the key to an eventual solution to the conflict. It does seem rather remote at this stage.

Mesh’al's comments were one of the clearest statements Hamas has given for what it would do if Israel withdrew from the territories it captured in the 1967 Six Day War. He suggested Hamas would accept Israel's existence alongside a Palestinian state on the rest of the lands Israel has held since 1948. However, he did say that Hamas would not formally recognize Israel. However, if one were to examine his statement, informally he would recognize Israel. This in itself is significant. It is illustrating a certain direction that should be watched closely. "We agree to a [Palestinian] state on pre-67 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital with genuine sovereignty without settlements but without recognizing Israel," Meshaal said.

"We have offered a truce if Israel withdraws to the 1967 borders, a truce of 10 years as a proof of recognition," he said. He said he made the offer to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter during talks Friday and Saturday in the Syrian capital.

This development may not impress the Israeli government who will ignore it in the same way that it ignored Carter’s efforts. Nevertheless, apart from the statements, Mash’al should be judged by his deeds. According to Carter, Hamas is prepared to accept Israel’s right to exist in peace within the pre-1967 borders. Nothing was mentioned about Israel’s total destruction. Surely this does indicate that Hamas is beginning to climb down from the tree of non-recognition of Israel even though its efforts are very tentative and uncertain at this stage. There is also a vague hint at supporting a two-state solution if this is the will of the Palestinian people by referendum.

Naturally there is still a long way to go and it does seem that attempts are being made by Hamas to gain credibility. It is now up to the Arab world to encourage this. The Palestinian people are in a crisis and a period of calm does serve their interests in helping to solve this conflict.

Another interesting development, according to Carter, is Syria’s attitude towards Israel which is showing signs of change.

According to the International Herald Tribune 22^nd April 2008, Jimmy Carter said that he had obtained a significant concession from the Palestinian group Hamas regarding Israeli-Palestinian peace and had found the Syrian leadership eager for a full peace treaty with Israel.

Carter, who spoke in Jerusalem after several days of talks in the Syrian capital, Damascus, said he had extracted from Hamas a promise to respect the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip if it were ratified by a referendum of the Palestinian people.

He said further that Syria believed "about 85 percent" of the issues between it and Israel had been resolved in prior negotiations and it wanted a peace deal "as soon as possible."

It is unfortunate that Israel is not enthusiastic about these developments which somehow prove that its interests in finding a way to a true peace and a just solution to the conflict are not as genuine.

However, if Israel carries on the policies of collective punishment by closing off Gaza and the West Bank making it impossible for the Palestinian people to carry on with their normal lives, the hate and extremism against Israel will only intensify and this would result in further bloodshed and violence.

Pesach (Passover) – the Festival of “Freedom”

The season of Pesach (Passover) is round the corner. It is a time for reflection for many people, though by no means all. It is a festival filled with ritual and the usual arguments of “Kosher for Pesach” and the fines for selling “non-Kosher for Pesach” or chametz foods in public places has yet to begin. This festival is the commemoration of the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.Today it has lost its relevance for many of us.

It is a time when rabbis of all shapes and sizes come out with halakhic rules as to what is “Kosher for Pesach” and what is not. The list is becoming more and more exotic and at the same time more frustrating. Those people who live in Israel and do not have deep roots here feel more and more estranged and isolated. This applies to many people who were not born here and have no family. It is a time of depression as many of us do not have any identification for this festival at all. Homes are turned inside out – an added stress searching for leaven (chametz). There is the pressure and stress that culminates in the grand climax of the Seder night when the Haggadah is read relating the story of the Israelites’ bondage in Egypt and their liberation from the Egyptian oppression.

The preparation for this festival is onerous and the family pressures where to spend Seder night is stressful. Those who have nowhere to go are under the most stress. There are families who invite people who have no relatives in Israel to spend Seder night with them. This is considered a mitzvah or good deed that is looked on favorably by God. Housewives, who barely exercise, get a spurt of energy to clean every nook and cranny in their homes. This involves climbing ladders and almost acrobatic movements to reach hard-to-get places in the home. Household accidents result as rather overweight housewives miss a step and tumble down from the top of the ladder inevitably landing up in the casualty department of the hospital closest to home with broken limbs. This Pesach-cleansing ritual is a seasonal obsession.

The relevance of Pesach as a festival of freedom is lost for many reasons. It is a festival that conjures up obsessions for the “Kosher for Pesach” foods that result in the annual hair-splitting arguments between the secular and religious. The losers are inevitably the secular who have to kow-tow to the whims of the religious who have the law on their side. What is free about that? Religious coercion reaches a climax during the Pesach week.

Another aspect and one that very few people give a thought is the plight of the Palestinians under occupation. Their limited freedom is even further curtailed. Roadblocks, closures and checkpoints are stricter. The reason is always security. However, the difficulties that innocent Palestinians have to endure are further increased by this “Festival of Freedom”. The Israeli soldiers who are on duty in the occupied territories are even more abusive and insensitive to Palestinians to ensure that the “Festival of Freedom” is not “interrupted” by Palestinians.

It is difficult and even hypocritical to celebrate a festival of freedom while denying another people basic human rights. The settlers in the occupied territories show their presence during this “Festival of Freedom” when they trespass on Palestinian lands. At the same time the Israeli government is still expanding settlements on Palestinian land. Racist rabbis continue their anti-Arab diatribes and this does have much influence for the celebration of Pesach.

Several rabbis have used the excuse of "security" in the wake of the Mercaz HaRav shooting to issue racist halakhic (religious) rulings against Arabs. Haaretz reports Rabbi Dov Lior, chairman of the rabbinical council for settlers in "Judea and Samaria" (the West Bank), decreed "It is completely forbidden to employ [Arabs] and rent houses to them in Israel. Their employment is forbidden, not only at yeshivas, but at factories, hotels and everywhere."

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, considered a world-wide Orthodox authority on Jewish law, held "that it is completely forbidden to hire Arabs, especially in yeshivas; there is a concern for endangering lives." Indicating that security might not be the only motivation for this ruling, Kanievsky added that Jews should refrain from hiring any non-Jews, "unless there exists a huge disparity between the costs of the labor," in which case non-Jews could be hired.

While these are recent examples, Mossawa, an Arab civil rights advocacy group in Israel, documented dozens of instances of racist declarations by public figures and thousands of examples of incitement on the Internet in 2007 alone. From The Jerusalem Fund Information Brief

This article continues. In its 2007 Israeli Democracy Index, the Israel Democracy Institute found that 87 percent of all Israeli citizens rated Jewish-Arab relations in the country as being "poor" or "very poor."²⁸

In addition:

· 78 percent of Israeli Jews opposed having Arab parties or ministers join Israel's government.²⁹

· Just 56 percent of Israeli Jews support full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel and an identical number agreed that "Arabs cannot attain the Jews' level of cultural development."³⁰

· 75 percent of Israeli Jews agreed with the statement that "Arabs are inclined to violent behavior" (as compared with 54 percent of Palestinian citizens of Israel who had an equivalent view of Israeli Jews).³¹

· 43 percent of Israeli Jews agreed that "Arabs are not intelligent" and 55 percent agreed that "the government should encourage Arab emigration from the country."³²

A recent Haifa University survey found that half of Israeli Jews object to Arabs living in their neighborhoods (56 percent of Arabs supported residential integration with Jews).³³ Similarly, ACRI reported that 75 percent of Israeli Jews surveyed said they would not agree to live in the same building as Arabs. The same survey found that more than half of Israeli Jews felt that Arabs and Jews should have separate recreational facilities.³⁴

There are two consistent trends among all these surveys: both Palestinian citizens of Israel and Israeli Jews hold some prejudices towards each other, but on almost every measure, Israeli Jewish views of Arabs are more negative and extreme than Arab views of Jews; second, the negative trends have risen markedly in recent years as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has intensified. Between 2005 and 2006, there was a 26 percent rise in racist incidents targeting Arabs, and the number of Israeli Jews reporting they felt "hatred" towards Arabs doubled to 30 %. ⁵

While many right wing rabbis remain at the helm of decision making in this country, those citizens, who are liberal and tolerant, find it more difficult to view Pesach as the “Festival of Freedom”.

The Binational State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Many Israelis view this solution as an anti-Semitic attempt to destroy Israel. However, as I have mentioned in a previous article on my blog, this is not a new idea at all. The idea was entertained by the well-known Jewish philosophers, Martin Buber and Judah Magnes in the 1920’s. The history of the establishment of the State of Israel is a tragic one. It provided hope for the Jewish people and the survivors of the Nazi holocaust while resulting in the displacement of the indigenous Palestinian population and the creation of a Palestinian refugee problem which remains unsolved to this day. The two state solution as the result of the partition vote in the UN of 29^th November 1947 was rejected by the Arab states but was accepted by the majority of UN members.

The conflict has reached a total stalemate as Israel approaches its 60^th Anniversary .The attempts at reaching a two-state solution has not yielded any results. The whole situation in this area has to return to the drawing board for new, imaginative solutions that would be acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians. The numerous wars since Israel was established had taken a severe toll on all sides to the conflict. It is not the purpose of this article to discuss these wars except to mention that it never brought the conflict any closer to a solution. Apart from Egypt and Jordan, no additional Arab states have diplomatic relations with Israel. The Oslo Accords of September 13, 1993, did give some hope for a settlement but this hope was short-lived and time proved the Oslo Accords a total failure. The second intifada broke out in October 2000 and the Palestinian Authority was further weakened by it as Hamas, the extremist terrorist organization, became stronger and intensified its suicide terrorist attacks against Israelis in all public places. Communications between Israel and the Palestinians virtually broke down only to be replaced by violence and Israeli military retaliatory actions. The small amount of trust between Israel and the Palestinians ceased to exist.

The two-state solution which gained world support, even in Israel, became moribund. One of the reasons for this is the settlement policies of successive Israeli governments. The occupation of Palestinian lands by right wing settlers and the continuous building and enlarging of existing settlements in occupied territories in practice has destroyed the two-state solution. One does not have to use much imagination to realize that the future, independent Palestinian state would be in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital. The right wing Zionist settler movements have rekindled the binational state solution by default. It is not the idea of anti-Semites and those who wish to destroy Israel as we are made to believe. The expansion of settlements in Palestinian occupied territory made it very difficult to ascertain where the future Palestinian state will be. Would settlers vacate their homes in the occupied territories and return to Israel or would they remain under Palestinian rule? It is highly unlikely that the settlers would agree to this.

The only alternative to the two-state solution is a binational state solution which could be a federation of Israel and Palestine with a central government represented by both Israelis and Palestinians. In order for this to be achieved both Palestinians and Israelis must make revolutionary changes in their attitudes towards one another. Both parties to the conflict must agree to a binational solution. The chance of this happening is zero when the hate between the two sides runs so deep. Both sides have strong national aspirations which under the present circumstances run contrary to each other’s interests. There does not seem to be any sign that attitudes of Palestinian and Israelis will change. The hate and mistrust run so deep that it seems that either the binational state or the two-state solutions will not be achieved for many years.

Both sides are intransigent and extremism is gaining the upper hand. The misery, squalor, check posts and lack of economic development in the Palestinian areas will continue. The Israeli Security Forces will remain on its guard for terrorist activity and will continue to enhance the status quo of no progress, no direction and no peace.

On the Palestinian side there is the moderate Fatah who are prepared to negotiate a peace treaty but their strength is being eroded at a rapid pace while the extremist Hamas and its Islamic Jihad ally are becoming stronger and gaining more Palestinian support. They have no intention of coming to terms with Israel’s existence. Hamas is not even in favour of a two-state or binational state solution as it runs contrary to their charter. They wish to destroy Israel and drive the Jews into the sea. Both extremist organizations believe in genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Jewish People. Unless they become pragmatic and are prepared to negotiate with Israel on any form of solution they must change their attitude towards coexistence which is at present not part of their lexicon.

Israel must be more accommodating and show its readiness to negotiate with Hamas if the latter is prepared to negotiate even if it does not officially change its attitude towards Israel’s existence. The fact that it would be prepared to negotiate with Israel does grant de facto recognition of Israel despite its claims to the contrary. At the same time, Israel should show willingness to negotiate the release of Palestinian prisoners including Marwan Barghouti. Settlement activity beyond the green line should be frozen including existing settlement expansion. Israel has not ceased its settlement activity beyond the green line. Israel has also not ceased demolishing Palestinian homes not because of terrorism but because these homes are “illegal”. Why illegal? The reason for that is to make way for further settlement activity in Palestinian lands.

Both sides to the conflict must show readiness to negotiate seriously. Israel and its US ally cannot ignore Gaza as part of the solution even though it is under Hamas rule. Bolstering the Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas will not lead to any serious negotiations because of lack of Palestinian support.

According to Meron Benvenisti, binationalism is apparently inevitable. Israel and the Palestinians are sinking together into the mud of the "one state." The question is not whether it will be binational state, but which model to choose.

Religious Right Wing Ideology in Zionism

The terrible tragedy that occurred at Mercaz Harav in Jerusalem has aroused strong emotions amongst adherents of right wing religious Zionism. They blame the left wing in Israel for the murder. This message was so clear because of the rough treatment given to Prof Yuli Tamir the Minister of Education, when she arrived at the institution on a condolence visit. The scorn and the violence that came from this sector with the tacit support of the rabbis that graduated at this institution leaves us with no doubt about the direction of education in this “holy of holies”. Mercaz Harav, the right wing religious Zionist institution, has produced graduates that are illegal settler oriented as well as strong supporters of the occupation on religious grounds. It is a disgrace! Why must it take a heinous terrorist act to bring out true barbarism, racial hatred for others and hatred for a large left oriented non-religious section of the Israeli population? I had a feeling of déjà vu. A similar situation existed a few weeks before PM Yitschak Rabin’s assassination in November 1995.

Many rabbis whose views are extreme right wing are graduates of this institution. The yeshiva's well-known graduates include former MK Rabbi Haim Druckman, Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Rabbi Zfania Drori, Rabbi Moshe Levinger, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, Rabbi Yoel Bin-Noon and former MK Rabbi Hanan Porat. All these rabbis are religious Zionist firebrands! They believe and fight for “Eretz Yisrael Shleima” (Greater Israel, which includes all the territories occupied in the Six Day War of June 1967). The ideology that these religious leaders hold, according to them, are based on the right of Jews to settle all the occupied territories. This is based on prophecy. The damage that they have done to Israel’s credibility in the world is enormous. It is creating a situation whereby Palestinians are forcibly removed from their lands to make way for Jewish settlement in the territories. At the same time it also makes a two state solution even more complex to achieve. How can Israel claim that it does not wish to occupy another people when the settler movement is given permits to build in disputed areas of Jerusalem? Palatial homes are built for settlers while Palestinian homes are demolished to make way for Jewish settlement. It makes Israel’s claims of being a non-occupying power a complete farce! It also strengthens the case for a binational state solution. There is no place for a Palestinian state other than in the Israeli occupied territories! There are those religious Zionists who still maintain that the future Palestinian state is Jordan where the Palestinians ought to be transferred.

The religious Zionist movement is becoming more right wing and less amenable to any form of negotiations with the Palestinians. They must share a large part of the blame for much of the hate that Israel is receiving. The reaction of the yeshiva students was chants of “Death to the Arabs!” Rabbi David Shalem director of the Institute of Talmud Studies at the school called for the Ehud Olmert government to attack Palestinians “everywhere, in Gaza, and the north and inside.” He issued a thinly veiled call for the extermination of Palestinians by referring to them as present-day Amalekites, who were “indigenous nomads who attacked the Israelites on their flight from Egypt and were annihilated by King David.” (New York Times, March 7). They also called for the destruction of the home where the terrorist and his parents live. It must be made clear that after Rabin was assassinated, there were no calls coming from rabbis or their students in this “holy of holies” of religious Zionism to destroy the home of Yigal Amir the assassin. Nor were there any calls for the destruction of the Kiryat Arba home of Baruch Goldstein the murderer of 29 Arabs in a mosque in Hebron on 29^th February 1994. The deeds of the perpertrators of these crimes were no less evil than that of the terrorist who killed the 8 students in Mercaz Harav.

Mercaz Harav is a hotbed of racist Jewish fundamentalism at its worst. "The Talmud states that...two contrary types of souls exist, a non-Jewish soul comes from the Satanic spheres, while the Jewish soul stems from holiness...Rabbi Kook, the Elder, the revered father of the messianic tendency of Jewish fundamentalism said, "The difference between a Jewish soul and the souls of non-Jews...is greater and deeper than the difference between a human soul and the souls of cattle.' "Israel Shahak and Norton Mezvinsky's "Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel"

It is also the base of Gush Emunim. "Gush Emunim rabbis have continually reiterated that Jews who killed Arabs should not be punished, [e.g.]...Relying on the Code of Maimonides and the Halacha, Rabbi Ariel stated, 'A Jew who killed a non-Jew is exempt from human judgment and has not violated the [religious] prohibition of murder'...The significance here is most striking when the broad support, both direct and indirect, for Gush Emunim is considered. About one-half of Israel's Jewish population supports Gush Emunim." "Israel Shahak and Norton Mezvinsky's "Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel"

Mercaz Harav is the ideological and organizational centre of the Israeli settler movement. They oppose any form of compromise with the Palestinians or the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Gideon Levy, columnist for Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper of record, wrote on March 10: “From Mercaz Harav emerged the rabbis that led the vilest movement in Zionist history. Most of the delusional right-wing perpetrators and the mongers of hate for Arabs came from this flagship.”

The Vicious Cycle of Violence

A terror victim at Mercaz Harav in Jerusalem (Y-Net)

The past week has been a week of revenge and hate. Qassams and Katyushas fell in Sderot and Ashkelon and caused injury and shock to the people of these towns. The result of these attacks was felt, not by the regular members of Hamas (who celebrated a victory when the Israeli Army withdrew from Gaza). The fact that 165 Palestinians were killed, many of whom were innocent, and not involved in the violence did not seem to make any impression on Hamas and company. The predictable rhetoric based on fantasy and an unrealistic world view was rapid in coming from their spokesmen. The arms caches hidden in private homes under Hamas orders turned many Palestinian women and children into human shields, exposed to the wroth of the Israeli Army in its quest to rout out the Hamas terrorists.

The situation remains tense and the motivation for Hamas terror has increased. The situation has become difficult and any form of sanity is still far from reality. Reports of innocent Palestinian babies and children being killed and injured are coming in. It is shocking that children on both sides have fallen victim to this cycle of violence. Nothing on earth can justify killing of innocent people whether Israeli or Palestinian.

The latest terrorist attack occurred on Merkaz Harav Yeshiva in the Kiryat Moshe neighbourhood of Jerusalem where 8 students were killed and nine others wounded. This attack was despicable and ought to be condemned in the strongest terms! The repercussions resulted in a rallying point for the right wing which makes political capital of this ghastly and tragic act. Various claims of responsibility for the attack were made. An organization calling itself "Galilee Freedom Battalions - the Martyrs of Imad Mughniyeh" claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station. This claim has yet to be verified. The terrorist, Ala Abu Dhaim, who was himself shot dead, acted alone. Hamas’s terrorist wing denies any responsibility for the attack. Later reports did state that this terrorist acted alone.

This terrorist attack served the interests of extremists on both sides of the great divide. The celebratory shooting in the air in Gaza that followed the terrorist attack in Jerusalem last night showed that the penetration of Merkaz Harav was viewed as an unusual political and military achievement for the group responsible.

The attack brought something to a wide public in the Gaza Strip that it had been waiting for all week - revenge. The Israeli right wing demonstrations with its spine-chilling chanting of “Death to the Arabs” were reactions that were just as despicable as the reactions of joy in Gaza.

This yeshiva is the spiritual centre of the religious Zionist movement. Many right wing rabbis graduated here. The ideology of the religious Zionist movement is another of many complex factors that are obstacles to any form of negotiated peace settlement. The terrorist who committed this awful deed was killed in a shoot out. The cynical use of political ideologies at a tragedy of this magnitude is disgusting. It reaches a level approaching the level of Hamas’s reaction to killing of Israelis.

The peace process is in shreds. Even resumption of negotiations with President Mahmoud Abbas is a hopeless exercise in achieving peace. Abbas does not represent his people. The division of Palestine into two entities means that Gaza is not part of the overall peace process. Mahmoud Abbas does not have the authority to negotiate on their behalf. The situation is so hopeless and the US is very unrealistic in its approach towards a negotiated settlement. How peace will be achieved before President Bush leaves office at the end of 2008 is anybody’s wild guess.

The cycle of violence – terror and Israeli army retaliation will continue. How much innocent blood needs to be spilt before both sides come to their senses? Both peoples have had enough of this destructive and tragic violence. Al Jazeera’s Odeh said the latest incident could prompt greater willingness to negotiate.

"The political buzz in the Palestinian territory is that this attack has really awakened the politicians on both sides to a reality - the status quo will not work and they need to work on reaching a ceasefire," she said.

"This is the second attack [inside Israel] in one month, something that Israelis haven't seen in a very long time. They don't want to be subjected to that again. The calls for a ceasefire, mutual and reciprocal between Israelis and Palestinians, will be a lot stronger."

A cease-fire and a stop to all violence and terror must be declared!

Is Palestinian Terror the Result of the Occupation?

This is a question that is provocative and is really a two edged sword. There is no simple answer and much depends on how one looks at the relationship between Palestinians, Israelis and maybe the Middle East as a whole. The answer to this question is a mix of “yes and no”. It also depends on whether one supports Israel or the Palestinians. While it is true that Palestinian terrorism is a result of the occupation, it is also true that Palestinian terrorism is a consequence of an existential problem of Israel's right to exist. Israel's right to exist has been in dispute since the day it was established in 1948. Terrorism against Israel existed even before the occupation of territory because of the Six Day War of 1967. In fact, Hamas and Islamic Jihad and their ilk view Israel as occupied territory since 1948 and they will not rest until Israel is destroyed. Al Naqba – the catastrophe of 1948 resulting in Israel’s establishment on occupied Palestinian territory, which to them, is still unacceptable.

The only solution to this conflict is a negotiated peace settlement and total cessation of hostilities on both sides. A hudna or tahida (temporary cease-fire and calm) will not be the solution as Hamas holds the key to its observation. Hamas does not even want to discuss this directly with Israel as it refuses to negotiate or recognize Israel even though it is prepared to accept this through a third party. Anyway, there is no trust between the two sides. Israel will view a hudna as a period of re-armament of Hamas which could take ten years in order to recoup its losses and renew its armed struggle to destroy Israel.

The violence continues unabated. Ashkelon has now joined Sderot in receiving vollies of Qassam rockets which is causing injury, fatalities and severe damage to property. Now it is not only Qassam rockets, but also Grads that are being fired. The damage is increasing as well as the frequency of mortar fire. It is unacceptable! Nothing can justify this sort of terrorism! The result of it all will be severe Israeli Army retaliations in Gaza which will cause severe tragedy to many innocent people while those responsible – Hamas leadership and their allies - will be deep in their bunkers, planning their next round of attacks. They are not affected by the Israeli Army retaliations! They have their human shields where they hide – Palestinian women, children and babies! Their motivation for carrying out more attacks just increases while at the same time the cost in blood of the Palestinians also increases. What do they hope to achieve by this - Israel’s total destruction “ethnic cleansing and genocide” of the Jewish people? Is this their goal? Hamas and its new found ally, President Ahmadinajad of Iran, have hinted at this ad nauseam.

Hamas intends to harm as many Israeli civilians as possible. It does not differentiate between soldiers and civilians. The Israeli army retaliates and during its retaliatory activities, many innocent Palestinian civilians are harmed and killed as well as a handful of armed Hamas terrorists. Israel’s retaliatory activities are not directed at innocent civilians. Unfortunately, the Hamas terrorists hide behind Palestinian civilians in the hope that Israel will kill Palestinian civilians as well. They have succeeded in this tactic. Hamas are cowards and their leader Khaled Mashal hides behind his vicious, hateful rhetoric in Damascus, Syria where he dictates his wishes resulting in harm to his own people that he claims to represent.

According to South African lawyer, Professor John Dugard, an independent investigator on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a South African lawyer who campaigned against apartheid in the 1980s, says in a report that "common sense ... dictates that a distinction must be drawn between acts of mindless terror, such as acts committed by al-Qaida, and acts committed in the course of a war of national liberation against colonialism, apartheid or military occupation." The report calls for an end to the Israeli occupation, citing the country's checkpoints and roadblocks restricting Palestinian movement, house demolitions and the "Judaization" of Jerusalem. The report says that until the occupation is ended, "peace cannot be expected, and violence will continue." A question arises as to what is the definition of “occupation”. Is it the occupation of Palestinian territory conquered during the Six Day War of June 1967, or is it the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, which according to Hamas, is “occupied Palestinian lands that must be liberated”? If it is the latter, then only the total destruction of Israel will bring peace to the area according to the report. This is not clear.

Professor Dugard has given the most blatant support for Palestinian terrorism to date. It will be interesting to read how he will justify that in the 25 page report he compiled and will deliver at the Human Rights Council of the UN next month. This report will be based undoubtedly on a previous report that he wrote on 26^th March 2002. He does mention Israeli abuses of Palestinian rights which cannot be denied. Much of this report is reasonable in its content where he does give a sense of balance:

“The Israeli perception is very different. Israelis see terrorism as the cause of the crisis. Suicide bombers who enter Israeli shopping districts, suburbs and settlements and snipers who shoot at passing traffic, have instilled a sense of fear into all Israelis. There is no guarantee of safety on the streets or roads, in shopping malls and restaurants. Palestinian violence is not seen as a response to Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian Territory but as terror directed at the very existence of the State of Israel.

Since 11 September international support for the belief that terrorism is the main problem to be confronted in the region has inevitably grown. That terrorism is a threat to the present world order cannot, and should not, be denied. That terrorism is a scourge that threatens Israelis and Palestinians alike cannot and should not be denied. Every effort should be made to end violence intended or calculated to create a state of terror in the minds of particular persons or the public, whether it is perpetrated by instruments of the State, by organized non-State groups or by individuals. At the same time it is important not to ignore the main explanation for the acts of terror committed by Palestinians against Israelis - opposition to the military occupation. Or the main explanation for the acts of terror committed by the Israel Defense Forces against Palestinians - enforcement of the occupation”.

The Israeli blockade of Gaza is untenable and the poverty, overcrowding and the total collapse of the economy are factors that strengthen Hamas.

According to Maan News Agency 1^st March 2008, 34 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip on since dawn Saturday, including five children and more than 100 wounded in Israeli shelling on the northern Gaza Strip. (The number of Palestinian killed is still rising and stands now at over 50)

Two Israeli soldiers have also been killed and five injured as Israeli forces step up its attacks on the coastal region.

In the latest attack Abdul Rahman Shahab the son of Hamas leader Muhamad Shahab was killed.

Two sisters, 13-year-old Salwa Zedan and 17-year-old Samah Zedan, were killed in an Israeli attack near their house east of Jabalia.

Two resistance fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades Mu'tasem Abed Rabbo and Abdullah Abu Shahira were killed in clashes with Israeli forces.

Israeli Special Forces backed by tanks penetrated the area east of Jabalia in the eastern Gaza Strip under the cover of Israeli warplanes that showered the region with rockets and missiles early on Saturday morning.

Medical sources confirmed that houses were bombarded with air and ground fire.

According to Dr Mu'awiya Hassanain, director of emergency and ambulance services in the Palestinian health ministry, the dead and injured were transferred to Kamal Adwan Hospital.

Fathi Thabet and Tal'at Darduna were the first to be killed in the Israeli attack. Less than an hour later Ibrahim Az-Zein and Sa'id Al-Hsheim died after being hit by Israeli artillery shells near Az-Zawiyah in the eastern area of the Jabaliya camp. Eyewitnesses reported that Hussein Al-Batsh was also killed.

According to medical sources, a missile fell on the house of Abu Shbak family, killing 12-year-old Jacqueline Shbak and her brother Iyad Mohammed Abu Shbak, along with 45-year-old Bassam Obeid and his son Muhammad. Muhammad Al-Jamal and Abed Faraj were killed in another missile attack. They are reported to be affiliated to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades.

On Friday an Al-Qassam Brigades commander was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in Jabalia.

The Al-Qassam Brigades told Ma'an that "Iyad Al-Ashram a commander in the Al-Qassam Brigades died when a missile targeted his car in the Al-Zamo area of Jabaliya."

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and five others were wounded in violent clashes between Palestinian resistance factions and the Israeli army east of Jabaliya.

Israeli sources reported that two of the soldiers are in a serious condition. They were air-lifted by helicopter to the Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva.

The Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for targeting an Israeli Special Forces unit in a house east of the Jabaliya camp with two rocket propelled grenades. The brigades claim there were casualties and planes were seen evacuating the wounded from the scene.

The Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for launching two rocket propelled grenades at a group of soldiers inside located the Darduna family's home in east Jabalia.

Moreover, five Palestinian resistance fighters were wounded as they launched projectiles at the Israeli town of Ashkelon on Saturday.

Israeli sources confirmed that five Israeli citizens were slightly injured when a missile landed on a house in the city of Ashkelon.

According to Israeli military sources 18 rockets have landed in the western Negev and Ashkelon since dawn on Saturday.

Hamas is harming the Palestinian people. Their callousness and lack of sensitivity towards their own people is criminal. It is removing their right to peace no less than the damage and terror that it is causing to Israel. It is increasing Palestinian suffering by its criminal behaviour and it does not intend to rule the Palestinian people responsibly. The only people that can rid themselves of the Hamas cancer are the Palestinians themselves. Imposition of the Hamas fantasy of the destruction of Israel through terror on the Palestinian people is irresponsible and dangerous. It will lead nowhere but to further suffering, economic hardship and more Israel army retaliations which will take a tragic toll in blood. They have declared war on Israel