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NEWSLETTER
MAY 2008 EDITORIAL
It is only fitting for PJC, along with Jews and others around the world, to celebrate Israel at this time. And there is much to celebrate. Sixty years really is no time at all, and Israel's achievements amount to nothing less than a modern miracle. Of course, the State of Israel is not perfect but I think it would be inappropriate to dwell on the negative at this time. *** Last week there was a presentation and discussion on Palestine at the UEA, Norwich. I was unable to attend but for what it was worth I was able to pass onto the convenor my response to some of the points which I understood were to raised: Is a two state solution still possible? In a perfect world we could all do away with national boundaries but reality dictates otherwise. Israelis and Palestinians need first to learn to live within their own national boundaries, side-by-side as peaceful neighbours. Maybe one day the borders will blur into another Golden Age, but no one can expect Jews living as they do in the real world and with the horrors of their recent history to see this as a solution for today. Should Hamas be recognised? The recent civil war in Gaza, Hamas' constitution and its continual goading of Israel into bloody conflict suggests to me that the onus is on Hamas to re-evaluate its position. Recognition of Hamas by the US and/or the EU would be tantamount to condoning an organization which according to the evidence has no intention of living peaceably with Jews in Israel-Palestine under any circumstances. This does not mean that Israel should not talk to Hamas. Most Israelis think their government should at least negotiate a ceasefire. Who should have a right of return? There is no single solution to the refugee problem. Within the context of a genuine peace accord it can be assumed that most refugees would want to take up citizenship of the new State of Palestinian. Some might prefer to settle permanently in their host country if invited to do so. Still others might be interested in emigrating out of the region altogether. Still others, at the discretion of the Israeli government, would choose to settle in Israel albeit in limited numbers and over several years, under a ‘family reunification’ scheme. In all cases there would need to be generous compensation, rehabilitation and re-training packages, financed by a special international fund. (My thanks to Dr Brian Klug) Why the special Israel / US relationship? This begs the question: What is the special Israel/US relationship and does it help or hinder the prospects for peace? The US "Jewish lobby", Christian Zionism, geo-politics. You name it. Only to say, things are rarely quite as simple as they might first appear. What do Palestinians want? I doubt you can generalize, any more than you can generalize as to what Israelis want. I guess most Palestinians would be satisfied with a just peace, as would Israelis. Given the right conditions this is something Israel could deliver. *** I just had to share this with you. Really, you couldn't make it up: BBC News dateline 22nd April 2008: AL-QAEDA ACCUSES IRAN OF 9/11 LIE Al-Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has blamed Iran for spreading the theory that Israel was behind the 11 September 2001 attacks. In an audio tape posted on the internet, Zawahiri insisted al-Qaeda had carried out the attacks on the US. He accused Iran, and its Hezbollah allies, of trying to discredit Osama Bin Laden's network. Full story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7361414.stm — Byron Simmonds
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