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DEL.ICIO.USIn long run, Israel will have to compromise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In its first 60 years of existence, the modern state of Israel has faced several moments when its survival seemed less than assured. And with the exception of those Jews who are certain of God’s protection, most Israelis understand that they will face more such difficult moments in the future.
As a birthday reminder of that fact, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week renewed his anti-Israeli rhetoric with a diatribe made more threatening by his nation’s apparent pursuit of nuclear weapons.
“Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken,” Ahmadinejad said, warning that “this regime is on its way to annihilation.”
We can sit here in America and note that the religious mullahs, not Ahmadinejad, hold the real power in Iran, and that Israel’s own nuclear arsenal should provide more than enough deterrent against an attack. Even if Iran does acquire a nuclear weapon, the logic against it ever being used against Israel is almost overwhelming.
However, many Americans are also old enough to remember the anxiety created in this country by the even more unlikely prospect of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. That fear would be compounded many times over for a country the size of Israel and a people with the history of the Jews.
Living in a neighborhood like the Middle East doesn’t help matters any, not with a civil war simmering in Lebanon and Qassam missiles being launched at Israeli targets from Gaza.
However, it is their inability to make peace with their Palestinian neighbors —- a failing for which the Israelis and Palestinians are both to blame —- that causes the greatest anxiety. In a new poll, 75 percent of Israelis said they expect to fight another war with their Arab neighbors in the next five years.
Transfixed by knowledge that a mistake could be fatal, trapped by history in an embrace with the Palestinians that they cannot break, the Israelis seem uncertain of how to change course.
“First we lost our belief in the power of peace to solve our problems,” Bradley Burston, an Israeli journalist, wrote recently in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, recalling events of the past few years. “Then we lost our faith in the power of war to do the same. Israelis and Palestinians both, we are in a state of unaccustomed loss of ideals … nothing has worked.”
That frustration is understandable. In its 60 years of existence, modern Israel has accomplished wonderful things for its people. Under harsh conditions, they have built a technologically advanced democracy and a strong Western economy. But the fragility of that accomplishment is impossible to ignore.
Besieged by terrorists, the Israelis built a wall to protect themselves against infiltration. While the wall all but eliminated suicide bombers, it has proved ineffective against missiles and mortar shells.
To counter such threats, Israel has tried to create a buffer zone, trying to push those missiles out of range, but that too is a temporary strategy. In time the range of those missiles will increase, their accuracy will improve, their payloads will get bigger.
For all its power, the Israeli military cannot change that situation. Nor can it alter a demographic trend in which Jews are becoming the minority in Israel and the occupied territories.
“The day will come when the two-state solution collapses and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights,” Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned last year. “As soon as that happens, the state of Israel is finished.”
For all those reasons, time is an enemy at least as threatening as Iran. Without fundamental change, things can continue in Israel as they have for many years or decades, but long term its odds of surviving a multigenerational war of attrition would be slim.
An American government that does not press both the Israelis and Palestinians to change course —- that does not prod from the outside to force true compromise upon both —- is not a true ally of Israel.
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By Charles
May 12, 2008 8:07 AM | Link to this
Compromise - that pretty much sums up the Liberal way of ‘solving problems’. The only thing ‘compromise’ does it create a new demand by these Islamic extremist thugs. Whenever anyone shows any sign of weakness to these facists they just hit you a little harder.
Presidents Reagan, the Senior Bush and our President knew you can’t negotiate with terrorists. They need to be pursued and eliminated. That’s why 9/11 happened - because Clinton didn’t do anything other than fire a missile into a tent during his time in office. We literally “got caught with our pants down” - something Clinton did most of his time in the Oval Orfice (pun intended).
By Copyleft
May 12, 2008 8:11 AM | Link to this
Uh-oh! You’re in trouble now, Bookman. It’s “un-American” to suggest that Israel has been anything but a peaceful, innocent angel throughout the past bloody decades of violence. Israel can do no wrong—and anyone who says otherwise is a dirty anti-Semite!
(Yes, I’m kidding. Sadly, there will soon be many posters here saying the exact same thing, in all seriousness.)
By James
May 12, 2008 8:40 AM | Link to this
Mr. Bookman:
Compromising has NEVER worked for Israel. It’s like compromising with cancer - you can’t do it - it will eventually get you. You are right that it will get worse and worse for Israel until they are eventually on the verge of annihilation. You may not agree with this, but as a Christian I believe the Bible (Old and New Testaments) teaches it is at that point that the literal return of Jesus as the Messiah (and King of Isreal) will miraculously prevent that. In the meatime, we should support them as best we can.
By norman ravitch
May 12, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this
Jay Bookman deserves credit for his courage in saying Israel needs to compromise for peace. Most Israelis agree but American Jews and their misguided evangelical supporters are blind. They call any critic of Israeli policy anti-semitic. Jay will get his share of this. It is designed mainly to scare American Jews and their supporters and friends into allowing the Likud party, a fascist party if ever there was one, to dominate in Israel and here. The Israel Lobby is a powerful agent of Israeli Likud fascism. They must be fought. Peace will only come with compromise and good will — not with the building of settlements on Arab land, the use of American equipment and money for un-American purposes, and the use of spying against the United States.
By Mike
May 12, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this
Nice partisan attack at the end:
“Oh yeah, and it’s Bush’s fault.”
Typical liberal crap.
By Scotus
May 12, 2008 9:24 AM | Link to this
Bookman, if this was the 1930’s, I am sure that you would say it is time for Britian to compromise with Germany. Democracies (like Israel and Britian) are always at risk when dealing with despotic regimes (like Nazi Germany or Hamas or Iran).
However, history tells us that compromising with such regimes is dangerous, and rarely do you obtain peace in the long run. If Israel does what you say, Israel will keep compromising and Hamas/Iran will keep demanding for the destruction of Israel. At some point, Israel with have nothing left to give up.
By Efrat Reut
May 12, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
Mr. Bookman appelas to the typical liberal herd.
The more reasonable people understand that if someone hauls stomes at you - you return with rocks.
The only thing Israel should do is squash the terrorists. The Arabs have somewhere around 25 countries - if they care so much about the Palestinians they can grant them citizenship and working visas.
By zeke
May 12, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this
Seems to me that all Iareal has done is compromise! They need to turn their military loose, as in the 6 day war, and, eliminate the terrorist that are the palestinians. They need to take out Iran’s nuke programs by whatever means necessary, PERIOD! For you liberal nuts that demand that Isreal give more and more to the terrorist that are the palestinians, you are slowly doing your best to insure that Isreal does not survive!
By The Truth
May 12, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this
Israel should NEVER compromise. They should just blow hamas and other islamic countries to pieces.
By Vern Hakes
May 12, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this
“Even if Iran does acquire a nuclear weapon, the logic against it ever being used against Israel is almost overwhelming.”
Where’s the logic in sending your son or daughter into a crowded marketplace with explosives strapped to his or her chest? Where’s the logic in flying planes into office buildings to kill people who have nothing to do with your current conflicts? Where’s the logic in cutting off a young American’s head for internet consumption? I’m not sure Mr. Bookman’s logic holds much sway in Iran or across the rest of islamic radicalism.
By Dbow
May 12, 2008 10:33 AM | Link to this
Just remember this one fact: If Israel goes down, you can expect no peace in the Middle East ever! Israel is the lone democracy in an increasingly unstable area. You think oil prices are out of hand now, just wait. Also, the neigboring Arab states have had the opportunity to take the Palastinians in for decades and refuse. Why do you think that is? It’s not because they beleive that Palastinians deserve their own homeland either. They already have their own country. Palastinians are a ruthless people that don’t deserve any kindness. They, like all Arabs are taught from childhood that Israeli’s are evil and don’t deserve a homeland. How do you compromise with that?
By matt
May 12, 2008 10:33 AM | Link to this
Deputy, Why do you try so hard to believe that Irainian logic works anything like yours ? Years ago, Hashemi Rafsanjani dreamed aloud about it only taking one nuke to take out the Jews. Whats rational about radical Islam ?
By Bob
May 12, 2008 10:38 AM | Link to this
Compromise with terrorists?? Surely Jay must joust with that HUGE pinhead..
By norman ravitch
May 12, 2008 10:48 AM | Link to this
I’ve often thought that if Israel stopped using the Holocaust as an excuse for doing anything it wanted the Iranian president might stop pretending that the Holocaust had never happened.
By Tilli
May 12, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this
Norman,
When do the Israeli’s use the Holocaust for an excuse?
They don’t need to since their neighbors tell them of the new Holocaust every chance they get.
By Sickfan
May 12, 2008 11:01 AM | Link to this
Wow the pro-Isreal nuts are out in force. Israel is not a democracy becuase Arabs in the occupied territies don’t get to vote in Israel, and have no control over anything. It is a religious theocracy - much like Iran. It would have no economy but for the billons the US taxpayer forks over every year. I am so sick of everybody talking about what great accomplishments Israel has made. Everything has been done illegally on the backs of other people. It is the most racist country on earth - a country only for jews - how much more racist could you get. WAKE UP AMERICA STOP SUPPORTING THE NUTS IN ISRAEL - STOP SUPPORTING THE END OF TEH WORLD!!! Arabs didn’t ask for these criminals to show up. They have every right to fight them off.
By Mad Mary
May 12, 2008 11:07 AM | Link to this
Jews could compromise themselves right out of existance in this scenario. I vote to Nuke Iran. I vote to Nuke North Korea. Then lets have that warm and fuzzy talk.
By GS
May 12, 2008 11:19 AM | Link to this
Israel has compromised some (land-for-peace treaty with Egypt, for example). But how do you negotiate with a party that vows to kill you. You just can’t have a good faith negotiation in those circumstances.
Consider the compromise in Gaza. Israel withdrew from Gaza in a show of good faith. Since then, missile attacks increased from about one a month to more than one a day.
Imagine if you and a neighbor got into a dispute over a tree on your property line and your neighbor kept saying that he had a gun and was going to use it on you someday—maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe next year. Is it possible to come up with a fair resolution in that environment? I don’t think so. In the meantime, the tree gets totally neglected. Likewise, the average-joe Palestinian is being neglected.
I don’t know what the solution will be over there, but I do know that none will work when one party shows up to the negotiating table saying “sooner or later, I’m going to kill you.”
By Tilli
May 12, 2008 11:28 AM | Link to this
Sickfan…
Sick is right. Are you sick of yourself, sick of the truth, sick of facts? You apparently do not know history, except for some twisted revision you have been fed.
Quick history lesson. Jews have lived, continuously in Israel for 5 thousand years. In 1948 Britain declared that it was giving part of its territory to the Jews to establish a new country in its ancestral home. No one was told to leave.
Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq Lebanese and Saudis decided that this was un acceptable and recommended to all Arabs to leave Israel. They were going to push the Jews into the sea. After that the Arabs who left would have their own country. Israel won and the Arabs that left suddenly became Palestinian refugees. Technically they were TransJordan citizens….but the JOrdanians did not want them because they were useless non-productive people. They had let the land they inhabited fester and rot. It was the Jews that reclaimed swamps and grew it into a productive agricultural land.
Even just 2 years ago, when Israel left Gaza the first thing the Palestinians did was destroy acres of crops and greenhouses that would have given them sustainable crops.
Sickfan, learn to read, learn to listen and learn the truth.
By what?
May 12, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this
Anyone who wants to nuke another country is insane and has no regard for innocent life. Go watch some documentary on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and then come back and say you want to nuke another country. Ignorant people scare me.
By gwarfan
May 12, 2008 11:43 AM | Link to this
Where does the idea that anyone views Isreal as a bunch of nice guys and can do not wrong country? Sure they have killed innocent people when they strike back but that is part of combat. They are fighting a war to survive and when your enemy hides in a school yard or apartment building launching rockets there is a chance other people will get killed its part of the whole tactic the enemy uses.
By Jim's a Cherry Picker
May 12, 2008 11:57 AM | Link to this
Hi Jay,
This topic is a loser. Nothing you can say will change anyone’s mind, and nothing that any of the principals will/might do will make it any better.
Perfect example of why there should be a separation of church and state. As soon as religion enters the mix, you can’t compromise…you have nothing to bargain over.
I’d recommend the movie “Munich” for any of those advocates of more violence out there.
And from another movie star: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
I always think of Cheney’s ad campaign featuring the wolves in the forest with stuff like this. The best citizens are scared citizens.
By RealityKing
May 12, 2008 12:00 PM | Link to this
what? “Ignorant people scare me.”
First watch the documentary on the fire storming of Tokyo and other major Japanese cities; they killed many more people than the 2 atomic bombs. And of course, next you would have to watch the Marine’s documentaries on the WWII battles in Southeast Asia and their estimates of dead involved in the invading Japan.., both American and innocent Japaneses.
Yep! Ignorant people scare me too!!
By rivkah
May 12, 2008 12:13 PM | Link to this
Israel has compromised over the years to NO avail. I didn’t see any suggestions from you Mr. Bookman; only blame. Shame on you.
By Lee
May 12, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this
Hmmm. I wonder what part of: “this regime is on its way to annihilation.” the Israelis should compromise on first. Should they insist that only half their countrymen be killed? Only three quarters? That the Iranians can kill them all, but they must leave the Jews in America and Europe alone? A better place to start is to get the Moselms to compromise first. How about, “We will not target for murder the pregnant women, children or schools, the elderly, the hospitals, the sick or disabled. We will no longer send in small children as suicide bombers, nor those who are mentally ill and unable to make a resonable choice.” That would be a really good first step in compromise.
By Jay Bookman
May 12, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this
Stop expanding settlements would be a good first step, I would think.
By Swami Dave
May 12, 2008 12:41 PM | Link to this
Interesting.
You write an entire article detailing terrorist threats from the extremists at its borders. You detail the reality of aggressive actions taken by those IslamoFacist terrorists funded and supported by the rest of their extremist brood.
Yet, your article’s title premise is that Israel will have to compromise to obtain a solution.
Maybe in JayWorld, a homeowner should offer a compromise to the armed thugs attacking their home and family? In the real world, you protect to the best of your ability and see to the punishment of the violent thieves putting them at risk.
-Swami Dave
By Slick
May 12, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this
Jay Bookman’s article reflects his usual intelligent, reasoned approach. It is devoid of the incendiary language and name calling so often displayed his critics who preach and display ignorance and hate.
The U. S. should serve as an HONEST broker for peace between Palestinians and Israelis, not as an unconditional supporter and apologist for every thing Israel does. It is difficult for Palestinians to trust us when we always side with the Israelis, and never hold them acountable when they violate UN Resolutions, and continue to build settlements on land that rightfully belongs to Palestinians.
Jay Bookman is right - compromise is the only way - where BOTH SIDES give us some of their goals in order to achieve others, and BOTH SIDES honor their commitments and suffer consequences if they do not. The Peace Broker must be fair and impartial.
By JR
May 12, 2008 12:48 PM | Link to this
The settlements are on land that was designated as part of the Jewish state (back in the 1920s). Most of this land was illegally given to Jordan.
As far as the remaining 24%, ‘palestinian refugees’ are illegally squatting on land that the Mandate ensured as part of the Jewish homeland.
Israel is not a fascist/eugenics loving state that is obsessed with ethnic cleanliness, thus it has never evicted the palestinians.
There is no part of jihad that is dependant upon ‘settlements’ or ‘where Jews live’. It is only about killing Jews and subjugating the rest to dhimmitude.
Thus, not only are ‘settlements’ entirely legal, but they are certainly no big issue unless these ‘filthy’ Jews are tainting the cleanliness of the future palestinian state. No?
Surely this ‘palestinian state’ will provide the same rights to Jews that Israel provides to Israeli Arabs? Right Bookman?
Bookman is just one more cog in the propaganda machine that not only prevents peace, but only gets Jews killed.
By jr
May 12, 2008 12:55 PM | Link to this
learn the truth about the palestinian movement that Western media supports so ardently: http://www.hirhome.com/israel/pal_mov4.htm
By Tilli
May 12, 2008 1:11 PM | Link to this
So Jay,
All Israel needs to do is stop building settlements and Peace will break out? No, you said first step. Okay, let’s walk through this. Israel stops expanding settlements. They agree to give autonomy to the PA and agree to everything, but dividing Jerusalem, will that get them peace?
Unfortunately, that has already been done. Every time Israel has gone the the table and shook a hand, remember Clinton, Arafat and Rabin. That’s what was promised. What happened, Arafat sunk it before he ever walked off the podium. Dayton…same thing.
Settlements are a ruse used to play the victim card. CHildren in Sderot running for shelter when they have less than 60 seconds before the next rocket lands on their school is real.
The PA figureheads are the masters of double talk. Peace in English War in Arabic. Look deeper than the glad-handing and baby kissing.
By RealityKing
May 12, 2008 1:22 PM | Link to this
There can be no peace as long as so many choose to watch this game of death between brothers..
By Bob
May 12, 2008 1:28 PM | Link to this
And what settlements do the Lebanese people compromise to Hamas Jay??
By Scotus
May 12, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this
Jay, very weak response. “Stop building settlements” is all you have to say to the responses posted on here. Shame on you.
By Who Cares
May 12, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
Quoted from above:
“The day will come when the two-state solution collapses and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights,” Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned last year. “As soon as that happens, the state of Israel is finished.”
Otherwise stated
“As soon as we become democratic and give equal rights and voting priveleges, Israel is finished.”
Am I misinterpreting that? That sure doesn’t sound like it meshes with American values.
By Tilli
May 12, 2008 2:07 PM | Link to this
Who Cares, There is a difference here. The blacks of S. Africa were citizens denied equal rights.
The Palestinians are NOT Israeli citizens and do not want to be equal citizens. There are huge number of Israeli-Arabs that live, work, vote and serve in govt as equals.
By J Moore
May 12, 2008 2:46 PM | Link to this
Okay, let’s vote. Who is crazier, Bookman or Tucker? I know, it is almost sure to be a tie. Where did these stooges get educated, Berkley?
By Alex
May 12, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this
I agree that Israel has no choice to compromise if it doesn’t want a one-state Arab-majority solution forced on it by demographics—which only ethnic cleansing could prevent.
I am not as trusting of Israel as the columnist, however, especially of the sections of the security barrier through the West Bank (ruled illegal by the World Court).
I would disagree with one of the posters though. Israel is by far not the most racist country, and certainly not the worst human rights abuser. However, Israel wants to be held to the standards of Western liberal democracies.
Despite Israel being the most democratic Middle Eastern nation, Israeli Arabs have less rights and West Bank/Gazan Palestinians are under a de facto Israeli military dictatorship (the semi-elected Fatah and Hamas “governments” have no real sovereignty or ability to defend the Palestinians). There is also systematic torture of suspected militants, now sadly being emulated by the United States.
By Here We Go Again
May 12, 2008 3:01 PM | Link to this
Israel is a country not a religion so how can it be anti-Semitic to criticize it? Unless….?
When was the last time Iran attacked another country? Hint: you need to go back a long way!
The responses (majority) to this blog are the same as anytime someone criticizes Israel…yep, the author must be crazy (see Jimmy Carter) and needs to take his medication. This is a common tool used to discredit the author (as well as calling them an anti-Semite among others).
Good article Jay. Keep writing on this topic. America needs to become better educated on this. There are some interesting blogs here: (http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/index.html) where similar discussions take place on a regular basis.
By candide
May 12, 2008 3:14 PM | Link to this
DNA studies of Jews have shown that they are genetically not different from the Arab population of Palestine. Brothers all. If you Jews have to bomb someone, bomb the Ukrainians and Lithuanians who enjoyed the Nazi genocide of the Jews.
By jr
May 12, 2008 3:26 PM | Link to this
candide,
Ukranians and Lithuanians are not presently big followers of Hajj Amin Al-Husseini’s movement.
By Mad Mary
May 12, 2008 4:14 PM | Link to this
Jews could compromise themselves right out of existance in this scenario. I vote to Nuke Iran. I vote to Nuke North Korea. Then lets have that warm and fuzzy talk. By the way, I have been to Israel and Japan. Nuke them now and start a real discussion. Nothing else will make it happen. Nothing else will allow it to happen. Eventually, Iran will toss the bomb to Israel. Then Israel will toss their bombs to Iran and win.
We could save a ton of lives if we just nuked the Iranians and the N. Koreans now.