By Lloyd Levy
LONDON–John Kerry seems to be involved in some sort of manic quixotic obsession with the Israel/Palestinian issue, to the detriment of the rest of the world’s problems. Sometimes the more one talks through problems, the more the different viewpoints become apparent, and this only makes matters worse. The Israel/Palestine problem is a case in point.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting that the Palestinian Arabs recognize Israel as a Jewish State, as part of any peace agreement. This has created some controversy, but he is correct, because that issue is the cornerstone of the whole Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Israel was established specifically as a homeland for the Jews, as Herzl en visioned in his book Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State). The Balfour Declaration and subsequent League of Nations declaration, specifically mandated Britain to facilitate the establishment of a Jewish Homeland. In 1948 the United Nations voted to establish a Jewish State in Palestine, alongside an Arab state.
Some argue that Israel is wrong to specify a religious affiliation. However this is nonsense. Even the United Kingdom is officially a Christian country, with the Queen being head of the Church of England.
Pakistan was established as a Muslim State, and India as a Hindu State. Thus there are many precedents for having an official religion, and it does not have to mean that other religions are discriminated against.
Others argue that Israel couldn’t possibly be a democracy and at the same time officially Jewish. However the Jews are a three to one majority in Israel, and as long as other religions have their rights protected, it is hard to see the relevance of this objection. In any event, Israel was established as a haven for the Jews, and it is up to the citizens of Israel to determine the method of government most suited to whatever the future defines as a “Jewish” life.
“Democracy” anyway is an ill defined term. In Europe currently, there are countries such as Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Ireland actually or recently governed by Administrators appointed by Germany and the Bureaucrats of the European Union. How is that “democratic” ? In the UK, we no longer have any control over our borders, or most of our laws, due to an abdication of these to the European Union bureaucracy. We vote but have no effective say in our country’s affairs. How democratic is that ?
In conclusion, the definition of Israel as a “Jewish” State, does indeed define the whole reason for the State being established in the first place. If the Palestinian Arabs cant accept this, then they haven’t moved forward from the situation pertaining in 1948. It is a litmus test of their intentions.
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Levy is a freelance writer and businessman who divides his time between London, England, and Eilat, Israel. He may be contacted via lloyd.levy@sdjewishworld.com