Fresno Zionism
Peter Beinart has a new piece in the New York Times. It will be called ‘important’ because part of his message and that of his supporters is that he is telling an important truth that is suppressed by the Jewish establishment. He insists that he is a Zionist and supports Israel. But there is little truth in his analysis and a huge amount of fantasy in his prescriptions.
Beinart calls for boycotting Jewish communities (‘settlements’) beyond the Green Line, because he wants to end what he calls “undemocratic Israel:”
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…both names mislead. “Judea and Samaria” implies that the most important thing about the land is its biblical lineage; “West Bank” implies that the most important thing about the land is its relationship to the Kingdom of Jordan next door. After all, it was only after Jordan conquered the territory in 1948 that it coined the term “West Bank” to distinguish it from the rest of the kingdom, which falls on the Jordan River’s east bank. Since Jordan no longer controls the land, “West Bank” is an anachronism. It says nothing meaningful about the territory today.
Instead, we should call the West Bank “nondemocratic Israel.” The phrase suggests that there are today two Israels: a flawed but genuine democracy within the green line and an ethnically-based nondemocracy beyond it. It counters efforts by Israel’s leaders to use the legitimacy of democratic Israel to legitimize the occupation and by Israel’s adversaries to use the illegitimacy of the occupation to delegitimize democratic Israel.
Beinart mischaracterizes the area east of the Green Line; actually it is already two ‘states’: what is called Areas A and B which are under Palestinian Authority (PA) administration and contain at least 97% of the Arab population, and area C, where all of the ‘settlers’ live and which is under Israeli administration.
What Beinart finds “nondemocratic” is that Palestinian Arabs in the territories do not have the right to become citizens of Israel, which ‘controls their lives’. But they are citizens of the PA. Elder of Ziyon explains that
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[The PA] is recognized as a full state by 129 nations; its citizens vote (at least in theory) to elect their leaders, it has autonomy, a territory that all accept as controlled by its own security forces, a court system, an Olympic team, and its own passports. According to at least one distinguished legal scholar, it is considered a full state under international law. The World Bank is putting out reports about how ready the territories are for statehood.
What Beinart considers “systematic oppression” and “human rights violations” are Israeli security measures like checkpoints and the security barrier, which he sees as ethnically-based differential treatment. But it is also possible to see them as a reasonable response to an Arab insurgency which is aimed at repeating the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the Jordanians in 1948, and indeed extending it to all of Israel.
This is not an ideal situation, but describing it as an Israeli province where apartheid — OK, “nondemocracy” — reigns is going a bit far.
The ultimate cause of the oppression, Beinart says, is ‘settlements’. Without them, Israel could simply cede the territories and everyone would be happy.
It’s not as though Jews never lived in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem until they became ‘settlers’. They were there before the Jordanian Army kicked them out. They were granted the right to live there by the League of Nations Mandate, which recognized their historical presence in the land of Israel long before that.
Beinart, his President and the Europeans want to improve things by implementing a plan for a state in all of Judea and Samaria, mitigated by some small border adjustments. If ‘settlers’ don’t like it, says Beinart, “they should move.”
The problem with this this plan is that;
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It is essentially racist, in that it calls for establishing a Jew-free state
It violates international law (the Mandate) and the spirit of UN resolutions calling for defensible borders
It sacrifices the well-being of Jews that live beyond the Green Line for the nationalist aspirations of Arabs
It precludes Israel’s ability to defend itself, since it would make a Gaza-like terrorist entity of Judea and Samaria (only much worse strategically)
It ignores the oft-expressed intention of the PA leaders to use such a state as a steppingstone to the elimination of Israel
Point 4 was underlined last week when Iranian-inspired terrorists fired hundreds of missiles into Israel from Gaza. Think about how much worse it could be if the high ground east of the Green Line could be used to launch short-range rockets directly into Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport, etc.
The Oslo paradigm of a two-state solution was discredited by the rejection of reasonable offers by the Palestinian leadership in 2000 — when Arafat chose war instead of statehood — and 2008. They continue to press their demands for 1949 lines, right of return for Arab refugees, no demilitarization, refusal to recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, etc. as preconditions to negotiation. There is no intersection between the maximalist demands of the PA and the continued existence of a Jewish state of Israel.
And if you think that the Palestinian leadership — the PA, not just Hamas — just wants to “end the [1967] occupation,” you simply have not been paying attention. Official Palestinian media (see here) are filled with statements to the contrary, as well as praise for the most murderous terrorists and vicious anti-Jewish lies.
Beinart says that “Boycotting other Jews is a painful, unnatural act, [but] the alternative is worse.” While he is very concerned about “oppression” of Arabs, he doesn’t seem to feel the pain of the tens of thousands of Jewish settlers — in the best possible case — who would be expelled from their homes if the two-state plan with swaps were actually implemented.
By insisting on a plan whose imposition would almost certainly mark the beginning of yet another war, by demonizing and punishing the Jewish ‘settlers’ who have every right to live where they do, by calling for a boycott because Israeli security measures constitute “oppression,” Beinart’s alternative is anything but ‘Zionist’!
Alyssa has nothing on our politicians. Can she talk out of both sides of her mouth at the same time?
Everybody knows that!
BTW, have you met Alyssa?
Shy Guy, “Geritol” spelled backwards is “Lotireg” 🙂
And remember, “Gog” spelled backwards is … uh … eh … er … hmmm …
Concerning Turkey, Ezekiel 38 (JPS):
An important part of this prophecy, is that Israel will be attacked not because of the “Palestinian” cause, but because of its wealth. This seems to be falling into place.
I retired three years ago. For several years provided and in some cases still do, technical services to the Israeli Oil Refineries laboratories, the Chemical Industry Labs, the Ashkelon Rotenberg Power Station, Nahal Sorek, Military laboratories, etc.
Details were extremely confidential but the avalanche of information has released some of the secret information. To be honest, I was not totally informed either but could easily extrapolate by observing information circulating within the experts circles.
Testing of Israeli very high quality shale origin oil was being conducted since several years ago. The off shore fields are of more recent discovery. And they are far larger that commonly known.
The shale oil fields within Eretz Israel have estimated reserves equal to those of Saudi Arabia… The estimates must be corroborated but the information is credible.
Jordan also has a very large shale oil basin there.
The environmental concerns, while relevant, are not critical as the aquifers are shielded from the shale oil bearing layers. In Canada for example, the tar sands are likely to turn to be a vehicle for aquifer contamination and special precautions are needed.
I believe that the smaller fields off shore from Tel Aviv and the very large natural gas fields could start shipments by the end of this year or early 2013.
The implications are enormous in every respect. Economically Israel is in the threshold of a great jump.
The RR system is being advanced as you have indicate and also tunnels are being dug as we speak to reach Jerusalem and also Karmiel surely to advance to the Golan later on.
And I forgot the name of that fellow… Who cares.
So its ‘biblical lineage’ died in 1950?
— and then, what, was resurrected 19 years later?
Why carry anything Times carry . Their hatred of Jewish faith and Christian faith is decades old. Every year it gets worse because they care little of lies they have printed.
Beinart is a ROTTEN scumbag and worse than the late Arafat…oh well…
Who is worse, a terrorist or a ***TRAITOR*** who supports terrorists ???
Can anyone spell: Henry Kissinger ?
Israel has struck oil again:
Ho Hum, more gas and oil found. Why Israpundit wastes time with the likes of this Beinart, who up to last year I never heard of and doesn’t report news that make Beinart and those like him totally irrelevant. I really do mean irrelevant!!!
Energy bonanza found offshore
Giant oil and natural gas reserves discovered 24 kilometers from Tel Aviv beach 🙂
Israel Capable of Producing 250 Billion Barrels of Oil
“Our company has mapped over 250 billion barrels of recoverable oil in Israel,” says Dr. Harold Vinegar of Israel Energy Initiative Ltd.
Read and Listen Here
Mar 14, 2012: Globes
Eugene Kandel: oil price could jump to $200 per bbl in 3 years. In the energy sector the government targets focus on reducing the dependency on foreign oil (Hebrew)
Mar 11, 2012: TheMarker
The Ministry of Energy published its five main objectives for 2012, one of the objectives is to start the drilling of the oil shale pilot during the 4th quarter of 2012 (Hebrew)
Making the desert boom
By NICHOLAS SAIDEL AND HARVEY RUBIN JP
As Israel’s energy sector grows, so too will its resilience to anti-Israel efforts like BDS.
Is there a list of products either produced by settlements or Jewish companies located in Judea and Samaria? I’d like to have a pro-purchase campaign to support the Jewish enterprises in those areas. A counter-boyott campaign.
This is a study in true idiocy. Why call it non-democratic Israel? Why not terrorist run Jordan? Why not homeland of Jewish children murderers. Oh my bad, too offensive to the Islamo-Facists. I got it Islamofacisitastan.that is a good name. The area is occupied because the general population is operating under a charter that contains a clause that calls for the total destruction of the Zionist entity. In case you don’t know what that is, it is Israel. I am still waiting (since Oslo) for the PLO PLA PFLP Black September, Hammas, Hezboallah and the rest to delete such clauses from their charters. I know I wait in vain. The only solution is a true 2 state solution. All Muslims must be deported to Jordan and a fortified border put up. On the occasion of the first terror attack, rocket, suicide bomber the re-action should be total destruction of Jordan. Any other option plays into Arab hands and another shoah.
Whether Beinart is an unread, ignorant and arrogant “useful idiot” Jew or whether he is a self serving appeasement minded opportunistic Jew, much like the kapo funder of Jstreet is of no import. what is important is to understand that he is a dangerous Jew who gives power to Jew killers. What has beinart said about every area(jordan, gaza, PA) occupying the former mandate territories now under the control of the arab muslims being JEW FREE? Jews are extremely uneducated about the modern history leading to and beyond the Balfour Declaration. If more Jews were educated to these swindles and the ethnic cleansing of Jews from arab lands it would change the discourse. They would have to ask the question as to why the international community allowed the fraud and establishment of a planned JEW FREE state in trans jordan and why it is acceptable that the jews were ethnically cleansed from arab lands after the advent of the genva conventions. It would then become absurd to follow either the geneva conventions or international law, unless of course one is a masochistic suicidal nutter with low self esteem. This would all involve reading which lazy people are adverse to doing, certainly every jewish child should be intimate with these facts.
BEINART IS NOTHING SHORT OF AN IDIOT HE IS THE RASICIT HE IS THE OPRESSER HE IS NOTHING BUT TRACH HE NEEDS TO MIND HIS OWN BUSSNIS AND GO TO HELL WHERE HE BELONG
The Ottoman Empire existed longer than any oter empire in history. The Suez chanal was buildt an the british and the french sent soldiers to protect it. This was the beginning. During WW1 the british and french troops destroid the Turkish. The Balfour-declaration was an appendix to te peace treaty. The British had the same problem as the Romans had in the year 135. After 200 years the Romans wanted to stop Jewish patriotism and gave the land Phalestina. The next time the name occured was in the British mandate. They tried to undermine the Balfour-declaration. In 1923 they changed the game. In modern times Egypt attaced Israel time an time again. When Israel had retaken Sinai 4 times and giving it back. In 1967 Came the Camp David. Egypt was humiliated. They refused to take back Gasa. Theyr honor was restored when they got a 5 star hotel in Eilat.
I can not understand why everybody want to cultivate the desert of Juda.
Beinart wrote a FANTASY ISLAND book during the Bush years about how the Democratic Party was best suited to win the war on terror. That marked him for good as far as I’m concerned. Another SCHMUCK for Ovomit, i.e., MJ Rosenberg, Dan Shapiro, Jakey Lew, Alan So-Low, Booby Wexler, and Debbi Wasserman Shultz.
As the first commentator wrote – ignore garbage.
Just to say thank you for your direct elaboration of reality, including the clarification of the unJewish value of those gone from our MINIANIM.
They, the unJews, are home at the New York Times and the Jewish home is either physically or from the heart, Eretz Israel.
Your Toronto lawyer friend’s examples of commonwealths being created, expanded, shrunk or split up are well taken, Ted. He could well have added Quebec as an example close to home for all Canadians, and Kurdistan as an example not very far away from Israel. Will there be a real Kurdistan one day, chipping of parts of Turkey, Syria and Iran, and breaking up Iraq in the process? I think so. Especially now that Turkey is a more or less open enemy of Israel. Kurds and Jews always have been on fairly good terms, irrespective of religious differences. As for Quebec in the long term, you as a Canadian would know more about that than I would. But that pot has been coming to a slow boil for a long time.
About Gaza being outside Israel’s rule. You want rockets one day raining down on your apartment in Jerusalem? I say that Israel must undo Sharon’s so-called disengagement operation, retake the Gaza district by armed force, annex it, break up the UNRWA camps, expel the UNO staff and the permanent “refugees”, and rapidly rebuild the Gush Katif settlements with large Jewish communities. And when dealing with Arabs under any circumstances, the only punishment for trouble-making or outright terrorism should be permanent expulsion. Let them all be someone else’s permanent headache.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
EMAIL REC’D FROM LAWYER FRIEND OF MINE IN TORONTO. HE WROTE THIS LETTER TO THE EDITOR
All of you reading this comment know — or ought to know — that the only effective ways to answer the Beinarts are twofold:
First: Ignore them completely. That means do not engage in discourse with them. Do not feel pained about Jews boycotting other Jews. Because people such as Beinart are not Jews. They are leftists of the “Tikun ha-Olam” school who prefer socialism to Judaism. These people are not Jewish nationalists. These people never will be Jewish nationalist. They are as lost to authentic Zionism as the modern American Indians mostly are to their ancient cultures. Forget these people. You in Israel are in the process of creating an entirely new replacement Jewish nation.
Second: Get on with the long-term task of repopulating Shomron, Yehuda, Golan and Yerushalayim ha-Shalem with Jewish cities and villages, Jewish industrial parks, Jewish military bases, Jewish farms, Jewish parklands. The Jewish population in all these places is getting onto 650,000, and could double about every 15 years. The faster and more steadily you do this, the easier it will become to ignore the quasi-Jewish leftist socialist harpies. More significantly, “facts” on the ground, as Ben-Gurion and Jabotinsky could easily have assured you, are the only thing that counts in a protracted war of one civilization driving out another, taking the land of their enemies, and repopulating it with their own. And that precisely is what is going on here.
You know what I am saying here? Stop wasting Jewish time, Jewish energy and Jewish money on useless hasbara. When I learned that word in Israel in 1973, the Hebrew-English dictionary told me it meant “explanation”. But the Israelis, in their direct and abrupt manner that I found so refreshing told me it plainly meant “propaganda”, if you wanted to be polite, and “bullshit”, if you wanted to tell it like it really is.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI