Walla, an Israeli left-leaning news site, is, according to Alexa, one of the top websites in Israel. It ranks 8th, after Google.co.il, Google.com, Youtube, Facebook, Ynet, Wikipedia, and Panet (an Arab-language website).
On 26 June 2016 Walla polled the members of the Government of Israel to determine whether the ministers support what is known as the “two state solution”.
For the benefit of the English speaking public, here are the results:
“In the last few days we approached the ministers of the Government [of Israel] with a simple question: Do you support the two-state solution, that will lead to establishment of a Palestinian state aside Israel? We intentionally refrained from addressing the precise details – the size of the Palestinian state, its character and the conditions for its establishment… We wanted to first understand whether there is a majority, in the current government headed by Netanyahu, for the basic principle….
“Many of the ministers in the Government refused to answer our question….Three senior Likud ministers – Gilad Erdan, Yisrael Katz and Yuval Steinitz – chose to maintain ambivalence and not respond to our question. This was also the answer selected by the two Shas ministers, Aryeh Deri and David Azulay….(Avigdor)
“Liberman’s po?sition on this topic is known… he said just three weeks ago, at the Prime Minister’s side, when he was sworn in as defense minister, that he supports the two-state sotluion, as he has done many times in the past, adding the demand to include in any solution a swap of land and populations.
“In Netanyahu’s present government there are a total of 4 ministers which have ever expressed that po?sition sometime during the past years – and even they are not firm supporters. Aside from Liberman is Finance Minister Cachlon who does not specifically say that he favors the two-state solution, however has said lately that he favors renewing the peace process and that “in the end there will be two states here”; Minister Yoav Galant, who refused to answer our question but in the past said he favors this solution and evacuating isolated settlements, and the newly appointed minister, Zachi haNegbi.
“The largest group in the government is of ministers who oppose (establishment of) a Palestinian state. Of the Likud ministers, those who agreed to tell us clearly that they oppose the official line of PM Netanyahu on this topic were ministers Zeev Elkin, Ofir Akunis, Gila Gamliel, Yariv Levin, Haim Katz and Miri Regev. Minister Akunis responded to the question that “establishing a Palestinian state will put millions of Israelis in clear and present danger. We have already seen that pullbacks bring war” and added that “no people gives away its homeland”. Akunis represents the general spirit of the Likud well, and this is also the spirit of most of the Knesset members of the ruling party. The Likud ministers are joined by the three National Home ministers – Naftali Bennet, Ayelet Shaked and Uri Ariel – who also, of course, opposed Palestinian state.
“To summarize, then, the balance of power in the government is between 4 ministers which support, to some extent, or did in the past, establishment of a Palestinian state, vs. 9 ministers which vehemently oppose this, plus another 7 ministers whose po?sition is not known and refused to answer our question.”
At this time, the Democratic and Republican platforms are being finalized, in the United States.
And given that most Israeli ministers oppose Palestinian state, Reform Judaism’s obstinate insistence on a coercive two-state solution is offensive and incomprehensible. Read about it here: http://www.rac.org/rabbi-pesners-statement-party-platform-draft-progress
Luckily for Israel, not all American Jewish activists agree with the Reform rabbis. Some brave American Jewish activists are swimming against the tide deliberately set into motion by American Jewish machers — and are urging platforms which do not coerce Israel into the two-state solution:
This is a huge development. I asked one of these activists – Jeff Ballabon, chairman of the Iron Dome Alliance (www.IronDomeAlliance.com) – for comment. Ballabon sounded very concerned. He said:
“American Jewish groups that claim they are supporting the Israeli po?sition when they insist on the so-called “Two-State Solution” are using smoke and mirrors to pressure Israel to accept the Democrats’ agenda. Like most Israelis, most Americans do not believe a “Palestinian” state would bring anything other than more terror and bloodshed and misery to all sides. If you want to truly support Israel, stop trying to twist Israel’s arm. State — without reservations — that America trusts and will support our ally Israel in whatever approach Israel decides to take to achieve safety, security and peace.”
More importantly, Palestinian leadership has taken a position against a two-state solution. If you don’t negotiate with the party that has the winning hand, you can’t win anything from them. Its really all in the PA’s court, to mix metaphors.
American Jews must make their case in Israel and NOT from the US. How would American Jews react if Israel was interfering with American Jewish issues?
Turkey vote at UNESCO against Israel clearly confirms that Erdogan the monkey-sultan is an enemy of Israel.
New Paradigm for long term peace and stability for Israel
If you want peace it is time to forget being politically correct and proportional in fighting Palestinian terrorism. It is time to be determined to win the conflict and not just say the conflict will continue forever. It is not acceptable that every few months or years that Palestinians shoot rockets at Israelis, blow up bombs, kidnap children or resort to other forms of violence against Jews in Israel.
Two states in the Land of Israel west of the River Jordan is a formula for war not peace. The Palestinian (Arabs) have for 100 years not accepted the permanent presence of the Jews.
Israel has a legal, historical and moral right to the land of Israel west of the Jordan River.
1. However, except for a small amount of people on the right Israelis do not want to incorporate large amounts of Arabs into Israel. The public does not want a bi-national state.
2. To be able to buy Arabs properties and facilitate their peaceful emigration (buying them out) the terrorists must be jailed, deported or killed otherwise they will exact revenge on the families of those leaving or those leaving before they actually leave. They have a death sentence for selling properties to Jews.
Once you accomplish number 2 above an NGO working with the government should start enacting an humane assisted program of Arab emigration starting with East Jerusalem and Arab villages in Area C near Jewish Towns. Learn as you go and what problems come up. This will be fraught with problems imagined and not imagined. Just like a franchiser learns by first working on a few locations before expanding widely.
Annex Area C. Help the Arabs there emigrate.
Register the people there. Ask do you want to stay and demonstrate loyalty to the Jewish Democratic State of Israel.
This will require learning Hebrew; your children will be required to provide civil national service at age 18 to 20.
You will be required to inform on anyone planning terrorist acts including family members. This will be a condition of residency!
If after 10 years of residency they wish to apply for citizenship they may. There then will be at least a two year period to investigate if they have successfully fulfilled the requirements of residency prior to bestowing citizenship. If they and their immediate family have met the conditions citizenship can be bestowed upon them.
Once Israel has successfully integrated Area C it can then work on Areas A and B. Unless you can be sure you know how to successfully help Arabs emigrate overseas and integrate others why would anyone in their right mind make the approximately 1,500,000 Arabs (of Area A/B in Judah & Samaria) Israeli residents yet alone citizens. This is a terrorist’s dream, to be able to freely travel all over Israel with an Israeli ID card.
Walk before you run and go step by step in this super risky proposition of incorporating a massive amount of Arabs into the State of Israel. If you can be highly confident that you can help large amounts of Arabs emigrate then you could start annexing parts of Area A (a City at at a time). Israel should NOT bring an Arab Trojan Horse into Zion. If you can NOT make sure a large amount of Arabs will emigrate, not do annex these areas and make these people residents.
A new paradigm needs to be established as the Israeli postion.