HOLY CRAP...Obama halts hellfire missiles to Israel

[karynnj]

168. He's wrong waiting them out - as there is no illusive winning solution that is gained by waiting

In Ari Savit's recent book looking at the possible solutions - he ends up simply restating what Tom Friedman wrote in the 1980s, Israel must choose 2 of the following three things: being a diplomatic state, having all the land of "greater Israel", and being a majority Jewish state well into the future. Shavit lists 4 possible outcomes - 3 of which he rules out - (2 immoral outcomes - ethnic cleaning by removing the Palestinians and an apartheid nation and the idea of a pluralist democracy where everyone has the same rights. This left only the two state solution --- but in his book written last year -- his view was that Israel did not have the right leadership to do that. (Yet he praises Netanyahu to the hilt for his anti Iran position. So, it is not that he views Netanyahu as too weak.)

His position is interesting because he is someone who had been part of the Israeli peace movement decades ago and he refers to himself as a liberal Zionist. It is exactly people like him who have advocated for the two state solution for years - as it gives them both a Jewish state and democracy. However his reluctance in his book to even question pushing Netanyahu to be the leader needed was troubling and frustrating when I read it. He has been one of the worst Kerry bashers in Haaretz (which is a left leaning paper.) When push comes to shove, he is not an advocate for ANY move towards two states.

A more troubling internal conflict in his book is that he repeatedly pats himself on the back for admitting to the Naqba (where Jews killed Palestinians and drove them out of some of their villages in 1948) AND arguing that it was necessary to create the Jewish state that he loves. He seems to consider this more honest that liberals who are troubled by it. I wonder if his current adherence to Netanyahu - even as he lied Israel into this latest war - is somehow coming from the same root.

This may be making too much of one journalist, well respected as he is, but I wonder if - in fact - the real prospect of change to a two state solution - has created a huge amount of real fear for the country they (Israelis) love changing too much too quickly. If Shavit can mentally accept the Naqba, I assume he could accept an apartheid state to preserve what he currently has. Others may be less intellectually honest in what they are accepting as they reject a two state solution.

The Israeli reaction to the ceasefire draft proposal (ignore that it was not intended to be the final proposal) does show that any two state solution - something that goes far beyond anything in that draft - would likely not have an easy time. Yet, it is the only reasonable alternative. If the effort is abandoned now, it is not clear any future attempt will be made.