 | By Marian Lebor
February 20, 2009 | Share |
“In recent years, we have learned that anything about Jewish nationalism that riles or arouses disgust is, when placed in the context of Arab or Palestinian nationalism, worthy of the understanding and forgiveness of many on the Israeli left, who respond with embarrassed silence or even pathetic attempts at justification,” says Alexander Jacobson in an interesting article in Ha’aretz, about the need for Meretz to redefine its position after the party’s poor showing in the election.
Meretz’s basic political premise is ‘two states for two peoples’. Jacobson argues that many voters who left the party feel that the Jewish-Israeli side of ‘two states for two peoples’ - the Jewish people's right to a country of its own - is not ensured.
“Arab nationalists on both sides of the Green Line, backed by the radical Jewish left, have negated this premise,” he writes.
“Those who still want to save the Zionist left must indeed sharpen their positions. They must simply state the truth about both sides in the conflict in a sharp and clear fashion, as befits a person who speaks of the exaltedness of equality and universality.”
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1065387.html
Left-wing Jewish critics of Israel take note.
joemillis
20 February, 2009 - 16:01
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Nothing can save left-wing Zionism because their dream of a two-state solution has been kicked into the long grass. They should look to the writings of Magness, Buber and Echad Haam for inspiration. At present, the one state solution is becoming the only viable one, because Israel has scored a massive own goal by not standing up to the settlers, whose population has been allowed to grow to about 350,000--with the biggest boost coming during the Oslo negotiations. If Israel had stood up to them, a two-state solution might have happened, but now it will not. No Israeli government -- even those with Meretz in them -- has had the courage to confront the settlers. The illegal settlements have been there for years and no one has done anything about them. Well Israel is going to reap now what has been sown.
Under Israeli control now, there is either parity between the Jewish and non-Jewish populations between the sea and the river or there is even a slight non-Jewish majority. Pretty soon, if not already, the non-Jewish sector is going to demand equal rights, especially political rights. I'm surprised they haven't done so already.
The days of hoping for a two-state solution, I'm afraid, are over.