But what if Finkelstein is wrong ?
Finkelstein acknowledges that Israel will never willingly comply with the law, but appears to feel that the right kind of world wide movement with the right simple and honest message will compel it to do so.But what if he is wrong ?
There is no doubt that the world CAN compel Israeli compliance and very, very easily. But in the light of there being no sign of any change in the American policy of " Israel first " or in the first principle of western foreign policy, " don't get too far away from the Americans", WILL it ?
And if not would it then not be fair and reasonable, and acceptable to Finkelstein's " wider public " to reformulate the message and redefine the objective as one fully democratic, secular state between the river and the sea,and a fair resolution of the refugee problem ? In the circumstances described above the message could be formulated very simply and would pass Finkelsteins " defendability " test.
But, says Joe Public, that means no Israel,certainly no Jewish state doesn't it ?
Well yes it would mean that,would come the reply ( everyone, remember, has adopted Finkelsteins honesty is the best policy mantra ). But that is the choice Israel itself has made.It has had plenty of chances to comply with the law and the almost universal will of the international community but simply refuses to do so.
Have you talked to them ?
Oh yeah, they will always talk. They will talk until the sun leaves it's main sequence ( about 5,000 million years) and we are all dead ( so much for eternal Israel ). But they just keep repeating their mantras.....
Jerusalem will never be divided or shared
Israel will never give up the Jordan Valley
Most of the Israelis living over the green line must be included in the state of Israel
And all the while they continue their illegal colonising of the land which is the clearest indication imaginable that compliance is not on their agenda.
The Palestinian people cannot live like this any longer. Effectively stateless, subject to the daily trauma of violent military dictatorship. So while two states for two people was the ideal the time has come to face up to reality. Israel's maximum comes nowhere near the international community's minimum and nor ever will it.
Enough is enough. Since Israel has chosen for there to be one state between the river and the sea the task now is to turn this apartheid state into a fully democratic and secular state.And the means is to be a world wide anti apartheid movement. Why don't you join us ?
Joe Public would buy that wouldn't it ?
But of course, Finkelstein might not be wrong. He might be right.
Don't miss Mondays exciting instalment. The myth of the possibility of " self determination "
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