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Rev. Epps’ recent column made some great points regarding antisemitism and Israel. He is correct in saying that peaceful protest is acceptable, but obstructive and violent protest is not.
Further, the campus protesters are misguided. They simply do not know or understand history. Some on the American left mislead college students by implying that Israel is totally composed of Europeans, when there are also millions of Jews from Arab nations and Africa who now comprise Israel.
Returning all Palestinians to Israel proper as the campus protesters advocate would make Israel into an Arab state, negating the very reason for the creation of Israel as a safe haven for Jews worldwide. As a practical matter, no Israeli government, left or right, will ever agree to that action. Nor should they.
The alternative is to have other Arab nations do what they should have done 75 years ago: offer full citizenship to Palestinian refugees with those wishing to return to Palestine going to Gaza and the West Bank. And then they should (a) recognize Israel as a Jewish state and (b) help create a viable, stable Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank.
There are right wingers in Israel who have always wanted a single state including Judea and Samaria (Palestine). However, they are a minority of Israelis. Until recently, the majority of Israelis wanted an equitable two-state solution. They have only changed their minds due to terrorism and intransigence.
The Palestinians have traditionally avoided negotiating a final settlement regardless of terms. Their leadership’s grand scheme has always been to permit millions of Palestinians around the world to return to Israel, rather than to Gaza/West Bank (Palestine).
Doing so would change Israel into a majority Muslim state, even if there were promises of somehow keeping the state Jewish. This plan was tried with Christians in Lebanon after World War II. It did not work , and Christians are now an oppressed minority in an unstable and increasingly radical Muslim nation.
The Clinton administration proposed a comprehensive peace settlement when a left of center government was in power in Israel. Prime Minister Barak’s government proffered a peace proposal that clearly leaned towards the Palestinians versus the Israelis.
That proposed settlement included: (a) creation of an independent Palestinian state consisting of 92 percent of the West Bank and the entire Gaza strip; (b) Palestinian control of East Jerusalem with the exception of Jewish religious sites and neighborhoods; (c) admittance of 100,000 Palestinian refugees into Israel itself and (d) a $30 billion compensation fund for other Palestinians. Palestinians got almost everything they asked for.
Yet, Arafat indignantly rejected that proposal … with no counter. Not only did he reject it, but he called for an intifada (a domestic war) against the Israelis. As a result, his popularity with the Palestinian masses improved from 39 percent to 46 percent.
A majority (57 percent) of Israelis surveyed thought that Barak had given in too much to Palestinian demands. As a result, moderate Prime Minister Barak of Israel was defeated by General Sharon, a hard liner similar to Netanyahu.
If the Palestinians were unwilling to accept this very favorable deal, what will they accept short of a majority Palestinian state? The answer is nothing other than total capitulation by the Israelis … and that is why there has been no progress towards peace.
Israel was attacked by Hamas, the elected government of Gaza. Until Hamas surrenders or is defeated, the war will continue. And until the Palestinians have a moderate, united government to negotiate with, there will be no Palestinian state.
Jack Bernard
Peachtree City, Ga.
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