This kind of talk reminds me of stuff Communists must have said when their worldview was falling apart in the face of reality in the 50s and 60s. Why not just abandon the idea of a democratic Jewish state if a, it’s Jim Crow for 20 percent of your population and b, it seems to mean constant war with your neighbors, including the ones you expelled? Wouldn’t that be more peaceful? The coldblooded Shavit, who justifies Cast Lead as a sane act of survival:
The democratization in the Arab world is wonderful, but it has killed the peace….
So the really important question is different – will there be peace with the world?
Ehud Barak has many defects. But by going to Camp David in 2000 Barak made certain the world would stand beside Israel in the second intifada. Ehud Olmert also has some defects. But by going to Annapolis in 2008 Olmert made certain the world would stand beside Israel in Operation Cast Lead.
Both Barak and Olmert proved to the world in acts that the conflict is not about the settlements but about survival. Both Barak and Olmert proved to the world Israel is not an occupying power but a democratic Jewish state that wants to end the occupation.
