A few months ago Jeremy Ben-Ami of the liberal Zionist group J Street sent out a report from Israel suggesting that 2013 is the make-or-break year for the two-state solution. That urgency is reflected in his latest note, titled “Decision Time,” which at times sounds a fatalistic note about the possible end of the Jewish state. Some excerpts:
[John Kerry] apparently intends to tell both Israelis and the Palestinians that it’s time to decide if they are serious about engaging in meaningful diplomacy to achieve a two-state solution. If not, he’ll stand down and they can both watch the status quo deteriorate toward further confrontation.
Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, who commands the Israeli military in the West Bank, warned last week that if Kerry’s efforts fail, we could very well see an “escalation” in unrest in the West Bank….
“If we don’t go for the two-state solution, this state will stop being a Jewish state,” [Finance Minister Yair Lapid told the Washington Post]…
With the future of the state of Israel, its security and its democratic and Jewish character hanging in the balance, this is the moment for all who care to press both parties to make the compromises and sacrifices necessary to advance a solution to the conflict.
President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry are offering Israel a path to a sustainable and secure future through reasonable negotiation and compromise. It’s a path that may not be available for quite some time if it isn’t taken now.
It is unclear though what Ben-Ami aims to do to rescue the Jewish state. It does not appear that he is willing to take on the US government and the established Jewish organizations. Lately, for instance, he agreed to share a stage with the head of the rightwing pro-settler group StandWithUs who then blasted him for the suggestion that the US government should pressure Israel.
J Street’s problem is that it insists on organizing inside the mainstream Jewish community, so it is constrained by that community’s very conservative understanding. For instance, liberal NY Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who is not on J Street’s team and who represents the hardcore of American Jewish political life, in the latest “Westchester Jewish Life”, repeatedly faults the Palestinians for the failure of the peace process:
The Congresswoman delivered a strong message to President Abbas, emphasizing the urgency of reengaging in direct negotiations with Prime Minister Netanyahu now… She also criticized him directly for his incendiary speech in November 2012 at the United Nations etc.
There isn’t going to be a two-state solution because no one has successfully organized inside the Democratic Party to defeat these attitudes.
There are now 650,000 Jews, at least, east of the Green Line. And when 2013 ends without any progress toward removing them, what will J Street do? Support voting rights for Palestinians living alongside those Jews?
Why do you insist on promoting the false narrative that 650,000 Jews must be removed in order to make peace? You know it’s not remotely true.
“Jewish character hanging in the balance”
Israel hasn’t had a “Jewish character” for a long time.
Nihilism isn’t one of the 10 commandments.
>> “If we don’t go for the two-state solution, this state will stop being a Jewish state,” [Finance Minister Yair Lapid told the Washington Post]…
Even with a two-state solution, Israel must stop being a supremacist “Jewish State” and must become a secular, democratic and egalitarian Israeli state – a state of and for all its Israeli citizens, equally.
Excellent question in your tagline, Phil, about what will happen if the Two State Solution is not considered possible. At a recent talk by a person from the Israel Forum at a progressive forum on the conflict, the speaker said that the settlements could continue and maybe it will not be “realistic” to remove them, at which point it will have to be possible to look for a “creative solution”. The host did not pass on my question about what that could be.
Of course, they could just continue their line and say we have to take steps to make it a possibility again, remove some settlements, etc. Of course as you point out, the State’s liberal supporters have a real philosophical problem here.
I just think that based on their practically weak opposition to the State’s confiscation of the West Bank it’s going to be a long time before their primary loyalty to the Project vastly changes.
Proposing negative measures would weaken the Project, so they aren’t interested in it. And their lack of interest must also be a reflection of whatever weak reaction they will have to the Two State Solution becoming “unrealistic.” In fact, in line with the “creative” thinking of the Israel Forum, the Liberal supporters of the system could start taking the line that Palestinian independence is not “realistic”, so they oppose Palestinian freedom, just as J Street opposed the Palestinian bid for UN membership.
So in the end they could become “unwilling” cargo on the ship of the “changing reality”. In fact, you could probably trace the contradiction between their liberal principles and “reality” all the way back to their silence over the Nakba and up to their continued rejection of the refugees’ Right of Return.
I see only two outcomes re Israel.
Israel will continue it’s theft of all Palestine, herding as many Palestines as possible into smaller and smaller areas, encouraging more of them to become refugees in other countries a la 1948, killing off as many as they can with occasional 7 day and 30 day Cast Lead attacks …..until they have it all.
Or someone will stop them..unlikely since no one has so far.
BUT ….the ‘*decider* on Israel’s eventual fate is that Israel will not stop at Palestine. Their success at swallowing up Palestine with no world interference will only stoke their hubris more and there will be more Iran, Syria, etc,etc type domination efforts by Israel.
AND somewhere along that road they will get snuffed out in some region wide conflagration they created.
We’re getting a little preview of how this scenario would unfold with the other world military and nuke superpower, Russia and the other world economic superpower, China making a stand on their own interest in the ME in opposition to Isr America dominance.
What we really need to understand is that Palestine would not be the end of the Israel problem…..Isr would continue to be a problem for the ME and the world.