To the editor:
I have no reason to dispute Mr. Breasted’s statistics regarding the population in Israel at the time of its formation. But according to what I have read, Arabs/Palestinians have been in the region for much longer than 500 years and Jews are not newcomers. They first inhabited between 17 and 13 BCE, when Abraham arrived. But let’s not quibble about this. They have both been there for a very long time.
Mr. Breasted seems to be saying that because of the lopsided population, with Palestinians far outnumbering Jews, it was not appropriate to have created a Jewish state. I believe the reasons for that are clear if your focus is Europe during and after WWII.
Jews who survived the Holocaust were homeless, with nowhere to go. Most countries would not accept them. For that reason, plus a historical connection, Israel was recognized as a country in 1948. It was not well received by Palestinians or Israel’s Arab neighbors.
Over the years, there have been failed attempts to overthrow Israel, as well as a lost opportunity in 2000 to create a two-state solution. That year, President Clinton met at Camp David with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Negotiations seemed to be going well, but even though Arafat reportedly obtained 95 percent of what he was seeking, distrust led to failure.
The three major issues at Camp David included: creating a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem; establishing a right to return for Palestinians; and because there were Jewish settlements interspersed among Palestinian communities, refiguring the West Bank. These obstacles must have frustrated Arafat, causing him to walk away, which I recall surprised Clinton and Barak, and nothing meaningful has happened since to produce a two-state solution.
Both Jews and Palestinians have a religious connection to East Jerusalem. Access with proper security concerns being addressed might have skirted this issue, but there was too much distrust. A right of return after so many years was never going to happen. Israel could have addressed the West Bank the same way it handled Gaza in 2006, when it forcibly evicted Jewish settlers.
There are other significant problems to overcome before a two-state solution is possible. Chief among them is the absence of a current Palestinian leader who has the overwhelming support of the people and can negotiate in good faith. In the past, those who sought peace with Israel were possible targets for assassination. (Perhaps this is a reason Arafat walked away in 2000.) In any case, living next to a Palestinian state creates grave security concerns for Israelis. (Other than Jordan, to which 1 million Palestinians fled in 1948 and more than twice as many live now, you might ask why no other Arab state has offered to absorb Palestinians.)
For 78 years, Palestinians have not recognized the road to peace and prosperity that Japan and Germany followed after they were defeated in WWII. Those countries were rebuilt and today are among the world’s strongest economies.
The Palestinians’ failure to move forward should not be blamed on Israel. As difficult as it may be, Palestinian goals such as statehood may still be achieved, but only if Palestinians can free themselves from the past, much the same way as Germany and Israel have done.
Frank Gunsberg
Great Barrington
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