The new torah of Transfer - Haaretz

Last update - 14:11 04/10/2006

The new torah of Transfer

By Bradley Burston

Note: This article will be followed by an experiment. In an effort to foster rational dialogue, Talkback responses to this piece will be subject to stringent new guidelines, as specified below.

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We all of us have our individual torah, the personal belief system that keeps us feeling at once grounded and in touch with the Infinite.

This personal torah, as opposed to the collective and traditional Torah, is the internal, often unstated, oral law which is meant to grant meaning to traumatic events and difficult lives.

Over the past six years, the personal torah of the left, with its books of Land For Peace, Tranquility through Economic Cooperation, We Are All Brothers and Sisters Under the Skin, has been passed, page by page, through the shredder of the Palestinian armed struggle.

But as the left has seen its belief systems hammered and buried, the hard right has kept alight the pilot flame of the Torah of Transfer, its solution to all West Bank and Gaza dilemmas demographic and geographic.

In the latest incarnation of what National Union party founder Rehavam Ze'evi called "voluntary transfer," party veteran Rabbi Benyamin Elon told a national radio news show Wednesday that Israel should make do without U.S. foreign aid, and that the funds should be given to Palestinians who agree to leave the territories.

"If we really want to be creative and courageous, the only solution is this: If, for 20 years, Israel itself went without U.S. foreign aid, it could be given to every family of the million refugees of the Gaza Strip. We must finally solve the problem of the refugees, which is the heart of the conflict," Elon said.

"This money would be given to every family of the million refugees of the Gaza Strip region, and each family would emigrate with $100,000 dollars." The money would be given them as they emigrate, Elon said.

"Many countries would absorb them if they came not as refugees, but with $100,000 dollars.

The somewhat incredulous interviewer asked Elon if the plan were at all practicable. "The state of Israel has never seriously considered this," he replied.

"This would be far more inexpensive than all the ammunition, and this is the only humanitarian solution.

We are often accused here at Haaretz of advocating unrealistic policies which only act to harm the Jewish state.

Many of those who argue this - most of them from the comfortable distance of thousands of kilometers - are ardent believers in Transfer.

The remarkable thing about Transfer is that, while nearly all Israelis are dead set against the idea and would never participate in it, the idea itself manages to continue to do incalculable harm to Israel, its image and its efforts at solving the conflict with its neighbors.

Some versions of a personal torah would be best left personal. Beginning with this one.

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Talkback Guidelines

The guiding principles of the talkback forum for this article will be mutual respect and an openness to dialogue. Participants, even if they rule out, dismiss or oppose coexistence, must, within the confines of this forum, practice it.

Censorship will be unapologetic.

Political orientation will have absolutely no bearing on whether a comment is posted or rejected.

The following will be grounds for deletion:

1. Racist remarks, as well as slurs on the basis of religion, ethnicity and gender.
2. Use of the terms Nazi, Hitler, ethnic cleansing, to describe the actions and policies of Israelis, Palestinians or other parties to the Israel-Arab conflict.
3. Disparaging remarks, personal attacks, vulgarities and profanities directed at other participants in the forum.
4. Advocacy of violence against individuals or religious, ethnic or racial groups, including statements which may be construed as urging attacks on leaders, officials, security forces or civilians.
5.Use of the phrase: "There are no Palestinians" or derivatives thereof.

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1.	The Uncontournable Right of Return	12:27	\|	Karim	04/10/06

2.	ARE they all "dead set" against it?	12:30	\|	Maral	04/10/06

3.	the torah of the politically correct	12:35	\|	joe	04/10/06

4.	Transfer? Who`s for it?	12:38	\|	JW	04/10/06

5.	Torah of transfer vs. Fatwa of bloodshed	12:38	\|	Akiva Patysh	04/10/06

6.	Joe, what about the other way around?	12:47	\|	Maral	04/10/06

7.	Mendel has a question	13:21	\|	Mendel the Mean	04/10/06

8.	#5	13:26	\|	bill morgan	04/10/06

9.	Jews should be compensated fairly.	13:32	\|	Adel	04/10/06

10.	The fastidiously pedantic, Maral.	13:46	\|	Akiva Patysh	04/10/06

11.	Money to move is a good idea	13:59	\|	Stephen Murray	04/10/06

12.	Benny Eilon	14:02	\|	sh	04/10/06

13.	They transfered Jews already, and it brought more bloodshed	14:15	\|	Dani	04/10/06

14.	elon offers credible solution	14:26	\|	tim	04/10/06

15.	The racist Akiva	14:30	\|	Maral	04/10/06

16.	Why not just abide by the law?	14:31	\|	John	04/10/06

17.	Karim	14:58	\|	Jeremy Woolf	04/10/06

18.	Burston propaganda lies	15:02	\|	B	04/10/06

19.	The Big Brush	15:17	\|	Tony Anthony	04/10/06

20.	message to Adel	15:27	\|	Esther	04/10/06

21.	Transfer is a wide spread concept	15:31	\|	reader	04/10/06

22.	to # 1	15:48	\|	Watcher	04/10/06

23.	The more realistic option is	15:52	\|	bruce	04/10/06

24.	to # 6	15:58	\|	Watcher	04/10/06

25.	Response to Khaled	16:01	\|	Yaron	04/10/06

26.	Thank you Bradley	16:08	\|	Piranha	04/10/06

27.	On Transfer	16:18	\|	Anubhav	04/10/06

28.	Indignation	16:20	\|	Walid	04/10/06

29.	Buying consciences??	16:22	\|	Gloria	04/10/06

30.	Karim, it is not going to happen, accept it	16:33	\|	Tulip	04/10/06

31.	Dear Bradley	16:34	\|	Hope Springs eternal	04/10/06

32.	Elon is close; given a little more thought might hit the bullseye	16:38	\|	Virginia	04/10/06

33.	who is rat n pig	16:40	\|	AngryMan	04/10/06

34.	as expected the morally elevated and liberated r up with their	16:44	\|	ConscienceBuyer	04/10/06

35.	Transfer	16:54	\|	Abbushuki	04/10/06

36.	Transfer - Perish the thought	16:55	\|	Cynic #2	04/10/06

37.	C`mon US, give every Gazan a green card and a $1,000,000	16:58	\|	Le Maudit Anglais	04/10/06

38.	Adel`s response is titled reasonably but contradicts its content	17:05	\|	Reality Check	04/10/06

39.	Jews will take what they can get, any way they can get it.	17:26	\|	Le Maudit Anglais	04/10/06

40.	le maudit	18:13	\|	bev	04/10/06

41.	how many Jews would leave	18:54	\|	Itamar	04/10/06

42.	transfer	19:13	\|	Abby	04/10/06

43.	Voluntary Paid Emigration	19:32	\|	Eric	04/10/06

44.	To Itamar, who thinks Jews have too much land	19:36	\|	Reality Check	04/10/06

45.	# 39 is fake Le Maudit Anglais. Haaretz we need registration.	19:41	\|	Le Maudit Anglais	04/10/06

46.	# 40 Bev. I did not write # 39	19:47	\|	Le Maudit Anglais	04/10/06

47.	Transfer sounds great, to me!	20:06	\|	Lev	04/10/06

48.	There is ony ONE Torah Mr Burston.	21:03	\|	Akram Zekaria	04/10/06

49.	Shhhh!	21:07	\|	Hank N Tennessee	04/10/06

50.	Where has the absorbtion been all these years?	21:21	\|	melinda Lehan	04/10/06

51.	Since everything else tried has failed to entice the Arabs...	21:22	\|	bat yam	04/10/06

52.	John jews lived in Gush Etzion before 1948	21:24	\|	Jabadini	04/10/06

53.	47. Lev. maybe your grandparents not so keen	21:24	\|	Mendel the Mean	04/10/06

54.	Israelis were not given an option in Gaza	21:29	\|	Jabadini	04/10/06

55.	It`s better than what happened to the Jews in Arab countri	21:40	\|	DavidAK	04/10/06

56.	Maudit Anglais	21:40	\|	Walid	04/10/06

57.	Bradley Burston	21:44	\|	Maureen S	04/10/06

58.	Money	21:45	\|	joe	04/10/06

59.	can`t throw US money at every problem	21:51	\|	Child of Asher	04/10/06

60.	To Lev	21:52	\|	Jeroen	04/10/06

61.	to karim,#1	21:54	\|	citizen zero	04/10/06

62.	maral	22:10	\|	bev	04/10/06

63.	# 56 Walid. Thanks	22:32	\|	Le Maudit Anglais	04/10/06

64.	The New Torah	22:34	\|	Joe	04/10/06

65.	Who was robbed and thrown out of their country first?	22:37	\|	Mike	04/10/06

66.	Some are prohibited from leaving	22:38	\|	Bruriah Sarah	04/10/06

67.	Mendel has a question?	23:00	\|	peter	04/10/06

68.	#9 To Adel in Bahrain	23:11	\|	Hastaroth	04/10/06

69.	#64 Joe	23:36	\|	Boycott	04/10/06

70.	Response to #1	23:43	\|	Dave	04/10/06

71.	who was robbed of land first	23:46	\|	joe	04/10/06

72.	Agree with Walid - Indignation.	00:09	\|	Deena	05/10/06

73.	BB	00:14	\|	Gabe1	05/10/06

74.	Voluntary Emigration for Arabs is it practical?	00:20	\|	Rafi	05/10/06

75.	Voluntary transfer	00:26	\|	Manny	05/10/06

76.	Another disappointment from Burston, part 1	00:26	\|	sk	05/10/06

77.	Palestinians will never accept it.	00:32	\|	will	05/10/06

78.	Another disappointment from Burston, part 2	00:37	\|	sk	05/10/06

79.	#53 Mendel the mean, Zionism	00:43	\|	reuben	05/10/06

80.	Burston: What are your data sources?	00:46	\|	Bennie	05/10/06

81.	Another disappointment from Burston, part 3	00:54	\|	sk	05/10/06

82.	Problem with the math.	01:19	\|	justiceseeker	05/10/06

83.	Pay for departure	01:29	\|	Michael H.	05/10/06

84.	Spending US tax dollars	01:31	\|	Nathaniel	05/10/06

85.	a better life	01:43	\|	izaak	05/10/06

86.	#69-reuben and arabist apologists	02:04	\|	peter	05/10/06

87.	#43 Eric	02:05	\|	justiceseeker	05/10/06

88.	RE:#28 - Walid - Prostitution	03:11	\|	* BEN JABO	05/10/06

89.	Probably wouldn`t work	03:28	\|	Colin Wright	05/10/06

90.	Who Are These People?	03:32	\|	Sam The Sham	05/10/06

91.	Annother disappointment from Burston PART 1	03:35	\|	sk	05/10/06

92.	I have a better idea!	03:41	\|	Wiktor	05/10/06

93.	John of the Netherlands	03:42	\|	Reid	05/10/06

94.	Exchange of populations	03:44	\|	Evan Rock	05/10/06

95.	I Guess I`m Unprintable Today! Anyway!	03:59	\|	Sam The Sham	05/10/06

96.	emigrants the best terrorists	04:00	\|	volov	05/10/06

97.	Ben Jabo	04:08	\|	Marilyn	05/10/06

98.	Gaza Burston , should be given back to Egypt	04:08	\|	Sal	05/10/06

99.	Missing the Point completely !	04:42	\|	Nathan	05/10/06

100.	Instead of paying them to leave...	04:43	\|	Kris	05/10/06

101.	*Ben Jabo	05:22	\|	Walid	05/10/06

102.	History, the Fact & present with good future	06:01	\|	Simon Mohammed	05/10/06

103.	Kris	06:09	\|	Walid	05/10/06

104.	TRASFER : DECEITFUL WORD FOR DEPORTATION	06:34	\|	Lebanese	05/10/06

105.	So Why ?	07:02	\|	Akram Zekaria	05/10/06

106.	transfer	08:31	\|	Count Dracular	05/10/06

107.	I agree with Kris #100	09:47	\|	Francois	05/10/06

108.	Gaza was offered to Egypt Sal	09:57	\|	Margie in Tel Aviv	05/10/06

109.	Transfer Arabs to Arab Lands	10:03	\|	Shaka	05/10/06

110.	To Jeremy No. 17 - It Is The Mossad Not The Arabs	10:25	\|	Karim	05/10/06

111.	To Tulip No. 30 - The Difference Between Immigration & Expulsion	10:29	\|	Karim	05/10/06

112.	To Zero No. 61 - Don`t Compare Apples With Oranges	10:36	\|	Karim	05/10/06

113.	Shaka	10:41	\|	Margie in Tel Aviv.	05/10/06

114.	Palestinian Refugees	10:41	\|	David	05/10/06

115.	Wiktor	10:45	\|	Margie in Tel Aviv	05/10/06

116.	Astounded!	12:54	\|	Astounded	05/10/06

117.	Karim	13:25	\|	Tulip	05/10/06

118.	why not transfer Israel, then?	13:30	\|	Jason	05/10/06

119.	#118, why not transfer Israel	14:46	\|	reader	05/10/06

120.	to mendel the mean	16:36	\|	Lev	05/10/06

121.	This is so indicative of the problem	16:41	\|	F	05/10/06

122.	#97	18:43	\|	Nina	05/10/06

123.	Kris	18:49	\|	Nina	05/10/06

124.	My Oh My - What Responses...	19:11	\|	Blinky	05/10/06

125.	Readershipt vs. Posters	19:28	\|	David	05/10/06

126.	#125: readership vs. posters	20:24	\|	sk	05/10/06

127.	I thought your were right wing!	20:30	\|	Justin	05/10/06

128.	Lev	22:16	\|	Mendel the Mean	05/10/06

129.	So much hatred	22:58	\|	Jimmy	05/10/06

130.	spending whose money	23:31	\|	LB	05/10/06

131.	Transfer is another euphemism for...........	02:50	\|	Marlene	06/10/06

132.	To those who complain about the transfer option. (part 1)	03:03	\|	sk	06/10/06

133.	One Lawgiver and judge for all mankind	04:04	\|	marilyn	06/10/06

134.	reverse transfer is the solution	04:42	\|	Saul Tobin	06/10/06

135.	Impossible to respond without violating rules of talkback	04:43	\|	Pablo B	06/10/06

136.	Palestinians Are All Terrorists?	05:49	\|	Sam The Sham	06/10/06

137.	It`s Not As Silly As It Sounds ...	06:47	\|	Robyn	06/10/06

138.	To Tulip No. 117 - No Tulip Rights Don`t Fall Like This	07:36	\|	Karim	06/10/06

139.	Haaretz Has Been Hijacked By Hollingsworth!	08:18	\|	Sam The Sham	06/10/06

140.	we must divide the land	10:05	\|	Itamar	06/10/06

141.	we must divide the land	10:05	\|	Itamar	06/10/06

142.	Just supposin` ....	11:05	\|	Kaelinda	06/10/06

143.	#97 - Marilyn`s Hot Air	14:01	\|	* BEN JABO	06/10/06

144.	#93 WIKTOR - I`VE A BETTER IDEA	17:07	\|	* BEN JABO	06/10/06

145.	re: #199 Karim & Mossad	17:15	\|	* BEN JABO	06/10/06

146.	On The Other Hand ...	03:19	\|	Robyn	07/10/06

147.	Collective not individual compensation	00:20	\|	Michael	08/10/06

148.	ARE Israelis "dead set" against transfer?	04:02	\|	David	08/10/06

149.	torah of transfer	00:36	\|	Efraim	09/10/06