Last update - 16:10 12/12/2006 No Palestinians, No Palestine, No Problem ___________________ This piece, a response to critics of Wishing the Palestinians out of existence, will be followed by a trial revision of talkback guidelines. __________________ If the internet is any measure, there are four major denominations of Diaspora Jewry: Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and There Is No Such Thing as a Palestinian. You won't find this last group on synagogue signs. It has no rabbinical seminary. It lacks a headquarters in Manhattan, or a place on the Conference of Presidents. But if single-minded zeal counts for anything, its place as a denomination is assured. Its bedrock article of faith is this: The concept of a Palestinian people is artificial, a grand lie foisted on a gullible and guilt-plagued international community. The seductiveness of this lies in its simplicity. Remove the Palestinians from the equation, and the equation is solved. No more guilt. No more dilemmas. No land to divide. No rights to share. No Middle East conflict. No Palestinians, no Palestine. No problem. Well, maybe one. Amid the rafts of facts, the torrents of proofs, the boundlessly creative arguments, the learned histories marshaled by the activists of the Palestinians Don't Exist Movement, the one sole fact that matters, escapes them altogether: It's not our decision. It's not for Jews to decide whether Palestinians have valid claims to peoplehood, to cultural uniqueness, to calling themselves whatever they like. There are millions of people here and abroad whose whole lives are about being Palestinian. There are millions of people here and abroad who know that they are Palestinian just as they know how to breathe. It's not for Jews to decide that the people who call themselves Palestinians are insufficiently distinctive, insufficiently venerable, insufficiently homogeneous, insufficiently honest about their own ancestry, their own ancient history, their modern plight, to legitimately qualify as a people. You may believe that the Palestinian national narrative is based on half-truths, imagined truths, flat-out untruths. You may believe that this disqualifies them from recognition as a true people. As if a people's cherished myth - any people - is no less powerful for being myth. As if we had any say whatsoever in the decision. No one should know this better than the Jews. No people on earth has been negated, delegitimized, in so many ways, for so many centuries, by so many other peoples, as we have. When the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and his boss, Yasser Arafat, declared that the Jews have no verifiable ties to the holy city, it may have been their jobs that they were doing, but it was none of their business. Just as it is none of our business to tell Palestinians who they are and who they are not. The Middle East conflict will not be solved by a parlor trick. Any magician can tell you. You can't make someone disappear simply by shutting your own eyes. _________________________ Note: After serious consideration of a number of reader comments with respect to the guidelines for talkbacks on A Special Place in Hell, the guidelines have been modified. Although some rules have been relaxed, special emphasis will be placed on deleting letters which contain personal attacks on other respondents. ___________________ The guiding principles of the talkback forum for this article will be mutual respect and 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, 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. Previous blogs: Wishing the Palestinians out of existence, Occupation poisoning - Envy the extremist Ten ways to make sure that peace stays dead Palestinians: Our human shield against Iran nukes?

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The underground Ex-MK Meli Polishook-Bloch lists the advantages of a tunnel in place of a planned highway.	Interest, not readers Millions of expected visitors don't necessarily mean sales at Cairo's International Book Fair.

1.	I love it. So smart	10:28	|	Iranian-American	08/12/06
2.	REALITY STRIKES AT LAST .BRADLEY SCORES 100	10:28	|	paul harris	08/12/06
3.	THE GREATER ISRAEL	10:38	|	indrajaya	08/12/06
4.	mea culpa	10:56	|	Akiva Patysh	08/12/06
5.	The Palestinan people exists and was invented in England	10:57	|	Nathan	08/12/06
6.	This is not about Arabs.	10:58	|	Yosef	08/12/06
7.	facts about Palestinians	11:03	|	Khalid	08/12/06
8.	Repeating from prior thread: Palestinians exist but have no cause	11:03	|	Shlomo from Tel Aviv	08/12/06
9.	right now, no guilt, not memory	11:08	|	Ibraheem	08/12/06
10.	Hard to believe....	11:13	|	David Howard	08/12/06
11.	Bradley - Finally, an Op-Ed That`s not Drowning in a Sea of ...	11:13	|	Klaudia	08/12/06
12.	Knocking Down A Straw Man	11:25	|	Terry	08/12/06
13.	"There is no Palestine", "There is no Israel"	11:29	|	Marion	08/12/06
14.	The Palestinians won`t go away, but Israels paranoia should	11:30	|	Swiss (Dino)	08/12/06
15.	# 6, SHLOMO FROM TEL AVIV	11:34	|	indrajaya	08/12/06
16.	# 6, SHLOMO FROM TEL AVIV	11:34	|	indrajaya	08/12/06
17.	Nathan	11:35	|	Walid	08/12/06
18.	Not about Arabs	11:44	|	Yosef	08/12/06
19.	Do "Palestinians" speaker "Palestinian" or Arabic?	11:47	|	Pope Urban II	08/12/06
20.	What exactly are you hiding?	11:58	|	revoltop	08/12/06
21.	They can call themselves what they like	12:01	|	Margie in Tel Aviv	08/12/06
22.	When was that built?	12:09	|	revoltop	08/12/06
23.	Democracy Mr Burston?	12:15	|	Watcher	08/12/06
24.	There is no palestinian nation, there are palestinian people	12:15	|	lulu	08/12/06
25.	Reversing cause and effect	12:28	|	Jonathan S	08/12/06
26.	"It`s not our decision"	12:29	|	justajew	08/12/06
27.	Just Thank You	12:36	|	Bernard Haftel	08/12/06
28.	Who cares what they call themselves?	12:38	|	Antonio Arab-hater	08/12/06
29.	little green men	12:40	|	Mendel the Mean	08/12/06
30.	Arabs, Palis, Marsians...	12:41	|	Jack	08/12/06
31.	#17 Land without people for people without land	12:51	|	Nathan	08/12/06
32.	#7 Khalid,where do you get your figures from?	12:52	|	Hastaroth	08/12/06
33.	It was Palestine in 1947	13:00	|	Marilyn	08/12/06
34.	Ibraheem	13:03	|	Walid	08/12/06
35.	#8 Shlomo	13:05	|	H50	08/12/06
36.	Name one time Palestine has invaded Israel	13:06	|	Marilyn	08/12/06
37.	What about the "Nazi Aryan" or "Soviet Socilialist" Peoples?	13:07	|	Lewis	08/12/06
38.	The Jews are the real palestinians - the Arabs are just Arabs!	13:15	|	Nir	08/12/06
39.	#22 The Golden dome was built by Umayyadans	13:19	|	Nathan	08/12/06
40.	Swiss (Dino)	13:23	|	Walid	08/12/06
41.	Good old WALID, you are right	13:31	|	RAB	08/12/06
42.	Remove the Arab squatters from our Land	13:32	|	Yonatan	08/12/06
43.	Unintended truth	13:33	|	Choni Davidowitz	08/12/06
44.	There will always be...	13:33	|	Edith	08/12/06
45.	Marilyn the charmer	13:37	|	Margie in Tel Aviv	08/12/06
46.	Lulu	13:39	|	Walid	08/12/06
47.	The reason for the denial	13:46	|	KUTW	08/12/06
48.	Palestinians were always there in PALESTINE	13:48	|	Abraham	08/12/06
49.	Justajew	13:50	|	Walid	08/12/06
50.	It was Palestine like Sahara is Sahara	13:58	|	Jonathan S	08/12/06
51.	Antonio Arab-hater	14:00	|	CHGODMK	08/12/06
52.	Re #47 It was Palestine in 1947	14:03	|	DJStahl	08/12/06
53.	The ?pal? weapon against Zionism	14:08	|	KUTW	08/12/06
54.	to # 14.dino	14:10	|	hjhjhjhj	08/12/06
55.	33. Marilyn: Palestine	14:18	|	KUTW	08/12/06
56.	Don`t forget other peoples!	14:18	|	Habro	08/12/06
57.	30. Jack: Arabs, Palis, Marsians...	14:25	|	KUTW	08/12/06
58.	20th century nationalisms	14:28	|	Esther	08/12/06
59.	27. Bernard Haftel: there are people	14:30	|	KUTW	08/12/06
60.	26. justajew	14:32	|	KUTW	08/12/06
61.	Land Thieves !@#&*($^#%?	14:35	|	Sam	08/12/06
62.	Marylin, what was YOUR country called in 1788 ?	14:41	|	Paul Henzen	08/12/06
63.	Marily, I do not think that I have ever responded to your posts,	14:43	|	Nadav	08/12/06
64.	Walid #17	14:49	|	Gabe1	08/12/06
65.	Every country in the world would love to occupy palestine	14:54	|	Tamir Gaza	08/12/06
66.	A theory but political discourse is salacious by definition!	14:58	|	r	08/12/06
67.	Nations States Are A Blip on the Historical Record	14:59	|	Yaakov Sullivan	08/12/06
68.	Marilyn are you an Aborgine?	15:03	|	richard	08/12/06
69.	In history the world also wasn`t based on countries, border, visa	15:05	|	Tamir Gaza	08/12/06
70.	To revoltop (off-topic)	15:06	|	Davids	08/12/06
71.	14. Swiss (Dino): paranoia	15:09	|	KUTW	08/12/06
72.	BUT FALAFEL IS THE ANSWER	15:10	|	American	08/12/06
73.	To: Shlomo from Tel Aviv & all who misuses the word of terror	15:13	|	Human Rights	08/12/06
74.	No Palestinians No Problem	15:13	|	Dr. Auriel Combs	08/12/06
75.	#33 marylin AND HISTORY ARE STRANGERS	15:13	|	paul harris	08/12/06
76.	No Palestinians	15:14	|	Michael Katz	08/12/06
77.	As long as PALS want to wipe Israel off the map, they cannot be..	15:16	|	Vittorio	08/12/06