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Last update - 02:13 17/12/2007
The division has already occurred
By Ron Breiman
Tags: Israel

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared the other week that without "a two-state solution, Israel is finished." Is he not getting things backwards? Isn't it that absurd solution that is itself a recipe for the continuation of war and of the erosion and crumbling of Israel? To answer this, it is worth examining what could have been the results of the War of Independence and the Six-Day War from an innovative perspective.

The 1948-49 War of Independence could have ended with borders different from the ones it did, for example with the Galilee occupied by the Arabs, and Judea and Samaria in Israel's hands. If 19 years later, in 1967, Israel had embarked on the Six-Day War from those lines and the war had ended with the lines it did end with, what terminology would we be using?

The areas of Judea and Samaria would in that case be considered natural parts of the State of Israel; they would be denominated by their geographical-historical names and not by the distorting terms "territories" or "West Bank"; every Jewish settlement there would be considered strictly kosher; Ariel and a university there would be taken for granted; the Jewish National Fund would be engaged in judaizing Judea and Samaria, something it's been prevented from doing in the "territories"; the Arab inhabitants in the areas would be citizens of Israel; no one would conceive of disengaging from them in order to establish "permanent borders" for a Jewish and democratic state.
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And what about the Galilee (or the Negev)? It would be considered "occupied territory"; every Jewish settlement there would be "a settlement in occupied territories," its inhabitants destined for transfer; Carmiel and the possibility of a university there would be totally illegitimate; the Arab inhabitants of those areas would be called "Palestinians"; the left, headed by President Shimon Peres, Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, would be aiming to withdraw from the Galilee so as to establish "permanent borders" for a Jewish and democratic state, because without that, Israeli would be "finished."

What has brought about the different attitude on the part of the government of Israel and many of its citizens - and in their wake, "the world" - toward Judea and Samaria, on the one hand, and the Galilee (and the Negev) on the other? The entire difference derives from those 19 years between 1948 and 1967, during which the areas of Judea and Samaria were occupied by the Arabs, whereas the Galilee was in Israel's hands. Can or must 19 years - only half of 1 percent of the history of the Jewish people - dictate a different attitude toward one area or another of the tiny strip of earth that constitutes the western part of the Land of Israel?

Nineteen years are a small blip in the history of the Jewish people. Anyone who uses them to decree the demise of Israel's existence in Hebron, for example, and in areas where there is an Arab majority (Judea and Samaria), will bring about destruction and - in every sense of the word - strike the land from Jewish hands in Nahariya, for example, and in the Galilee as a whole, where there is also an Arab majority. The Galilee will be the next in line, by that same (poor) reasoning.

The root of all evil in all of the various plans for a "solution" based on a differential attitude toward Jews/Arabs in the Galilee as opposed to Jews/Arabs in Judea and Samaria is the spurious distinction that they establish between two kinds of Jews and two kinds of Arabs. Thus, all of the "solutions" that are proposed, including unilateral or bilateral partition, are irrational and doomed to failure. It is doubtful that a solution even exists in our generation. The idea of "we are here and they are there" is also doomed to failure when its proponents mean "they are there and they are here," and when only one population - Jews - stands to be be uprooted from its homes.

If a solution to the complex reality does exist at all, and as noted this is not destined to apply to our generation, it must be based on the separation of demography and democracy: Neither population will be uprooted from its homes, but the democratic rights of one population will be realized in the Knesset, in Jerusalem, those of the other population will be implemented in the parliament in Amman.

In this context, it is necessary to be wary of the dangerous statements by the foreign minister, for example, which encourage the exacerbation of the demographic reality in the western Land of Israel by allowing the entry of Arab refugees into Judea and Samaria. These baseless and irresponsible remarks testify to an unwillingness to think about the only solution that it might perhaps be possible to implement.

Only a consistent attitude and correct analysis can perhaps, gradually and with patience, bring about a solution to the situation in the truly Greater Land of Israel, that is to say - the western and the eastern parts of the Land of Israel, and the two populations there. A "vision" of two states for two peoples is possible only if we relate to the two banks of the Jordan River and not only to the western bank.

The territorial division and the great relinquishing have already happened, on the day of the signing of the peace treaty with Jordan. Despite this, the impatient and illogical focus on ideas of partition, "disengagement" and "convergence," in the Olmertian language laundry, which amoung to nothing but shrinking behind a fence that does not afford any security - only in the western Land of Israel and along lines that have no meaning ("the Green Line," which is the pre-Six Day War border, or the "security" fence that is almost adjacent to it) - are doomed in advance to failure. The policy of "territories in return for terror" has already been proven to be dangerous and as such only perpetuates war and distances peace. Instead of "Peace Now," our hope is: Zionism now.

The author was the chair of Professors for a Strong Israel, from 2001 to 2005.
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  1.   Whataver Breiman is a professor in, it aint political science 10:02  |  Rowan Berkeley 17/12/07
  2.   The Hatikva Party 10:06  |  Dr Alexander King 17/12/07
  3.   Boring 10:09  |  Awake 17/12/07
  4.   One Greater Israel with Palestinians, one man, on e vote: fine! 10:19  |  Ivar 17/12/07
  5.   Why does Haaretz give space to this fascist 10:25  |  Chanalau, Tova 17/12/07
  6.   Great, but what if Jordan says no? 10:39  |  David G 17/12/07
  7.   Distinctions 10:41  |  Eyal 17/12/07
  8.   Finally, Some Words of Sanity, From Ha`aretz Even! 10:44  |  Ben Israel 17/12/07
  9.   Is this "mainstream" Israeli opinion today....???? 10:45  |  Swiss (Dino) 17/12/07
  10.   time to reinstate the treaties that created israel 10:59  |  victor hardman 17/12/07
  11.   comments 11:20  |  jenin would be their 17/12/07
  12.   Re Tova #5 11:36  |  Esther 17/12/07
  13.   No, it`s not 19 years what makes difference 11:38  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 17/12/07
  14.   "Two banks to the Jordan - this one`s mine, and so is the other" 11:43  |  Danny 17/12/07
  15.   mendacious and remote from reality 11:49  |  Raymond Deane 17/12/07
  16.   Boy ,what a rant 11:54  |  Fabio 17/12/07
  17.   how about one land, one people, two faiths? 11:55  |  eric 17/12/07
  18.   Some Truth, but 11:59  |  Bandar Michaels 17/12/07
  19.   NO WAY TO PLO STATE 12:02  |  BOB KING THE ZIONIST 17/12/07
  20.   Who thought that there are still zionists like this professor? 12:04  |  Eric 17/12/07
  21.   Great Piece! 12:16  |  CWW 17/12/07
  22.   Some kind of democracy, indeed! 12:19  |  Axel 17/12/07
  23.   Breiman In His Bubble 12:24  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/12/07
  24.   #5 the GRATEbrit on why He`s given space 12:25  |  Joe Moer 17/12/07
  25.   # 6 jenin would be their 12:28  |  BOB KING THE ZIONIST 17/12/07
  26.   #15raymonde in cloud music land again 12:29  |  victor hardman 17/12/07
  27.   Thank you Haaretz 12:29  |  Jacob 17/12/07
  28.   example of jewish fascism 12:35  |  Mary 17/12/07
  29.   The second part the author doesn`t want you to read about 12:39  |  Abba 17/12/07
  30.   I hope he`s not a Professor of Logic. 12:41  |  Michael 17/12/07
  31.   Breiman and His Obession With Security 12:42  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/12/07
  32.   Why is division necessary? 12:45  |  Teresa-Maria (Tess) 17/12/07
  33.   Wow, another round of the silly "Good Israeli bad Israeli" 12:46  |  Andreas 17/12/07
  34.   # 1 Rowan Berkeley. 12:50  |  Nick Ferriman 17/12/07
  35.   Greater israel has never existed and will never exist;it`s best 12:54  |  lakshmi 17/12/07
  36.   If this is the way facts are routinely misrepresented 13:42  |  John 17/12/07
  37.   The division 14:03  |  Marius Markowitch 17/12/07
  38.   Mr Markowitch of Beersheva 14:18  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/12/07
  39.   34Nick Ferriman,time for the BDS(Boycott,Divestment,Sanctions) 14:37  |  lakshmi 17/12/07
  40.   Ron Breiman promotes a criminal ideology 14:39  |  Jens 17/12/07
  41.   Zionism and Peace 14:43  |  Arron 17/12/07
  42.   The division has already occurred 14:56  |  Paul Macdonald 17/12/07
  43.   Please don`t confuse us with the facts 15:00  |  Lefty 17/12/07
  44.   Aron on Ethnic Cleansing 15:01  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/12/07
  45.   HOW TO STOP ZIONISM ? 15:06  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 17/12/07
  46.   # 39 Lakshmi 15:06  |  Nick Ferriman 17/12/07
  47.   Excellant Article!! - GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!!! 15:06  |  Dr ERIC 17/12/07
  48.   #3 lacking and a handful of chapatis all bad 15:07  |  victor hardman 17/12/07
  49.   IF WE STOP TALK ABOUT ISRAEL BUT ACTION 15:08  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 17/12/07
  50.   Fascism and racism 15:09  |  Ron Breiman 17/12/07
  51.   PROMOTING FASCISM: CAN`T BE BETTER COMING FROM A PROF 15:10  |  TrippleJump 17/12/07
  52.   A CIVIL WAR IN ISRAEL between Zionists and Jewish 15:12  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 17/12/07
  53.   TOVA - DO YOU HAVE a Problem with freedom of speech!! 15:13  |  Suzanne 17/12/07
  54.   To Esther and Bander - This is the perfect solution!! 15:17  |  Suzanne 17/12/07
  55.   Israel must stay POWERFUL, counter HAMAS and NEVER AGAIN 15:18  |  The Equalizer 17/12/07
  56.   Danny - Guiliani will be US president in 10 months!! 15:19  |  Mustafa 17/12/07
  57.   Mr Ron Breiman ..THANK GOD TO READ A VOICE OF REASON.. 15:23  |  Kathy 17/12/07
  58.   # 2 Dr.Alexander King..The Hatikva Party.. 15:28  |  Kathy 17/12/07
  59.   First part gets it right, second part gets it wrong 15:34  |  Spider 17/12/07
  60.   Kath` 15:37  |  Gabe1 17/12/07
  61.   Atilla KARAGOZOGLU for KNESSET 16:07  |  ... 17/12/07
  62.   May I.... 16:27  |  ... 17/12/07
  63.   Atilla Yisrael Karagozoglu, LAST KING OF WORLD 16:30  |  ... 17/12/07
  64.   The past in a Neanderthal`s eyes 16:31  |  Tosefta 17/12/07
  65.   But from the perspective of Breiman`s Bubble 16:43  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/12/07
  66.   # 64 tosefta 16:50  |  Axel 17/12/07
  67.   Ron 50, how`s it going to work then? 17:00  |  Michael 17/12/07
  68.   That`s the most unreadable editorial I`ve ever read on Haaretz 17:02  |  Steve Randolph 17/12/07
  69.   Problem: Palestinian `nationalism` includes destroying Israel 17:06  |  Steve Randolph 17/12/07
  70.   Hey Mary no.28: Which part of `destroy Israel` confuses you? 17:09  |  Steve R