Declare Independence. Free Israel. End the Occupation.
I used to wonder if my generation would survive the Occupation. Now I wonder if Israel will.
By Bradley Burston Tags: Bradley Burston Yom Haatzmaut Israel news IDFClick here for more articles by Bradley Burston
Shimon the Tzadik, the righteous, the just, the saintly, was one of the last of the Great Knesset. He used to say: The world continues to exist because of three things: Torah, Worship, and Acts of Lovingkindness.
Talmud, Pirkeh Avot
SHEIKH JARRAH, East Jerusalem - It's taken us years and years, but we've finally realized the dream of every Israeli.
It was my wife who noticed. "I really like this," she said one Friday as we left the house, "getting out and going to a foreign country every weekend."
Our fellow Israeli Jews, inveterate world travelers that they are, literally go out of their way to avoid this place, which is called East Jerusalem. Some steer clear because it scares them, others simply because it feels so, well, foreign.
In the end, what they miss out on, is the view from here. If just once they'd make the trip. On a clear day, they could see their own future.
This is not just any neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Just as the settlers here, with their Baruch Goldstein celebrants, are not just any settlers, nor the anti-settlement protest held here each Friday, a demonstration like any other.
More than any other area of the Holy Land, this is the place where Israelis gather regularly to declare their independence from Occupation.
Here, because Sheikh Jarrah is where the settlement movement has come to die. The settlement named for Shimon the Just, is where the Occupation has begun to write its own ending.
Even the pro-settlement right has begun to realize that there is something different and dangerous here. That the circumstances of the creation of this settlement not only have the effect of turning all of Jerusalem into the status of a settlement, but of turning all of Israel into the status of Occupied Territory.
"The entrance of Jews to Sheikh Jarrah is a crazy and irresponsible act," rightist Jerusalem City Councilman Yakir Segev was quoted as telling a Hebrew University panel discussion last week.
"It's a terrible and crazy idea to open the question of ownership of properties from before 1948. It may open up a Pandora's box," Segev told Ynet, referring to the fact that Palestinians - even the families expelled to make way for the Sheikh Jarrah settlers - could reasonably ask courts to return them to land they owned until 1948 and had to flee, to homes which are now the homes of Jews in places like Jaffa and West Jerusalem.
"There are very wide-reaching repercussions and a reverse precedent may be set."
Occupation is an ugly word. That is why people who support the idea of a Jewish state should use the term, and use it often. Because, on this, Israel's 62nd independence day, the Occupation has to be identified for what it has become: Israel's worst enemy.
For much of the last decade, this city was engulfed in fire. The pro-settlement right - let us, for once, call it what it is: the Movement for a Permanent Occupation - taught anyone who would listen, that it is peace moves that provoke terrorism; that it is the peace process that has led us, time and again, to war; that to question the act of settlement is to be anti-Israeli.
No more. This is where it has to stop. There is a name for the systematic burning of our bridges with the world, with our friends, with the majority of world Jewry, all for the sake of the settlements, all for the sake of permanent Occupation: Suicide.
Years past on Independence Day, I used to wonder if my generation would survive the Occupation.
Now I wonder if Israel will.
This is perhaps Israel's most dismal Independence Day in memory. Not because of war. Nor terrorism, nor economic crisis.
In a country where polls show that nearly two-thirds of the population would cede the West Bank under a future peace deal, Israelis are hostages to the nightmare scenario of permanent Occupation.
Today, after 62 years of furious effort, Israelis and Palestinians are in many respects farther from true independence than ever before. The reason becomes clearer by the year. Both peoples are prisoners of the Occupation.
These people, my friends, the Israelis, now face the most difficult challenge in the history of their country. Their country is still young as nations go, but is aging dangerously with every passing year that the Occupation terrorizes us, invades us, roots itself, spreads, poisons the spirit and the soul.
Most of all, the Occupation has blinded smart people to its own dangers. The Occupation exploits our fears even as it magnifies the real threats against us. The Occupation feeds and fosters those who hate us. It is their secret weapon. It is our Achilles heel.
We know now that our government, our prime minister and defense minister, are prisoners of the Occupation as well, unable or unwilling to do what they know they must to safeguard Israel's future.
That is why individual Israelis are going to have to do what they do best: Take action on their own.
It is not a large group that demonstrates here. But it is persistent, and growing. There are no speeches, and no hurled rocks. Only something which, thanks to the Occupation, is all but gone everywhere else in Israel: hope.
Will a serious battle against Occupation cause a deep rift in the Jewish People? Will it drive a wedge between all those who believe that the Jews, like other peoples, deserve a state of their own?
Too late. The Occupation has already been there, and done precisely that.
The Occupation has become the greatest single threat to the social fabric of the Jewish state. The Occupation causes division, strife, tension and alienation in Jewish families and Jewish communities the world over. Nothing causes Israel more diplomatic damage than the Occupation, and its outrider, the siege of Gaza.
Nothing delegitimizes Israel more in the eyes of the world - and in the eyes of many Jews - than the nation's unwillingness or inability to dismantle and end the Occupation.
You don't have to take the short jaunt to Sheikh Jarrah to understand that Israelis must put an end to the Occupation before the Occupation puts an end to Israel.
What will permanent occupation mean for Israel? Not only that the nation will cease to be a democratic state, disenfranchising millions of Palestinians. In the end, permanent Occupation will see to it that Israel will cease to be a Jewish state as well. Israel will have delegitimized itself out of existence.
It will have knowingly opted for and adopted apartheid, and, in the end, either through democracy or through fire, and, thanks to the Occupation, the world community will see to it that an Arab-ruled Palestine from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River will finally come into existence.
That, in the end, may explain why the demonstrations here in Sheikh Jarrah, which are not massive in scale, have managed to set in motion a chain of events which has not only affected Washington's view of settlement in the Holy City, but - in the manner of the settlers' disproportionate leverage over the rest of us - has managed to paralyze, at least for now, the inroads of militant settlers into several points across East Jerusalem.
After our most recent visit to the foreign country that may one day be called Palestine, I've refined my goals as far as the future is concerned. This, then, is my mission statement for this Independence Day: Let the Occupation end with me.
May it end here. Let it end soon.
May Jews and Arabs become again what they once were: Neighbors. True cousins.
May this be the generation that outlives the Occupation.
May we find ways to cripple it, take it apart. End it.
This is Independence Day. Free Israel. End the Occupation.
Addendum. As I was writing this, the Im Tirtzu organization, which promotes the Occupation through division, libel and graphic and verbal obscenity, distributed pamphlets in synagogues aimed at changing the Yizkor memorial prayer for fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, to include an attack on leftist Israelis. I will respond at length to this next week, but suffice it to say that the corrupting effect of the Occupation on the concepts of Torah, Worship, and Lovingkindness, has never been more evident.
Bradley Burston, Sgt., res., IDF Serial #3369089.
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Previous Blogs: How to tell when a Mideast Expert is lying Berkeley's Israel boycott: The occupation's new friend Passover Seder, Cup 4: Obama, this year in Jerusalem Israel's Titanic moment: Does Obama want Bibi's head?? A warning to Mr. Biden: We negotiate like we drive When Israelis degrade Israel by humiliating Joe Biden Jews who want to see Jews leave Israel I envy the people who hate Israel Pro-Mideast in America: Getting past 'Pro-Israel' and 'Pro-Palestine' Israel needs Goldstone Fear of peace will be the death of Israel
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Maintaining the Occupation will bring another 100 years of bloodshed and increase the "Revenge mood" on both sides. I love Israel and hate its policies. We have had a number of war criminals leading both Palestinians and Israelis: Arafat, Sharon etcetera. I was a Machal Volunteer in Israel's 1948 Independence war, not because of Zionist propaganda but because I felt that 2000 years of persecution had been enough. And what was the result? An Israel set for 2000 years of persecuting the Palestinians? We once thought of ourselves as becoming a "Light unto the Nations." What we have brought is Choshech Mitzrayim.
and if you were a true Torah jew you would know that Jews were supposed to wait for G-d to send the Messiah to give them the Holy Land. Zionism created the Israeli state,Its essential goal was to change the nature of the Jewish people from that of a religious entity to a political movement.
People who hate Israel do so because of who you are and not of what you have done. Same thing happened in Europe and there is nothing that you could have done to stop the hate. Quit thinking that it you and start standing up. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and if Palestinians want a capital they should move to Jordan, since they never had a country of their own! They are all Jordanians who were occupied!
This is an outstanding editorial, a vivid restatement of humanistic principle in an age of chauvinistic darkness on all sides. Of course, in issuing such an Independence Day message, Bradley is putting another target on his back. If only people would listen to him. Israel does not need the West Bank. The occupation only keeps the "demographic problem" alive. If Israel allowed a real Palestinian state to be born, it could still take every needed measure for its security. The people who argue that Israel is illegitimate would not gain much of a hearing. The withdrawal from Gaza does not prove that giving up territory does not make Israel any safer; because that left the occupation intact. The thing that enrages people was still there. Israel has the power to end the conflict for virtually everyone, despite the few who would remain irreconcilable on both sides. All that is lacking is leadership with the will to do it. The time to act is now, before Abbas and Fayyad fade from the scene
Agree with this article...too bad more in Israel do not stop & think of these things, the right will end up destroying Israel, not the Arabsd...
Unless and until the arabs agree to accept that Israel, as the Jewish state has a right to exist and they stop teaching their kids to hate the J Jews and they give some indication that they are willing in the future to live in peace with the Jewish state, the issues of occupation, settlements, where people live, territory are largely peripheral. While the arabs have as their goal the elimination of the entire state of Israel as this Jewish state, the so-called peace process is a myth. The rest is commentary so that (including Israeli) journalists and news media can earn their living bashing Israel. Do you see the arab goal changing at all and what concessions are they offering to the so called peace process. Where is the so-called Palestinian partner for peace? Where do you see any indication from Hamas that it wants any form of peace with Israel, even as a ruse like FataH?
And what if David Ben Gunion himself couldn't keep his own words and find it necessary to fight his enemies with greater power than theirs ? It is not the survival of the fittest that kept the 'Species Survived' but the elimination of the weakest. God created Man good & perfect but Man recreated himself bad & wicked ! (Genesis). Israel applying the rules & criticized only by hypocrites !
Is't that vanity or empty mindedness ! Bradley never said once that he is wrong ! That proves how always Bradley is wrong.
The revisionist right seeping into main stream politics since 1967, has changed the fabric of what it means to be Zionist. As each year continues with an occupation, Israel finds herself with more enemies, further questioning her existence as a "democratic" power in the Middle East. In order for Israel to finally see an end to hostilities and the belief they are surrounded by enemies, they must relinquish the occupied territories.
"We have rebelled against all controls and religions, all laws and judgments which the mighty sought to foist upon us. We kept to our dedication and our missions. By these will the State be judged, by the moral character it imparts to its citizens, by the human values determining its inner and outward relations, and by its fidelity, in thought and act, to the supreme behest: "and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Here is crystallized the eternal law of Judaism, and all the written ethics in the world can say no more. The State will be worthy of its name only if its systems, social and economic, political and legal, are based upon these imperishable words. They are more than a formal precept which can be construed as passive or negative: not to deprive, not to rob, not to oppress, not to hurt." - David Ben Gurion, Rebirth and Destiny of Israel (1954), p. 419.
"We extend the hand of peace and good-neighborliness to all the States around us and to their people, and we call upon them to cooperate in mutual helpfulness with the independent Jewish nation in its Land. The State of Israel is prepared to make its contribution in a concerted effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East." - David Ben Gurion, Israel's Proclamation of Independence That certainly is not the wish of Netanyahu's Israel. "Even amidst the violent attacks launched against us for months past, we call upon the sons of the Arab people dwelling in Israel to keep the peace and to play their part in building the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its institutions, provisional and permanent." - David ben Gurion, Proclamation of Independence Nor is that acceptable to the men who rule Israel today. But then I could cite as many quotes where Ben Gurion seems to agree with the most extremists of both sides today.
"The Palestinians are so split into factions that Mahmoud Abbas is afraid to move in our direction and is powerless." - Yonatan Israel has spent the years since the death of the egregious Arafat trying to destroy Abbas. He has survived despite the efforts of Sharon, Olmert and Netanyahu. He is more than agreeable to making peace. "And even if he did have the courage, there would always be those who would oppose him and scuttle any peace negotiations." - Yonatan Only if Israel allows it's extremists to scuttle the negotiations. Abbas has done well at suppressing terrorist in those areas where he has the power to do so. "We face the same problem with our political parties and our parties, but at least we have the tools of government to enforce any decisions made." - Yonatan Which is why the government does not restrain the Settlers. Israel denies the 'tools of government' to Abbas. Yet Israel is less effective at restricting it's terrorists than Abbas is at restraining his.
CJ, I could just as easily ask you to tell us who the first president of "Palestine" was. Of course, there never was one until the PLO came along. Then if you like the British mandate so much, go back and look at the newspapers back then. When they talked about the "Palestinians" they meant the Jews, not the Arabs. But then, facts are never of interest to the pro-Palestinian propaganda lobby. Historical fact says that Jews come from Israel/Palestine.
Then why does the Balfour Declaration claim them as different groups? Why does the British Mandate claim them as different groups? Then why does UN Resolution 181, 194, and every other UN Resolution claim them as different groups? Nice try tho
came from Sumeria (Iraq).
Well said Dan. When will our leaders stop trying to run Israel for the US and stand behind something real. What is Israel? Just another country? I think not. If it were why would the entire planet try to have their piece of it. There is one way to have peace, it is to be clear about our objectives and to continue to be strong as long as we have to. Nothing good is comes easy.
Didn't Arafat reject a state back during Camp David Accords? Didn't Israel withdraw from Lebanon only to have Hezballah take over? Didn't Israel withdraw from Gaza only to have Hamas take over? For every sacrifrice Israel makes, their sworn enemies keep trying to kill them. Israel should call it what it is, a war, and annex both the West Bank & Gaza. Enough already. Peace will never come from you sworn enemies no matter how much land you give up.
In 1860 there was a portion of the palestinian people called palestinian jews and they were no more than 5% of the population till the beginning of the 20th century.The jews were an integral part of all communities in every Arab country and they were treated equally like their brothers muslims and christian Arabs till the politics of Zionism spoiled the whole thing. The Peace offer from the Arab League is still on the table and Israel is the one denying even to discuss that Arab peace initiative. So, my freind Jochai, who is refusing the peace????
it's not on israel's side & i very much doubt the israeli public can just sit & wait till politics as usual will take care of business. nothing is playing in favour of israel at this point, the pals are sitting w/all the cards diplomatically & the situation can turn ugly very fast. in any case, the more one waits the worse it's gonna get. i have the feeling the israelis not supportive of this government are obligated to go out & say it, it's not enough that all the alarm bells are rung by journalists only. also, polls are not that convincing, in particular not to the world. it's important that the world (incl. the pals) knows & hears that many /most israelis actually disagree. (remember the pal. polls prio to the 2006 pal. elections? none of them were even close to the actual outcome. so you can't trust these too much, but i still hope the 2/3 assertion is true..) at nimtset baaretz? rgs,-
As you already know, two thirds of the Israeli public would like to see an end of the Occupation in the West Bank as well and establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Public demonstrations are not always influential towards having a leadership change its direction - Likud especially. I understand the Labour members of the coalition have complained to DM Ehud Barak that perhaps within a few weeks without significant demonstration by Netanyahu of engaging in either accepting the U.S. request or stopping construction in Jerusalem, then they'd have to pull out of coalition. This would be unfortunate once again, but two thirds of the Israeli public is realistic about the facts on the ground. PS. At yesterday's Israel's 62 Independence Day celebrations there was a record numbers turnout....and wonderful to see friends and acquaintances. ....no politics though.
We are just waiting for a moment which will cause maximum impact. But that time is coming, and once as Bradley says we have set a precedent, we will flood the courts and more importantly the international media with these claims. Bradley is right, this will make the delegitimisation of the actual State of Israel, not just the occupied territories so much easier.
chris & other fantasy seekers of Israel's demise, Keep dreaming & be very careful what you wish for. read my subject heading & be afraid...very afraid.
have no say so. Even if the international community has to come and drag yopu kicking and screaming from your illegal squat. I would personally be more than happy to grab either of your legs. Are you beginning to get nervous ben kahan. You should.
..Living all my life in my home land under foreign brutal occupation has intensified my hate and my will to resist this occupation and suppression. I would like to ask every israeli to immagine himself as a palestinian living in gaza or even in west bank and translate his feelings in actual deeds!! Israeli occupation to whole palestine is completely different from any other occupation allover the human history!! . Occupation means for every palestinian " uprooting and suffocation". However we still have great hope in those israelis who will correct the direction and achieve the fact that jews and arabs could be once again true cousins.Thank you Mr.Burston!!.
You are a man of honor and courage. God Bless you!
The UN has no legitimacy and no say over Israel. Jerusalem has been part of Israel for 3000+ years and will remain so. We do not trust the same international community that allowed the murder of six million Jews and will not allow the same people to decide our fates now.
The world is NOT "more open to Israel than ever"! As a matter of fact, Israel is not only losing friends, it's rapidly losing the staunch support it once enjoyed among those it hasn't lost - yet.
How beautiful is this article... man, talk about eloquence. The fluency of purpose Bradley Burston displays here... is simply remarkable. For all those who say, Israelis do not possess a moral code or that progressive Ha'aretz journalists are not patriotic enough... well, they need to read this piece. Actually, articles like these is the reason I read Ha'aretz. I feel the need to repeat Mr. Burston's mission statement. May the occupation end here, today... and let the Jews and Arabs become peaceful neighbors once again.
But then what would you do? It's a serious question.
"I assume from your post you and the entire WHITE Australian population are soon returning to England" Not British & not 250 yrs old & you have no idea what colour I am. We Jewish folk come in all colours Never the less, were I to leave, Israel will then withdraw to it's actual sovereign boundaries for the first time in 62 years. What a good idea. Jolly good of you. You know you'll be labeled as Anti-semitic & self hating. But The home coming, with all the illegal settlers, will be a enormous event, no? " and giving back the country to the REAL natives from whom you stole the land " A) I haven't stolen any land B) I'm very much FOR returning land into aboriginal hands. C) My Aboriginal family (by marriage) haven't asked me to leave. ".....you know, the countless innocent natives you mudered so you could build your nation" I assume you mean the Brits? "Sucks dont it.." Indeed & why there are now laws against acquiring territory by war/force and unilateral annexation
to be a true democracy arabs have to have equal rights as jews and live in peace and move freely and live anywhere they want and claim the property thats theirs as jews are doing.also the right to vote for all israeli leaders you can't have both a jewish state and democracy
Dear Citizen Zero. I endourse your excellent words. Bradley Burston has proved to be a man dedicated to obtain the so desired peace among Israel and Arab Palestine. But the both sides, of course, must collaborate. Not only the Jewish State. Salutes from a Brazilian Christian. Luiz Felipe Haddad.
It beyound UN power to destory Israel practice. If the UN was going to try to push internatial boycott like did to South Afirca. They strave the Palestinians to death West Bank. Also Israel turn piriting high seas push human World brink of nuclear war and the end human race. THe EU would not risk this happen.Also most Israel not be will give up Jerosalam even for peace.
i'm puzzled. it wouldn't cost any average israeli anything to demonstrate now & they wouldn't need to go to sheikh jarrah to do it. i'm aware that it's easy for me to sit somewhere else & ask these questions. still i wonder. where have all those who voted for kadima & tzipi livni in the last elections (a considerable number of people) gone? they all cast their vote for a basically anti-bibi ticket, ie for the dismantlement of settlements & a 2-state solution. they couldn't just all have disappeared. i believe this is their time to start to get moving. or should we in the diaspora start to demonstrate?
Either: Israel continue to deny citizenship to the natives it governs in the West Bank and Gaza and in good Orwellian language continue to tell itself it is a Jewish democracy surrounded by enemies who want to destroy it or Israel looks in the mirror and realizes the majority of world Jewry really does not want to live in Israel, a "Jewish majority state" is only a fantasy which continues to cause great amounts of pain to people that once were friends. i.e. to live under constant threat, in the safety of weapons, or as a minority with those who were and would be friends.
Is fine that you belive in your things, but don't try to impose it onto others, you wouldn't like for a moslem to impose his belives onto you. For one thing G.d didn't give you that land, that is how the world sees it.
Most Israelis agree that occupation is bad and not many like the settlers in hilltops. However, few Israelis share the existential anguish that you express. As long as "the occupation" does not burst into their daily lives and the USA allows the Israeli government to get away with it, the public opposition to this disastrous policy will remain testimonial. Most Israelis keep thinking of it as a nuisance to be dealt with by "conflict management". However, the apparent calm in infinitely delaying solving an unresolved basic problem will not (cannot) last forever. Unless extremists from either side launch a nasty provocation, the ball is in the hands of the Obama administration, since neither the Isra-left, nor the Pals nor the Europeans can change things. What can we do if in 2040 Israel/Palestine becomes irreversible a bi-national entity because the average Israeli did too little to prevent it? Nothing. But Israelis will have to adapt. As much as we dislike it, this may happen.
You said it just about the best as one can say, thanks you SGT. Let us hope some one follows it
The latest we heard ! What Israel wants from the Arabs ? Does Israel want to stay behind the fortress ? What borders you are asking for ? How strong you are to act like this ? Do you really want peace wih Arabs , or you do not care ?Be honest with your selves and answer these easy questions from an ordinary Palestinians .Thanks
I hear of so many so-called israeli leftists or peace supporters out there, yet the right-wing nut cases keep winning elections in israel? We palestinians need to see real action on the ground from the so-called "rational" and "fair-minded" israelis. It would also be great to see the peace-loving jews declare war on AIPAC. That would be a good trust-building measure.
and where are the arab leftists??
of the untenable status quo.Occupation is bad for both,the occupied and the occupier because it generates violence,resistance and repression.Two states,living cooperative,peaceful side by side would be far better for all.However best wishes to the 62nd and as #6,7 Joe and Laura said,it can be better done.
Poignant, relevant, intelligent and well written. Thank you for your post!
CJ. I assume from your post you and the entire WHITE Australian population are soon returning to England, and giving back the country to the REAL natives from whom you stole the land .....you know, the countless innocent natives you mudered so you could build your nation. Sucks dont it..
CJ. I assume from your post you and the entire WHITE Australian population are soon returning to England, and giving back the country to the REAL natives from whom you stole the land .....you know, the countless innocent natives you mudered so you could build your nation. Sucks dont it..
Bradley, you're right. And I think most Israelis and jews agree. You know too that Israel and the jewish people as a whole overwhelmingly desire to be rid of the occupation. Do the Arabs? I'm not so sure. Do the Palestinians look forward to being neighbors, partners,friends? That's what we're all waiting for. You're preaching to the choir, Bradley. How about taking your message to the other side too!
"Funny how Bradley says nasty things about "settlers" yet never distinguishes between the dozens of different types of "settlers" They're illegal settlers if they're Israeli and not settling in Israel. (Israel has never legally annexed any territory http://wp.me/pDB7k-sa ) "Is Brad willing to close down the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ramot, Gilo, French Hill and others and hand them over to the enemy? Because all those neighborhoods are composed of "settlers"." No because they're ILLEGAL settlers. Israeli Arabs are nor permitted either. "Guess he`s going to have to end his personal occupation of "Palestine" (which never existed as we all know)" Strange. The British Mandate over PALESTINE must have been about somewhere. Most likely somewhere called PALESTINE?
But not for much longer. Bye Bye squatter.
The land of Israel was Liberated by jews from the occupants - the arabs. Even now the process of liberation continues, regardless of what mr. Burston may wish.
Brad is upset that Im Tirzu was saying nasty things about "leftists". Funny how Bradley says nasty things about "settlers" yet never distinguishes between the dozens of different types of "settlers". Is Brad willing to close down the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ramot, Gilo, French Hill and others and hand them over to the enemy? Because all those neighborhoods are composed of "settlers". Is Brad willing to force Gush Etzion "settlers" out of their homes even though a leftist like Jimmy Carter says he doesn't believe that. And is Bradley going to ever confront the actual term "settler" that is used by the Palestinians? According to Palestinians, Bradley himself is a "settler". Guess he's going to have to end his personal occupation of "Palestine" (which never existed as we all know) and go back to wherever Muslims say the Jews come from: Siberia or something. Or maybe Brad will convert and become an IraqiJew and return there?
not in Israel. "You know that Jerusalem is historically a Jewish city and the residents were cleansed by Arabs after `48 and now we have returned home. Why do you put forward such lies?" Ahem....But it ISN'T Israeli. Israeli Jews and/or Israeli Arabs and/or Israeli Israeli Christians and/or atheist civilians, have no right to be there. The UNSC tells us Israel only occupies. It also tells us that Israel has never legally annexed any territory, ever. The corpus separatum was never instituted, Jerusalem's status has not changed from being a part of the territories Israel did not declare Sovereignty over May 14th 1948. It is a part of "territories occupied" and never withdrawn from. I.e., still occupied. Which is why the UNSC declared the unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem illegal.
One day Bradley... hopefully sooner than later.
I am always bewildered when I read the Talkback responses and see someone yet again repeating the completely laughable argument of "G-d gave us this land". This is complete nonsense and should be treated as such. If you want to be taken seriously, speak like an adult, not a mystified child. No one cares about your fairy tales. No one cares about what your imaginary friend supposedly promised YOU thousands of years ago. The FACTS are that a nascent Israel forced almost One Million Palestinians out of their lawful residences in 48-49, and Millions of them have been homeless ever since, regardless of their very Legal rights to their stolen property. Title Deeds and Property Deeds hold FAR more sway than your compendium of desert mythology. Argue from sanity, or else we'll keep dismissing you. WE are the generation that's allowing the Occupation to continue. Our ancestors did the WRONG thing, and we can't change their actions, but we CAN change ours. Please grow up!!!
goofing off during the Holocaust? He'd probably sell you a bridge too. Meanwhile, you, your G-D, me and every other Jew on the planet were sold out May 14th 1948. http://wp.me/pDB7k-sa http://wp.me/pDB7k-pE
You know all the facts Brad so why the lies? You know that Jerusalem is historically a Jewish city and the residents were cleansed by Arabs after '48 and now we have returned home. Why do you put forward such lies?
Israel is at war for 63 years and will be at war till the Arabs admit defeat and surrender unconditionally. Until that point we must contend with the Arab occupation we face and only when Arabs stop making war and claiming our land will there be a chance for peace. Jerusalem, All of it is Israel's capital including Sheik Jarrah.
Certainly not people who're being wiped off the map. http://wp.me/PDB7k-Y#who-is-being-wiped-off-the-map
you think you'll bring peace by giving anything to the so-called "Palestinians"? Look at Gaza. They want your homes in Tel Aviv, etc. The only solution is to take the Pals from the WB and re-settle them in Gaza and the Sinai. Hebron, Bet Lechem, etc. are Eretz Yisrael.
all it's citizens, regardless of private corporate or institutionally 'owned' land. It belongs to people who rent, lease, own and even to a landless bum who lives under a bridge. Private, corporate or institutionally 'owned' land is not the 'territory' of state or non-state entities. Nor does private, corporate or institutionally owned land in someone else's territory does not confer sovereignty on the 'owner', even if that territory belongs to a non-state entity.
Most effectiv.
The only thing which does not make sense is that there are nationalistic, racist, ultra religious supporters of apartheid who justify anything in the name of Zionism.
Palestinians don't have title deed to the lands; they have expired Ottoman Empire leases at best or title to lands escheated by abandonment and faliure to pay real estate taxes effective 1948 + 7 yrs + 1 yr notice or 1956 when it was made law. The last King of Jordan seized the Registry of Lands records in 1967 from Jerusalem, released on his death, bad news for Palestinians, they don't own 7% of the land and in litte isolated 'bantu stands' only. UNR 181 /242 awards the balance to Jews.
person on the planet were sold out when the Jewish People's Council declared Sovereign independence over the boundaries recommended by UNGA Res 181, 14th May 1948. On this notification, http://wp.me/pDB7k-sa Israel was recognized, over riding the Arab States legal objections. It is illegal to unilaterally annex "territories occupied". http://wp.me/PDB7k-Y#annexation It is inadmissible to 'acquire' territory by war. http://wp.me/PDB7k-6r 'acquire' = that which is not sovereign. ( Stephen M. Schwebel ) http://wp.me/PDB7k-Y#JFNA
In case yo missed it, the dominion of the 'dynasty' of Israel lasted less than 100 years, torn asunder by internal discord.
This should be distributed to every synagogue, every home, every army base, every settlement, every government institution, every Israeli embassy, to everyone who wants Israel at peace with itself and its neighbours. Ussishkin Shaul IDF I.D.:2334436
The Palestinians are so split into factions that Mahmoud Abbas is afraid to move in our direction and is powerless. And even if he did have the courage, there would always be those who would oppose him and scuttle any peace negotiations. We face the same problem with our political parties and our parties, but at least we have the tools of government to enforce any decisions made.
I simply don't believe that was the reason at the beginning. While I agree it has been made through brilliant PR maneuvering to become a core issue now, it is just the latest issue. As you brought up 62% of Israeli's are willing to give up the WB for peace while the Palestinians still have: Hamas as elected Government; maps with Israel deleted...replaced with Palestine...that appear in all Palestinian schoolbooks; both Hamas and Fatah recently stated Israel does NOT have a "right to exist" and an old Palestinian poll, revealed 73% of the Palestinian public felt the Pizza cafe(that killed 21 Jewish kids) bombing was legitimate "resistance". Where is the Palestinian Thomas Jefferson? That is what's needed, the question is, wouldn't he just be killed by other Palestinians? Your dangerous simplification of the issue "settlements" is, I believe, unconsciously suicidal, that is to say you mean no ill will, but effect is the same.
Bradley - you surely know the ancient Greek saying : "Whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad". The occupation is such madness, Clearly the gods have been busy since 1968. David
Yes ,lets free Israel from the Bali Occubation and the Jewish Leftist scourge. The question to you is :" Can Israel survive people such as yourself?'
I think its time for new ideas. In a recent BBC show, I saw arab students question palestinian leaders asking them "when will your esign and move over for a younger, more intelligent leadership." Good question. Same can be asked in Isreal. Enough with the recycling of leaders. Its insane to think better results can be achieved by doing the same thing. Maybe a new crowd can bring peace finally. Another fair trade that I am sure both sides would endorse is get rid of settlers in E jerusalem and west bank and in return dismantle hamas.
Do you know how many Palestinians are still clining to their pre 1948 title deeds? Youve suddenly given them all hope. Really you DO NOT WANT TO GO THERE. Where do you think "West Jerusalem" came from? My cousin a few months ago visited her great-grandfather's house in German Colony (she got a day pass to enter Jerusalem from the west bank). It still has the old mans initials inscribed in stone above the door. This is zionist public suicide nothing less. Let's all dig out 1948 that will be alot of fun.
I just do not understand Jews that are so willing to give up the Land which G-D gave to us over 3000 years and which was stolen from us ever since the destrtuction of the 1st Temple. It is not the Jews that are occupying this Land which is ours but the Arabs that occupy it. The despelled and massacared the Jews in Hebron and many other places and TOOK occupation of the Jewsish homes. When will these Jews that are so willing to destroy us and the Land of Israel come to realise what damage they are doing not only to all the Jews in the Land of Israel and that are still in Exile but also to themselves. It just does not make sense.
So what will you have accomplished?
Propagandist for expansionist, totalitarian Islam, Mr. Burston is united with US/EU, the world's power elites, and every Jew-hater on earth in seeking to steal the Holy Land from its rightful owners, the Jewish people.
Abbas and Fatah could be peace partners, but what do you do with Hamas and their backers?
I also worry when I read such sane, honest opinions from an Israeli source....what could it mean? Couple this article with Barak's very candid statements recently, and Israel starts looking like a truly civilized, humane place. Obviously something is afoot here....are we about to see some fireworks in the US, perhaps? "It wasn't us, honest!" will come the cry from Israel, "Look at how our defence minister and Bradley Burston have been speaking of peace, of ending the occupation...." Nice try, guys, but your track record is too long and too bloody for anyone to believe you now.
Great article!! I was happy to hear that 2/3 of Israelis are willing to cede the WB, but what about Jerusalem. It all starts with Jerusalem and it all ends there too.
We all need more Bradley Burston to run the show for 10 years of so and all will be OK then. From Beirut to Haifa and from Damascus to Tel Aviv one freeway, even once currency and one dialling code and no barriers or watch towers. End occupation first and support moderates genuinely then get peace and wealth.
# 3) learn your history : Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel. 3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 B.C.E. the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years. 4. Arabs have only had control of Israel twice - from 634 until the Crusader invasion in June 1099, and from 1292 until the year 1517 when they were dispelled by the Turks in their conquest. 5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital. JG
Why can't all Israelis see the self-evident facts presented in this article? Why is Netanyahu unable to lead Israel to a bright future?
God, as you say, has "promised" many things to many people, depending on the particular god and or the particular people. Neither the Torah nor the Bible have any currency in this debate, and to think so is to be delusional. The world does not live by such delusions and will no longer support Israel if it continues its occupation and illegal settlements. Perhaps you are so special that you prefer to live alone and isolated from everyone else, INCLUDING the United States and all of its aid, comfort and cover. Get real and get to the Green Line. The world is becoming impatient.
Well said sir. I do hope many Israelis will read your article. Israel cannot go on being a bully alll their lives,. Something has to give,. I do hope many Jews will read your article and reflect upon your good works. God bless you.
In my opinion, Palestinians are the occupiers. I think we need to wake up.. Look at our history. This is all our land. And look at our temple. The Mosque is build on top of temple. Wouldn't that show who was there first. I feel no guilt for being in a god given territory which belonged to us.
To give the land back to their previous owners. I wonder if the other countries will do the same !
It seems to me that you WANT to believe these generalization about Muslims, because you do not want to give up any part of Great Israel. How does the Arab League peace plan fit into your perception of the Muslim attitude?
Bradley offers no solution. It's easy to say "end the occupation" without offering a way out. Do we run out like we did in Lebanon? do we make Judea Judenrein like we did in Gaza? do we deny Jews access to Kever Shimon Hatzadik like we did with Joseph's Tomb? Bradley offers empty words with no solution.
The status quo may sort itself out with the palestinians getting a good viable state and the jews clutching close to deter nuclear obliteration but that cannot be guaranteed . An obliteration of the area is a real threat and survival plans for both jews and arabs must begin cooperatively.
This is the psuedo-reason for your troubles. As an outsider I say to you with all good will you can't see the forest from the trees. While this clearly is a cause for friction it was invented by the Pals and achieved its goal in wearing you down down. You said it yourself, 62% of Israeli's would let go of the WB for true peace with the Pals. While at the same time Hamas, the elected representatives do recognize Israel's "right to exist", Israel is not on any Arab maps in their schoolbooks...what could be more telling? I respect your desire for peace but suicide is another matter. I just do not see any sincere desire on the Pal side for peace, I wish I did. Where is the Palestinian Thomas Jefferson, and if he existed, would he not be killed by his own for espousing peace with Jewish people?
As we say: From your moth to God's Ear. But my only question to ou is this: Where is the will to implement the change you recognise as imperative for peace and the survival of Israel? Where is the 2/3 of the population that wants a 2 state solution? It is not as if these fanatics just slipped in and suddenly, whamo! Palestinians are being dispossessed in Sheik Jarrah. A long history of support has broght them there and made possible what they are doing there. Let us see. What will Yom Haatzmaout 63 holds for Israel and the residents of Sheik Jarreh and Silwan. Will the demonstrations include thousands more or will they be completely judaised by then. I suspect the latter and that is the tragedy. No one will be able to stop the occupation. It has become not only too entrenched but too much part of the ethos of Israel to be removed. And there is no ideoology to replace the one that holds it im place: threat of annihilation, isolation, permanent emnity and a military solution as the only
Bradley amazing article! Pleasant to realaze that someone cares about life here, because only peace will bring the continuation of life!
"If you think that expelling the Jews from historic Jerusalem,Hebron, Gush Etzion etc (AGAIN) will bring peace security or justice you are either kidding yourself or simply being dishonest." The dishonest one is the one breaking International Law. " The hostility and violence preceded the return of Jewish life to Jerusalem, Hebron, etc." Plan Dalet.. a war started by the preemptor. "The war against "Jewish occupation" of the Holy Land preceded even the founding of a Jewish State in "48. That is the core problem and until it changes there will be no peace." There was no problem until the Zionist Federation's plan became clear. I.e., a Jewish state in all of Palestine. "Repeating the Gaza fiasco in Judea and Samaria will change nothing and you know it" As long as Palestinian territories are occupied and as long as people like you advocate breaking the law, there will never be peace.
Good therapy start with the identification of the ?true? problem. When that is done it is often quite clear what steps to take. Bradley is a voice of reason to a disturbed Israel.
Well said and true. This happens again when Zionizm disappear. My mother and I were in Palestine in 1939 and all were freinds and even marry each other.
You make the error of looking at some enemies and attributing their views to everyone. Of course, the Pals would not give up their property in 1948. No people would have. Of course, many Arab & Muslim states will always hate Israel. But the vast majority of countries in the world recognize Israel and condemn only its policies in the WB and Gaza. Peace is impossible while the occupation and settlements continue. That is obvious. Evacuation of the WB and releasing the stranglehold on Gaza will not bring peace immediately, but it will make peace possible. Israel has sown the seeds of hatred deep and shall reap what it has sown. But, like many historic enemies, it can learn to co-exist with its neighbors - but never while the occupation continues. As long as Israel refuses to give peace a chance, there will be no peace - and Israel is losing support every day. How long can this continue?
free Israel? Free the Palestinians is more appropriate I think. I know ending the occupation would be good for Israel too but it seems to me that certain elements in the security-government-settlermovement or army establishment are extremely comfortable with the situation as it is. And I don't think the average Israeli cares much unless bombs start exploding again in Israeli cities instead of in Gaza or the Westbank.
Amen to that Burston Thank you for your logic and like you said I hope one day jews and cousins live in piece together again.
One has to remind that Arabs reject the very notion of a Jewish state (read their press!). Every "peace move" that Israel tried resulted in ever more Jewish blood. Thus, those that do not have a second passport in their pocket are sick and tired from this leftist mantra. Former speaker of the Knesset from the Labour Party (the party of Ytshak the Greate and Shimon the Wise) swore alligence to the French Republic! Nothing to add noting to take.....
day in day out the same rubbish. Read a little bit of our Navi and you could possibly open up your minds to more than "your doomsday predictions" where we Jews are your proverbial BAD guys.
Isn't it better to be on a moral high ground. Apartheid brings an erosion of democracy and moral character. As Bradley has so well stated.
The ball is on Israel's court, they are the Occupiers. Israel should make peace with Palestinians and Arabs, then the doors of the wider Muslim world all the way to Indonesia and Malaysia will open wide for them..
But if Isaac is not fighting Ishmael, who would he fight. Israel learned how to survive wars, but never learned how survive peace.
As a devout Palestinian, I too see the harm that extremism (which causes occupation on the Israeli side, refusal on the Palestinian, and disproportionate reactions on both) brings to both our people. How to defeat extremism in an atmosphere of fear is the question? what can moderates practically do? Elections are lost or rigged, the education level on both sides is deteriorating (maybe not scientifically monitored education but the real education of human sciences). Unless solutions are found we are heading for even more tragedy. G Gargour
"No more. This is where it has to stop. There is a name for the systematic burning of our bridges with the world, with our friends, with the majority of world Jewry, all for the sake of the settlements, all for the sake of permanent Occupation: Suicide." Blah blah. "The World" is more open to Israel than ever. How old are you? Stay away from the Leftists, they are having an identity crisis caused by the realisation Israel is not the fault of every thing, like their Western Leftist co-delusionalists feel (though less and less.) Call the West Bank what it is, a United Nations Welfare Case. And stop worrying about acceptance from Western European leftists, they are still mind-controlled by the USSR's anti-Zionism campaign. Remember that one?
What you wrote is brilliant.
It's quite true that Israel will be illegitmate for many Arabs for generations, but it is also true that Egypt and Jordan have peace treaties with Israel, Fatah is not Hamas, and Fayyed is doing real nation building. So, can Fayyad build a West Bank State that would not be a threat to Israel? If so, it would be a boon to Israel not to have to occupy the West Bank. It would be well worth getting rid of settlements far from the green line, and it would be prudent to reach a compromise on Jerusalem. If not, then ending the Occupation could just be exchanging one set of problems for another more difficult set of problems. Burston's rhetoric is soaring, and I'd love to agree with it. Ezra's criticism is biting, but, like Burston's, rather one dimensional. The question will not answered by rhetoric. It could be answered by understanding the social and economic currents within the West Bank. I wish Haaretz would present more of that and less rhetoric whether soaring or acerbic.
Bradley Burston! Great article, true words! and i quote u "May Jews and Arabs become again what they once were: Neighbors. True cousins." Amen to that!
peace and security shall thrive with the new consciousness of the One True God living among us, at the Seat of Justice with a Rod of Iron, while swords are turned into plowshares. Praise God.
Wow, it amazes me that people like Ezra continue to spew this misinformation. Is that supposed to make Israeli's scared, and therefore convince them that occupation is the only way? I think most people can see beyond these tricks. It seems obvious to me that Ezra has never met a Palestinian, or if so, very few. I, on the other hand, have met hundreds of Palestinians, and not a single one wants the entire destruction of Israel. They want lives free from Israeli occupation, and they recognize the right of Israel to exist- an Israel with defined borders that does not include land conquered in 67.
Shalom, I made aliyah five years ago from Maryland. I just left Tel Aviv, and now I live on the farmlands of the South Sharon region, a beautiful moshav which is just a few kilometers from the Green Line. I frequent the West Bank often. The rolling hills of the Shomron are quite inviting and the situation with the Palestinians is quite tempting to witness first-hand. They live in prisons, ghetto cities. End the Occupation already! On Thursday, I had the privilege of hearing Martin Luther King III (MLK's son) speak in Jaffa. He said that we are G_d's highest creation. "We can and we must do better." We must end these prisons that we have created in the West Bank. I am an English teacher in a high school. I told my students that I hope that Israel will be around for a long time. One of my students corrected me, "Teacher, that it will be around forever." If we want to be a free nation in our land, then we must be moral and we must do better. Toda v'hag sameach:) -Laura
Jews are fed up with jews who see folts in only there own peaple and not the enemies, open your eyes you are the problem. In other countrys you would be tried for treason.
Just to let the jews over in Israel in on something, from where I sit (as an educated, 20 something American liberal Jew), Israel's # 1 enemy is the religious right in Israel who refuse to serve in the army, won't get a job to pay for their bills, and suck money and resources from the Jewish State (which my tax dollars help fund). There will always be security issues but the fact is the world is changing. And just like in any David and Goliath fight, the Palestinians are realizing that they will only get what they want through negotiations. Because of this, and because the occupation is not only fueling anti Israeli sentiment, but more importantly to me, anti American sentiment, Israel must negotiate in good faith. If that means giving back E. Jerusalem then do it, even if we keep the wailing wall and the whole place is under Israeli administration for the first few years. Israel is beginning to alienate its supporters every where and that is a dangerous thing.
All a person can do, is to be true to themselves. The other stuff, we don't have any control over.
Bradly Burston dishes up his oh-so predictable rantings. I have some news for Mr. Burston. There CANNOT BE an 'illegal occupation' of one's own property. Burston doesn't even deny that the Shimon HaZaddik neighborhood (a tiny area, about 2 blocks wide) was a Jewish neighborhood until the Palestinian-Jordanians ethnically cleansed it and renamed it "Sheikh Jarrah". Removing Jews from "East Jerusalem" will not bring Peace Now nor Peace Ever just as it failed to bring peace after the Old City was made Judenrein in 1948. Plainly, on today's Memorial Day for Israelis killed by Arab hostility, Burston bemoans the Six Day War of "Occupation" in which the Jewish neighborhood of Shimon HaZaddik came back under Jewish control. An anti-social anarchist by any definition! If Burston really cared about Occupation, he would work to oust the invading Muslim Waqf from the Jewish Temple Mount. If he cared about Occupied Palestine, he would work to remove the invading Hashemites from the E.Bank.
the war started in 1860, since then Jews lived on the part of the partition, assigned to them by the UN, There is no injustice in that nor is that "occupation". The war will end when Pals and Arabs recognize the existence of Israel as other than a knife in the heart of Islam
Here's what it says (Devarim, can't recall the chapter): "when you'll settle in the country that I'm giving to you, you shall fight the enemy out of the borders and G.od will grant you victory. YOU SHALL NOT RENOUNCE AN AMAH (about 50 cm) OF THE LAND granted by G.od." Now if you're a good Jew, you know what to do. Some tried to do the other way (Book of Judges) and had to fight rogue Philistines (not Palestinians, though a bit like it).
If you think that expelling the Jews from historic Jerusalem,Hebron, Gush Etzion etc (AGAIN) will bring peace security or justice you are either kidding yourself or simply being dishonest. Most of the enemies of Israel regard ANY Jewish sovereignty in ANY part of "Palestine" as a "dagger in the heart of Islam". It doesn't matter which side of the green line you happen to live on. It's ALL considered "illegal occupation". Yafo, Tel Aviv, Haifa,Tzfat are all considered "illegally occupied" by Jews. Islam is still in a state of war with Israel. The hostility and violence preceded the return of Jewish life to Jerusalem, Hebron, etc. The war against "Jewish occupation" of the Holy Land preceded even the founding of a Jewish State in "48. That is the core problem and until it changes there will be no peace. Repeating the Gaza fiasco in Judea and Samaria will change nothing and you know it.