Jews Welcome to live in the Palestinian state

[dtotire]

Opponents of President Obama's call to end Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank have hit a new low, equating stopping settlements with "ethnic cleansing."

The Israel Project, a right-wing media advocacy group, was caught red-handed this week privately distributing outrageous, fear-mongering pro-settlement talking points to its activists in a blatant attempt to undermine the President's Middle East agenda.

Their so-called advice? First, if you get a question about settlements, change the subject. If pressed, say stopping settlements is "a kind of ethnic cleansing." <1>

Unbelievable. As someone who cares about Israel's future, I know that stopping settlements - as well as Palestinian incitement and violence - are first steps towards a secure, Jewish, and democratic Israel through a two-state solution. Using terms like "ethnic cleansing" to undermine that agenda is incendiary and dangerous - and, I believe, not pro-Israel.

Click here to demand that The Israel Project's Executive Director Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi remove any pro-settlement, fear-mongering talking points from her organization's materials.

The Israel Project's talking points even admit that the public, including pro-Israel Americans, aren't on their side. They say that "public opinion is hostile to the settlements - even among supporters of Israel." You bet we're hostile to settlements - they're bad for Israel!

As Doug Bloomfield, a columnist for the New Jersey Jewish News, wrote this week:
says the "best argument" for settlements is this: Since Arab citizens of Israel "enjoy equal rights," telling Jews they can't live in the Palestinian state "is a racist idea."

Even though that's completely false, as Bloomfield continues:
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said this week that Jews would be welcome to live in the Palestinian state and enjoy the same rights Israeli Arabs enjoy in Israel.

Israeli settlers that don't want to remain behind would be repatriated into a Jewish, democratic Israel as part of a political solution that would finally provide Israel with real peace and security.

That's why we've got to speak up against The Israel Project's propaganda - it's not only wrong, but it's endangering Israel's future as a Jewish, democratic homeland. Big, well-funded organizations like The Israel Project cannot be allowed to sow confusion and fear about how settlements hurt both Israel and the chances for a two-state solution.

Click here to send a message to The Israel Project's Executive Director demanding that she remove these scurrilous talking points from all of her materials.

Thanks for all you do.

- Isaac

Isaac Luria
Campaigns Director
J Street
July 9, 2009

ABOUT J STREET
J Street is the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement
http://www.jstreet.org/blog/

[Crunchy Frog]

1. I wonder how many of those talking points will be posted in response to this OP.

[LeftishBrit]

2. J-Street seems like a great group.

I tried to join, but apparently it's just for Americans.

[Lakrosse]

3. then why must settlements go?

if after all, Jews are welcome into Palestine?

[TomClash]

5. Because they are part of Israel

Not Palestine.

Welcome to DU, though I suspect your stay will be brief.

[Taitertots]

4. Jews are anything but welcome in Palestine

You could get the death penalty for selling "palestinian" land to a Jew.

[HamdenRice]

6. Not necessarily. I remember the hopeful times...

back when the Oslo process was moving forward under Rabin and Barak. There were daily reports in the Times about Israeli Jews taking leisurely tourist and shopping trips to the West Bank where they were warmly greeted, and Israeli and Palestinian businessmen setting up joint ventures in the WB.

I realize it's hard to believe, but that period did exist and it was very inspiring.

It could happen again despite all that has gone before.

[Vegasaurus]

8. shopping trips were cut short by suicide bombers

The Palestinian economy was much better before terrorism, when Israelis freely spent money in the territories.

In order to return to those days, terrorism would have to end.

[HamdenRice]

9. And for terrorism to end ... yada yada yada

The sides have to get past chicken and egg issues. The point is, that it did end for a while when there was hope.

It came back with the 2nd intifada an we could argue for hours about whose fault that was.

The point is that it could end.

[Vegasaurus]

10. Another generation though

of children brought up distrusting the 'other' side.

There was more hope (to me) of an "end" a decade or two ago, before suicide bombings, terrorism, walls and checkpoints.

[HamdenRice]

11. Wars end in miraculous ways. That's what I've learned in life.

I was in S. Africa in 93 and 94, a few months each. Over here, we were told there was a peaceful transition underway. Over there, it was civil war.

The Security Police were running rogue operations murdering hundreds of civilians and the former head of the army was threatening to use a right wing white party to secede. Two black homelands opted out of the transition and one of their armies mutinied. There were running gun battles across all the townships that eventually spilled into Joburg. Far white secessionists hijacked and army tank and crashed it into the constitutional negotiations where all the top politicians were. Bombings were happening all over the country every day. Judge Goldstone (the UN investigator in Israel) went into hiding due to death threats when he disclosed that the security service had created a "third force" that was no longer obeying de Klerk.

De Klerk and Mandela somehow convinced the third force people to go along; the Bophutatswana army mutiny went to war with the far right and defeated them, as this was broadcast on national tv and the next day it all stopped. A secret land deal was made with the Zulu nationalists.

Just like that it was over. People lined up and voted, and that was that.

It was amazing.

It does happen.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

7. That's the idea of a peace process...

You go from being at war to not being at war. "We can't make peace with them because we're at war with them" is not a logical argument.

Obviously, though, it can't happen while one side is still under military occupation by the other.

I don't see any prospect of Israel handing over the settlements to the Palestinians, but if they do I very much hope that those of the current occupants not living on lands a Palestinian can demonstrate they owned prior to occupation will be allowed to remain (although, obviously, I'm far from certain that would happen - the whole scenario is too implausible to make any predictions).