Good News about Peace in the Holy Land

Regarding a statement by hundreds of Israeli intellectuals

Here is some very good news regarding peace in the Holy Land:

“Hundreds of Israeli intellectuals to world Jewry: ‘End occupation for Israel’s sake.’”

This is wonderful!

I just wished there could be hundreds of intellectuals in the Muslim world, including Christian Arabs, who felt able (without endangering their lives) to dare post their support for recognizing Israel as “the homeland for the Jewish people”, as the League of Nations demanded after World War I, and the United Nations intended with the “Declaration of Partition” of 1947.

The desire for peace would then be expressed in equal measure by highly respected persons from both sides.

Without such a statement from the side supporting the Palestinians, the very laudable statement by Jewish intellectuals might all too easily sound in Palestinian ears like confirmation of their prejudices: “See, we were right all along. Now even the Jews themselves are admitting that the disastrous situation is all their fault, so that the only just solution will be the dissolution of the State of Israel and the return of the territory to its rightful owners, the Palestinians – as Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas have been saying all along.

It is, however, to be hoped that leaders, both Christian and Muslim will emerge on the Palestinian side recognizing Israel as the rightful homeland for the Jews, fully entitled to exist side by side with a new Palestinian State.

Given such recognition, Israel would have no reason to continue its occupation.