Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean that the rival of Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett in the party’s April 27 leadership race, Rabbi Zagha, would be seriously mentally sick or otherwise unqualified. Rather, we’re all enjoying a situation in the world mostly created by “normal” people. I think that it’s a sign of hope when someone tries to think outside of the box. My question is: Are Rabbi Zagha’s ideas, his “Israel Ascends to New Heights,” as reported only by the Jerusalem Post, crazy enough?
Let me be clear that I hold that rabbis generally should be banned from politics – not because they would be too evil – quite the opposite: most of them are too honest and naive to have any chance to make any good move on the chess board of lies and intrigues that is called politics. However, Rabbi Zagha does not seem naive and that’s why I’m willing to consider his ideas at all.
According to the JPost article, this is his plan:
- It should be clear to anyone that the West Bank of the Jordan River will stay part of Israel forever. Give up false hope to destroy Israel or capture the West Bank.
- All illegal weapons there must be confiscated.
- In order to obtain citizenship, West Bank Palestinian Arabs would have to go through a lengthy process that includes studying only censored versions of the Koran.
- Urban and environmental planning, treatment of water, sewage disposal, electricity and roads would apply equally to Arab Palestinian towns and villages. Israel would also work to create jobs and promote Arab education with a new Arab education department in the Education Ministry.
- At first, every new Palestinian Arab would receive a certificate of residency, a “Green Card” for Israel. This certificate would give him the right to free movement and social benefits, as if he were an Israeli citizen. The right to vote for the Knesset would only be obtained later. Those who try to harm the State of Israel and continue their incitement will be expelled from the country without delay.
- Peace will finally come to this country.
Strong point: It’s phased. Time is there to allow changes and building.
Yet, he misses the following points:
- You can’t censure. Rather, in the free market of ideas, one must strive to make humanistic values look more attractive than violent approaches.
- You can’t uproot nationalism. There must be an Arab Palestinian State. Jordan needs to be the main part of Palestine, as I argued before.
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Earlier, Likud Lawmaker, also in the JPost, came with his own novel peace plan that will prevent establishment of a terrorist state in the heart of the Land of Israel and enable the State of Israel to preserve its special character as a Jewish and democratic state – a Jewish majority.
- The Arab Palestinians would receive 39% of the territory of the West Bank of the Jordan River, containing the vast majority of the Arab Palestinian population in the territory, which would be governed by a Arab Palestinian administrative council.
- Some areas of the Palestinian autonomous region would not be territorially contiguous with other areas, but are connected by what Kisch calls Area I, which would come under Israeli sovereignty but which could be freely accessed by Palestinian citizens of the autonomous region, allowing them freedom of movement between all their population centers.
- This way no one will be evacuated from his home, Jew or Arab, while freedom of movement for both groups could be preserved.
- Israel would have full security control over the Palestinian autonomous region, but the IDF would not have military bases within its territory.
- Jerusalem would remain entirely within Israel, although Arab neighborhoods of the city lying outside the security barrier would be administratively separated from the city and made into their own municipal jurisdictions.
- The status of the 100,000 Palestinian Arabs living in these neighborhoods would remain the same but they would be able to apply for citizenship in the autonomous region if they so wished, although they would relinquish their Israeli citizenship in so doing.
- Palestinian refugees and their descendants would not be able to gain residence in Israel or in the Palestinian autonomous region.
- Some 20,000 Palestinians living outside of the autonomous region in Area I would have Israeli residency and would be able to chose whether or not they want either Israeli or Arab Palestinian autonomous region citizenship.
- The Palestinian administrative council would be an elected body by the Palestinian population in the autonomous region, and the issue of final sovereignty over the entity would be left open for a final decision sometime in the future.
- There is a high possibility that the Palestinians would not agree to participate in their own administration under such circumstances and in such a situation Israel would have to take responsibility for running Palestinian civil and administrative life.
- The Arab Palestinians would be under Israeli administration, and not able to vote for a sovereign parliament.The plan thinks well about Israel’s needs but not about the wants of the Arab Palestinians. Therefore, rather than a peace plan it’s a one-sided wish list. It would be easier to realize if also was thought about Arab Palestinian needs – as I tried here.
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Last but not least, the PA wants no two states: the Arab Palestinian one would be swallowed up by Chamas in no time. as also argued from the Israeli side.
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Of the 15 (!) books he has in mind, the next two are about homosexuality in Judaism and new rabbinics. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2600 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog that also may contain updates to Times of Israel posts, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
He's getting ready to publicize books on: "Free Will, "Judaism and Homosexuality, "His parents in the Holocaust, "Judaism, "A New Torah Translation and "A New Hebrew Grammar, "Co-Counseling, "Vegan Facts, "Immortality, and more. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He agrees that in a post-truth world, that's irrelevant, but then this is for the record. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. His posts are spell, grammar, and style polished by AI, but all written by himself. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
