PV Gap

David Said:

What do you think about these Amazing facts about Israel?

We Answered:

Yep, all true. In many ways it is a powerful success story.

However, it has been a the expense of most of its non-Jewish population, who have been living as refugees since 1948/9, and under occupation since 1967/73.

The ultimate success story will be one that allows these refugees to return home and be full citizens. As Israel is essentially a Jewish state, albeit often very secular in character, it must become more secular so as to allow the Christian and Muslim population to feel at home in their own land. There are a range of ideas for doing so, including the oft-touted two-state solution, or a state of cantons, and the route to that won't be an easy one.

In many ways it is a Rhodesia with powerful friends. Many of the same successes could be attributed to Rhodesia, but it was still run by a minority, at least at the partial expense of most of the people. Rhodesia ultimately failed as it lacked international support and could not withstand the pressure of its opponents. Holding out against change as long as possible meant a sensible compromise was not achieved, and the ruthless dictator who took over the new Zimbabwe was able to run the country into the ground.

Israel has the USA, a superpower friend. It is under no real pressure to make the sort of compromises necessary to resolve the situation, and is still expanding into Palestinian land. The vast bulk of Palestinian refugees still own land in what is now Israel, but it will not even permit them to return, let alone recognise their property rights (including Ottoman and British Mandate title deeds). In many cases the old villages have been destroyed and redeveloped. This enforced exile is in contravention of international laws and the same UN resolutions that granted Israel recognition as a state.

With strength comes callous arrogance, and that breeds hatred and ruthless terrorism amongst the dispossessed. Terrorism is used as a reason to not let refugees return, rather than recognising it as a direct symptom of the dispossession.

If Palestinian refugees can be refused return, then that would also apply to Bosnians, Georgians, Western Saharans, Darfuris, etc, and one of the major principles by which we aspire to have a civilised world would go out the window. Ethnic cleansers like Radovan Karadzic could claim their methods were legitimate, and the results should remain. It would be ironic that a country that was founded in the shadow of the Holocaust was primarily responsible for enabling genocidalists to succeed.

So while it's a major success in some ways, it is a complete disaster in others. A proper solution is very much needed. In the meantime, we cannot admire one shiny side of the coin without recognising the less shiny other side.