Discussion for article #222057
The Likud hardliners are putting Israel in real jeopardy. In 25 years, almost no living person will have actual memories of WWII, countries with no cultural connection to Europe will be among the largest economy in the world (China) and will only see the Middle East as a business opportunity, and there will be more Muslims than Jews living between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean. How is this current version of Israel sustainable in that kind of a world?
My personal belief is that Likud was emboldened by the flood of Jews after the USSR collapsed, and thought that their demographic troubles were over. But that immigration bump was just a historical blip. Likud faces the same demographic problem conservatives face in the USA.
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Hard to say for sure, but as good a guess as any I’ve ever read in the comment section.
“An era has ended and a new era has begun,” Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett, a powerful coalition partner who heads the nationalist Jewish Home party, told foreign journalists Sunday.
“We are not going to reach a peace agreement in the foreseeable future. I think we need to be realistic about what we can achieve.”
Instead, Bennett advocating giving the Palestinians “autonomy on steroids” in areas of the West Bank they already control, while annexing the remaining 60 percent of the West Bank that Israel rules.
He said the goal should now to make conditions as livable as possible, by giving Palestinians freedom of movement and supporting their economy, and allowing them to hold elections and run their day-to-day affairs. Full independence, however, would be impossible, he said.
“I know it is not as sexy as the perfect two-state solution but this is realistic,” he said.
I hope he understands that this proposal defines apartheid as practiced by the South Afrikaners about as closely as anything could. I can’t imagine why it would have been offered. It certainly isn’t going to make the negotiations any easier for Israel if they ever do move forward again.