Comments on: Rebranding The Left

By: DLS

DLS — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:23:27 +0000

Holly, presumably you were talking about the real “single-state” people. I was on record here implicitly and have been explicit in other threads that this is impossible to achieve in reality because the Arabs will NOT behave themselves. (In fact, they'll see such a thing as additional incrementalist “progress” toward Israel's destruction, just as they would see any retreat to the Green Line as such.)

By: Jillmz

Jillmz — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:42:04 +0000

Oh my – and people tell me I overthink! But…you are right – though I'd say the West Bank would be like an embryo about to split into twins since it's kind of elongated.

By: Holly_in_Cincinnati

Holly_in_Cincinnati — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:41:26 +0000

This is just another attempt to destroy the State of Israel.

By: DLS

DLS — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:15:07 +0000

The Territories invoke quite a metaphor when you see the shape of them — the West Bank is resembles an embryo and the tricky part is to create at least an umbilical cord (transit corridor) between it and Gaza.

By: Jillmz

Jillmz — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:39:03 +0000

Thanks, DLS. I agree with you re: there being plenty of non-flaming lefties with ideas that would appeal to both Arabs and Jews. The van Schendel piece is very long but I did read the Swiss Cheese Map piece – fascinating. I love takes like that – very anthropological really. Thank you for the link.

By: DLS

DLS — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:26:10 +0000

More -- on Israel and the Territories. Enjoy.

http://www.empax.org/files/SwissCheeseMap.pdf

By: DLS

DLS — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:19:11 +0000

Actually, if the Arabs behaved themselves, plenty of us who aren't flaming lefties have ideas that would appeal to both Arabs and Jews there, which includes such a bi-national state, which even addresses the so-called "right of return" (by the original residents, obviously, not their descendants and other family members) and the settlements at the same time; the example I gave was the Kooch Behar enclave system.

http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/...

https://home.medewerker.uva.nl/h.w.vanschendel/...

By: Jillmz

Jillmz — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:57:14 +0000

You wrote: "to think that this idea is starting to catch on in a meaningful way in Israeli political discourse is a tremendous stretch. If there’s one thing that the majority of both Israeli liberals and conservatives agree upon, it’s the necessity of maintaining the Jewish nature of their state — a reality that has been constant since the country’s founding. To believe that a transformation towards a one-state consensus is suddenly in the offing involves either a major suspension of reason or a distorted view of history. If one-state advocates are ever to have their views take hold, it will be a long time in the coming."

Why? Why do you think this is a "tremendous stretch"? As an American Jew, I think about this option as being possibly the only option for any people who want to consider themselves members of a democracy.

Please, cite where it is you've learned that "the majority of both Israeli liberals and conservatives agree upon, it’s the necessity of maintaining the Jewish nature of their state — a reality that has been constant since the country’s founding."

You are saying that the change Livni notes isn't actually happening. I'd love to know what Livni's even anecdotal evidence is for this assertion, but also - what is yours?

Thanks.