Hashem does things for a purpose. You can't study Tanach and more recent Jewish history without Him.
An article from an orthodox Jew of all people, about the history and ongoings of the Holy Land, without any mention of the G-d of Israel, demonstrates its worthlessness, its whitewashed harangue, its writers willful deviation of facts he prefers ignored.
Finally, Nosson you have said something "tzum zach" to an extent. But it's not a big chiddush, most intelligent people have known this for decades. One thing you have wrong. There is a solution to the "Palestinian Problem." The Palestinians, the way they think and behave, are solely due to the fact they are nothing but marionettes. They are moved and played from "on-high" midah keneged midah due to Secular Zionism, which seeks and vies to replace Torah as the Yesod of Judaism. The Palestinians are like the plague of lions that were attacking Shomron during the Second Temple period. Eliminate the true problem (Secular Zionism) and the plague will disappear.
What makes you think politicians will learn from the Gaza debacle to avoid the same thing in Samaria? By the time of the expulsion in 2006 there had already been thousands of dead and maimed bodies b/c of Oslo, and did it make any impression at all on Sharon? And what about Oslo itself - hundreds of thousands of us saw the looming disaster, and did it make any impression on Rabin? Of course not. Everyone can always draw distinctions or convince himself that, somehow, "Me and my situation are different."
One of the things I find frustrating in discussions such as this one is that everyone refers to the Arabs that live in Gaza, etc., as Palestinians. Rabbi Slifkin, you started your post with an explanation of the origin of Palestine but did not continue with an explanation of the present day usage of that word. The "Palestinians" as known today were invented in the 1960s by Yassar Arafat with the help and encouragement of the Russians. There were no such Arab people as Palestinians before that.
"On a national level, the Palestinian people has, for the most part, never accepted the factual reality of the Jewish People’s ancestral history in the Land of Israel." This is an excuse. Palestinian opinions about the Jews historical connection to the land simply reflect their predictable negative views of Israel. An eventual two state solution doesn't depend on this and if there ever one, these feelings will likely fade away. I'd also point out may Israelis, including especially the ones in your camp, don't believe that there is any Palestinian connection to the land and they could just well all be moved out of the West Bank. That is bigger obstacle to any kind of solution given that Israel holds all the cards.
Of course none of this justifies the actual colonization going on in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Because the third reason is, many (if not most) israelis are more than happy the way things are, and do not want it to change, even though it's a disaster in waiting.
1. You claim there are "millions" (thus a minimum of 2mm) of Arabs living in Samaria. Really? I highly doubt that. And certainly there are no reliable statistics that bear that out.
2. You make the common mistake of saying "the world" condemns, "known to the world", etc. Who exactly is this "world"? The great majority of people in the world have no opinion on any of this. Among those who care, there are hundreds of millions of Christians who support Israel. And even if one, for some inexplicable reason, believes "state department employees = world", that too fails. The previous US administration did a great many things we all heard many times "the world" would never stand for. The "world" is not monolithic.
Pessimism, like saying "the collapse of Israel is a possibility", is bad enough. Don't compound it by accepting false claims and statistics, or by falling for the propaganda of our enemies.
One thing I'd like to know is why the "Phased Plan," the PLO's 1974 plan to use diplomacy to "liberate" part of the land and use the land so "liberated" as a base of operations to "liberate" the remainder, not mentioned more by those arguing that the is no partner in Palestinian officialdom?
> Israelis understand that the world will never accept the legitimacy of Israel ensuring security for its citizens, if such actions would result in large numbers of Palestinian casualties.
The left-wing, in both Israel and the US, had some early successes. They were a necessary correction for conservatism (which is often confused with "right wing") But in the past 50 years of both countries the left has not had a single good idea. The most recent "contributions" of both - Oslo in Israel, Transgenderism in the US - have been abysmal failures. In both countries the left wing is living on the fumes of the baby boomers, and within 5-10 years will be totally extinct. The choice then will then be of conservatism (leaving things as they are) or an active right wing (actively repealing the past mistakes of the left.)
"Israel’s leaders have pointed to Iron Dome as a game-changer, allowing Israel to pound Gaza from the air and “restore deterrence” without having to worry excessively about reprisal rocket launches on civilians."
But as the prime minister and others declare victory in front of Iron Dome batteries, Hamas’s and Islamic Jihad’s capabilities continue to grow. Rockets can strike deeper into Israel now than before, managing to temporarily shut down Ben Gurion Airport on more than one occasion.
Brilliant analysis and totally on point.
I wish that there were inaccuracies here. But there aren't any.
Thanks for skipping one essential word. Hashem.
Hashem does things for a purpose. You can't study Tanach and more recent Jewish history without Him.
An article from an orthodox Jew of all people, about the history and ongoings of the Holy Land, without any mention of the G-d of Israel, demonstrates its worthlessness, its whitewashed harangue, its writers willful deviation of facts he prefers ignored.
I suggest that you translate the map for your readers who don't read Hebrew. Its impact will be lost on them.
Finally, Nosson you have said something "tzum zach" to an extent. But it's not a big chiddush, most intelligent people have known this for decades. One thing you have wrong. There is a solution to the "Palestinian Problem." The Palestinians, the way they think and behave, are solely due to the fact they are nothing but marionettes. They are moved and played from "on-high" midah keneged midah due to Secular Zionism, which seeks and vies to replace Torah as the Yesod of Judaism. The Palestinians are like the plague of lions that were attacking Shomron during the Second Temple period. Eliminate the true problem (Secular Zionism) and the plague will disappear.
What makes you think politicians will learn from the Gaza debacle to avoid the same thing in Samaria? By the time of the expulsion in 2006 there had already been thousands of dead and maimed bodies b/c of Oslo, and did it make any impression at all on Sharon? And what about Oslo itself - hundreds of thousands of us saw the looming disaster, and did it make any impression on Rabin? Of course not. Everyone can always draw distinctions or convince himself that, somehow, "Me and my situation are different."
One of the things I find frustrating in discussions such as this one is that everyone refers to the Arabs that live in Gaza, etc., as Palestinians. Rabbi Slifkin, you started your post with an explanation of the origin of Palestine but did not continue with an explanation of the present day usage of that word. The "Palestinians" as known today were invented in the 1960s by Yassar Arafat with the help and encouragement of the Russians. There were no such Arab people as Palestinians before that.
"On a national level, the Palestinian people has, for the most part, never accepted the factual reality of the Jewish People’s ancestral history in the Land of Israel." This is an excuse. Palestinian opinions about the Jews historical connection to the land simply reflect their predictable negative views of Israel. An eventual two state solution doesn't depend on this and if there ever one, these feelings will likely fade away. I'd also point out may Israelis, including especially the ones in your camp, don't believe that there is any Palestinian connection to the land and they could just well all be moved out of the West Bank. That is bigger obstacle to any kind of solution given that Israel holds all the cards.
Of course none of this justifies the actual colonization going on in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Because the third reason is, many (if not most) israelis are more than happy the way things are, and do not want it to change, even though it's a disaster in waiting.
1. You claim there are "millions" (thus a minimum of 2mm) of Arabs living in Samaria. Really? I highly doubt that. And certainly there are no reliable statistics that bear that out.
2. You make the common mistake of saying "the world" condemns, "known to the world", etc. Who exactly is this "world"? The great majority of people in the world have no opinion on any of this. Among those who care, there are hundreds of millions of Christians who support Israel. And even if one, for some inexplicable reason, believes "state department employees = world", that too fails. The previous US administration did a great many things we all heard many times "the world" would never stand for. The "world" is not monolithic.
Pessimism, like saying "the collapse of Israel is a possibility", is bad enough. Don't compound it by accepting false claims and statistics, or by falling for the propaganda of our enemies.
One thing I'd like to know is why the "Phased Plan," the PLO's 1974 plan to use diplomacy to "liberate" part of the land and use the land so "liberated" as a base of operations to "liberate" the remainder, not mentioned more by those arguing that the is no partner in Palestinian officialdom?
I had such hopes for Yitzhak Rabin ....
> Israelis understand that the world will never accept the legitimacy of Israel ensuring security for its citizens, if such actions would result in large numbers of Palestinian casualties.
Not "if". "Whether or not".
"and they would rather wait for the State of Israel to eventually collapse (which, unfortunately, is indeed a possibility)."
There is no prophecy for such a reality happening, except for the coming of the final redemption.
The left-wing, in both Israel and the US, had some early successes. They were a necessary correction for conservatism (which is often confused with "right wing") But in the past 50 years of both countries the left has not had a single good idea. The most recent "contributions" of both - Oslo in Israel, Transgenderism in the US - have been abysmal failures. In both countries the left wing is living on the fumes of the baby boomers, and within 5-10 years will be totally extinct. The choice then will then be of conservatism (leaving things as they are) or an active right wing (actively repealing the past mistakes of the left.)
"Life in Sderot is immensely difficult. If most of the country were to become Sderot, that would be the end of the country."
That's possible, but no real way to know. In that counterfactual, Israel's response would (of necessity) likely be very different. https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-years-of-dead-end-air-campaigns-pinpoint-use-of-ground-forces-may-offer-way-out/
"Israel’s leaders have pointed to Iron Dome as a game-changer, allowing Israel to pound Gaza from the air and “restore deterrence” without having to worry excessively about reprisal rocket launches on civilians."
But as the prime minister and others declare victory in front of Iron Dome batteries, Hamas’s and Islamic Jihad’s capabilities continue to grow. Rockets can strike deeper into Israel now than before, managing to temporarily shut down Ben Gurion Airport on more than one occasion.