Simulating sense: What the US president should be saying in front of the Knesset next year.
By ALON PINKASbarack obama 298 88(photo credit: obama.senate.gov)
I stand here today as your friend; As your life-long friend. I stand here as the President of the United States of America: your ally, your partner, your brother in arms and your democratic sister. I stand here today as someone who deeply and fundamentally believes in the just cause of Zionism in Israel’s moral premises. Our alliance is unshakeable, its foundations iron-clad. I stand here as a friend among friends, yet the real test of true and profound friendship is honesty. A durable friendship has to be based not only on the commonality of values and shared interests, but also on those instances where we diverge.RELATED:Whosefault is the ongoing occupation of the West Bank? (Premium)Beirut'slong walk to the Middle East Canossa (Premium)ProsecutingIsrael sets dangerous precedent (Premium)The problem of give and take (Premium)Our two great nations have much in common. We both were established by dreamers, by idealists, by pioneers, by immigrants. The United States of America and the State of Israel were both formed in defiance of history and against the existing currents, against injustice, unfairness and bigotry. We both sought to redress grievances, correct wrongs and set examples. Our founding fathers thought of the young American Republic as a shining City on the Hill. A New Jerusalem. Your founding fathers imagined and designed Israel to be a light unto the nations. America and Israel both have a manifest destiny, something I am proud of.Our value systems are identical, our core beliefs indistinguishable. We generally share a similar political and geopolitical outlook. We fight, side by side, radicalism, extremism, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation. We look on with horror and disgust at countries, such as Iran, who advocate Israel’s eradication. We are resolved to confront this threat. The US also combats the prevalent, rampant and ugly manifestations of delegitimizing Israel. The United States will not tolerate this. Not now, not ever. I stand here at the podium of a democratic parliament presenting and reflecting 5000 years of a glorious civilization in an ancient city that has been a capital for 3000 years and a holy city to three major monotheistic religions. A Parliament vibrantly expressing sixty three years of achievements, accomplishments and spectacular success against all odds. Throughout your history you have built a nation, a society, a knowledge-based economy and cutting-edge science under adverse conditions of an almost permanent state of war. This is astounding, impressive and inspiring. This is why we value our alliance so much, this is why the American people view Israel as an ally.My friends, a few short miles from here there is another nation, another people: the Palestinians. Their aspirations, their plight, their misfortunes and their interpretation of history need not necessarily contradict yours. I am aware of what many believe to be the conflicting and irreconcilable narratives of Israelis and Palestinians. While we should not discount this, it is not a prescription for the future; it is hardly a recipe for coexistence and it is surely not a political guide.There are ten million people living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. Those who subscribe to and wholeheartedly believe in the idea of Jewish statehood and sovereignty and Zionism, must also concede and accept that this land, this holy land, must be partitioned. Two states must exist side-by-side with security for both. The alternative, my friends, is daunting and grim. You cannot prosper while your back yard is impoverished, resentful and driven to extremism. The worst thing we can do is mortgage our children’s future to extremism and condemn them to another one hundred years of conflict after which we shall re-negotiate the same issues.I am familiar with the history of this conflict. I am cognizant of the substantial risks, the missed opportunities, the complexities and intricacies. I am not underestimating the apprehensions and insecurity and lack of confidence. I realize these notions are based on experience. But I also know this: There is no other option. There is no plan-B here. The status-quo is unsustainable.I know that partition is a difficult concept and idea to fathom and absorb. I am also acutely aware of the history of violence and reluctance to recognize Israel. I understand the anxieties and frustrations. I also intuitively understand the difficulty of giving up portions of your ancestral land. But another people live there. Settlements are not wrong in and of themselves. But they are imprudent politically and detrimental to any lasting solution. This has been the policy of US administrations since Lyndon Johnson’s presidency. Settlements and a continued Israeli presence in the West Bank disrupt the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian State.. This is not about historical justice or biblical claims. This is not about the past. It is about looking to the future.That is why I am also standing here today as a friend who is concerned and worried. A resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in America’s interests. It is, in fact, a national security interest of America. This is why we have invested tremendous amounts of diplomatic energy, political power, finance and goodwill in an attempt to mediate, facilitate and assist. But we cannot do this without your and the Palestinians’ cooperation. America is here for you. Compromise is not an admission of defeat and does not corrode the underpinnings of justice and rights. We need to be practical, not just right. We need to be realists. Decisions need to be made.
The contours of an agreement have been drawn by both sides, but failed to materialize. Let me reiterate them: a Palestinian state will be established on most of the West Bank and Gaza, once Israel withdraws gradually. Areas with substantial Israeli population will be incorporated into Israel in exchange for a commensurate land swap. The Palestinian state will be demilitarized and operate under US, UN, EU and Russian supervision, with Israeli and Palestinian representation within that mechanism. Palestinian refugees will be allowed to relocate into the Palestinian state. Jerusalem will not be divided. Rather, it will be the capital of Israel while the Palestinian neighborhoods will be part of the Palestinian state. The holy basin will be, for the next 50 years, under a joint Israeli-Palestinian-Quartet control. Sovereignty over the holy sites will be loosely defined, but jointly-administered.My friends, America is your ally. America will stand by you no matter what. America will do its utmost to minimize the risks and alleviate the concerns and fears. We know how hard it is, but as your friend I must be honest and candid: The alternative is exponentially more difficult.I urge you to make decisions. Bold, brave, historic decisions. We have all wasted precious years. America will stand by you. I will stand by you. But it is up to you to make these choices.Thank you.The writer is an Israeli diplomat, who most recently served as Consul general of Israel in the United States. He is currently a foreign affairs analyst for Fox Television.
