Arab leaders said Wednesday they will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state, blaming it for a lack of progress in the Mideast peace process.
The announcement by the Arab League was a rejection of a key demand of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a boost to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the faltering negotiations.
Netanyahu believes there can be no peace with the Palestinians without recognition of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. The Palestinians oppose this, saying it harms the rights of Palestinian refugees displaced, as well as those of Israel’s large Arab minority.
The statement, at the end of a two-day League summit in Kuwait, also rejected what it described as the continuation of Jewish settlement building in Yehuda and Shomron and the “Judaization” of Jerusalem. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis now live in Yehuda and Shomron and east Jerusalem, and settlement construction has continued throughout the negotiations.
“We hold Israel entirely responsible for the lack of progress in the peace process and continuing tension in the Middle East,” the communique said. “We express our absolute and decisive rejection to recognizing Israel as a Jewish state.”
It said the League rejects what it said is the “the continuation of settlements, Judaization of Jerusalem, attacks on its Muslim and Christian shrines and changing its demographics and geography.”
Wednesday’s announcement set the stage for Abbas to take a tough line in talks later in the day with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Jordan.
Kerry arrived in Jordan on Wednesday in hopes of jump-starting the foundering peace talks. He is meeting with King Abdullah II before a working dinner with Abbas. A State Department spokeswoman said Kerry also would talk with Netanyahu in the next few days.
In Kuwait, Abbas delivered scathing criticism of Israel in an address to the summit late on Tuesday, saying it was staging a “criminal offensive” to step up settlement building in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
“It is carrying out demolitions (of Palestinian homes), arrests, siege and strangling the Palestinian economy as a prelude to imposing a final settlement to the Palestinian issue that conforms with Israeli conditions and requirements,” he said. He also accused Israel of deliberately trying to foil U.S. efforts to reach an agreement.
“And that is not all, it has come up with new conditions that had never been heard before like recognizing it as a Jewish state, something that we reject to even discuss,” he said.
In Israel, a senior official said Abbas threatened to “torpedo the peace process” and paraded “rejectionism as a virtue.”
“By reiterating his adversarial maximalist position, Abbas is undermining President (Barack) Obama’s vision of peace and torpedoing Secretary Kerry’s efforts to move the process forward,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.
After a nearly five-year break, Israel and the Palestinians relaunched peace talks last July, agreeing to talk for nine months.
But the current round, brokered by Kerry, has faced daunting challenges as both sides spar over the drawing of future borders, the status of Palestinian refugees, security arrangements and Israel’s demand that it be recognized as a Jewish state.
After months of deadlock, Kerry has given up hopes of brokering a deal and is scrambling to persuade the sides to agree to extend talks beyond his original April deadline.
The Palestinians seek Yehuda and Shomron, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip for a future state. They have demanded that a future border with Israel be based on the pre-1967 lines, allowing small changes through negotiated land swaps.
Netanyahu has refused to accept the 1967 lines as the basis for talks and says he will never relinquish east Jerusalem — home to the city’s most sensitive holy sites.
(AP)
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13 Responses
Who cares. So they don’t “recognize” Israel as a “Jewish State”. Without even discussing the fact that Israel isn’t a Jewish State, even if Israel pretends to be a Jewish State it has no need or reason for others to “recognize” it as such. It can go on doing its business with or without such “recognition”. It makes no practical difference whether or not Palestine “recognizes” Israel as being a so-called “Jewish State”. Let them just make peace and get over all their warring.
In no situation have Muslims have ever accepted being ruled by non-Muslims. When it occurs, such as in India after the Brits conquered it, problems resulted. It is irrelevant that the Muslims are racist, bigotted and undemocratic – the unwillingness to be ruled by others is deeply ingrained in their culture and religion.
One option is for Israel to resign itself to a situation of permanent warfare. In effect, to become a modern version of Sparta, a country devoted entirely to warmaking. Already that is happening. If you hold as do the religious zionists that ruling Eretz Yisrael is the principle mitsvah, you have no other option.
The hareidim offer the only real alternative. Focus on what is negotiable, which is virtually everything except making the Arabs feel they are “home”. The conscription crisis is an opportunity to offer an hareidi alterantive to “militaristic zionism” based on Torah, Mitsvos, and communal autonomy. And in all fairness, Muslims are less antagonistic to a frum lifestyle than secular Jews, so it would be a win-win situation for us.
IOW the Jewish entity beginning with the Davidic Dynasty in Eretz Yisroel never existed. The land in the eyes of the Arab League is filled with Infidels and they will continue to repeat the 3 NO! NO! NO!
NO negociations
NO recogniztion
NO relinqushing ownership of Palestine.
#2 akuperma,
Can you elaborate on what “communal autonomy” means? If it is anti-torah for the zionists to govern in the land of Israel, wouldn’t that prohibition hold true for the haredim as well?
#4 – “Communal autonomy” is what Jews generally had throughout the last few millenia. We had our own courts, our own rabbis, our own schools, our own welfare. Sometimes we had our own militia but we had to keep quite about it. We didn’t get to have a Jew with a crown (except for the day a Jewish tax collector got to be acting king of Poland), we would never have a flag at the UN or a representative at the Olympics or Miss World contest.
For Hareidim in Israel, already used to second class citizenship and widespread economic discrimination, Arab sovereignity wouldn’t be so bad. For secular zionists, used to be the masters of all they can see, it would be a disaster.
The alternative is perpetual war. Instead of Torah and Mitsvos, we would be a nation of warriors.
#3- you do realize the for the last millenia the first piece of Torah most kids learned was Rashi on the first verse in Taanach expalining that Eretz Yisrael is owned by Ha-Shem, not the Jews. Don’t confuse yourself with the diety. You aren’t in His league, not even close.
#5 akuperma,
Thank you for answering the first question.
How about the second question? Any government would be equally against the torah in regards to self-governance in the land of Israel, wouldn’t it?
All from Hashem. ” Vayichbad Hashem et Lev Pharoh.”
Bederech hatevah Hashem will not allow chunks of Eretz Yisrael to be returned. If only people’s eyes are opened.
But I have confidence. He’s also a pokayach ivrim.
“We hold Israel entirely responsible for the lack of progress in the peace process and continuing tension in the Middle East,” the communique said.
So Israel is entirely responsible for continuing tension in the Middle East? Yes the civil wars in Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan,the Iran Iraq war, all Shia against Sunni violence and the whole Arab spring have obviously only happened because of Israel? Take your heads out of the sand and out of your oil drums and face reality
1st-As these little kids know, while Hashem owns Eretz Yisroel, He has given it to Am Yisrael.
2nd- Hakadosh Borach Hu, Yisrael and Oyreita are ONE.. We ARE in his league. Do you understand this or do you need a translation?
Since we are living in the 21st Century, lands that are owned by Hashem (as the entire world is) are ruled/governed/established by those of flesh and blood.
If you desire a different sovereignty for Israel and vote for an Arab lord, then the Jews won’t have to worry about enlistment, core curriculum or even government grants, the only concern will be with survival. The land will be purged (which does not mean, first class tickets via cruise ships to find a better venue) of Jews of all colors, races, styles and religious affiliation. Your ranting and raving differently is only a rant…
#1 the reason why recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is such an issue is because it revokes the “right to return” held by arab families removed from their homes in 1948 or 1967. If they recognize a “Jewish State” then they recognize that Jews have rights to the land that predate that time and therefore they do not have a claim. As long as they claim they have the right to return, NO ONE not even chareidim will have a safe option since chareidim also live in areas that they claim.
Here’s a great idea. When and if a Palestinian state is established, all the chareidim can go and live there. According to Kuperman they will be treated better there than by Israel. They will be free to learn Torah – and of course to post on YWN all day!
Unfortunately, if the Arabs gained control there would be a second Holocaust. As opposed to what we have now, which, as Dick Morris has put it, a Holocaust on the installment plan.