Most Israelis, from a wide political spectrum, including right wing parties, are pragmatic and willing to compromise on territory in exchange for peace (or at least quiet). In short I may believe that Nablus and Hevron are ours, but for many reasons I do not want Israeli soldiers there. Sadly though, the Arabs are not willing or able to compromise. The Arab response to Israeli offers of compromise is inevitably violence. That violence has not achieved anything for the Palestinians and has probably only worsened their situation.
The true aim of the Palestinian Government and various (mostly terrorist) groups is not the end to the so called "occupation"but the removal of Jews from the whole region. The occupation is a side issue used by Palestinians to justify their rejection of a Jewish presence in the region and by some Arab states to ostracise Israel. I can easily prove this.
(1) Violence against Jews in Israel/Palestine started long before the "occupation" of the West Bank and Gaza, it started before Israel was founded.
(2) Most of the "occupation" is non-existent or ended years ago. In fact about 98% of the territory once said to be occupied by Israel is no longer occupied.
* Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula under the peace agreement with Egypt.
* Israel withdrew from most of the West Bank under the
Oslo Accords (although some places there are once again under occupation because of anti-Israel terrorist activity originating from there and pending further peace treaties).
* Israel withdrew unilaterally from all Lebanese territory. But still the
Hizbullah's stated aim is the destruction of Israel.
* Israel withdrew unilaterally from the
Gaza Strip. And today it is controlled by
Hamas who call for the destruction of Israel and is the source of violence against surrounding Jewish towns.
* Israel withdrew from other parts of the West Bank under the peace treaty with Jordan.
The Arab agenda against Israel is clear and unmitigated: the use of violence to destroy Israel and remove the "alien" Jews from the area. For the Arab nationalist or Muslim fundamentalist, Zionist control of
any part of Israel is occupation.
To describe the Jews in Israel as colonialists is to deny our right to be here. But for most Palestinians we are colonialists anywhere and everywhere in Israel. For the Palestinians, all of Israel is theirs, any Jew in Palestine is occupying their land, thus the ultimate aim of the Palestinian people is the removal of Jews from Palestine ie Israel.
Colonialism according to the Oxford Dictionary and Wikipedia:
"The practice of acquiring control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically".
"Colonialism is the extension of a nation's sovereignty over territory beyond its borders by the establishment of either settler colonies or administrative dependencies in which indigenous populations are directly ruled or displaced".
Israel is not colonialist. The West Bank is not "another country", it is not "beyond [Israel's] borders". We are not controlling another country. In all of history there never was an Arab country called Palestine there never was a separate Arab entity in Israel. Even the Arab countries, Jordan and Egypt, that occupied the West Bank and Gaza from 1948 to 1967 did not make an Arab country (Palestine) in these territories. (See "Occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan"and "Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt" in wikipedia.) Israel belongs to Israel. It is our country, at least from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Negev, the whole country. Jews have lived in Israel for centuries. There was a sovereign Jewish state here years ago. Jews in the West Bank are living in their own country not colonizing some foreign place.
The former (Sefardi) Chief Rabbi of Israel, Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, said once at a regional peace conference:
When I see all of the imams and rabbis coming together, this is a message to the Creator that we are here to do Your will, that is to bring peace.
The graffiti says "JEWISH ARAB BROTHERHOOD"
I subscribe to those sentiments.
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