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MK Sarsur: Settlers can live in Palestine
Head of Islamic Movement proposes new solution to Palestinian-Israeli conflict: Settlers can remain in their settlements, become citizens of Palestinian state; rabbis reject offer, saying 'Jews should live in Israel'
Ilan Marciano
Head of the Islamic Movement MK Ibrahim Sarsur (United Arab List-Ta’al) proposed a new solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Thursday during a meeting with rabbis and Islamic religious leaders: Allow settlers to remain in their settlements and be citizens of a future Palestinian state that will be established in the territories.
“As head of the Islamic Movement, and I am sure you will be surprised, I inform you that we are prepared to have the settlers stay in their places as residents of a Palestinian state. This should be encouraged. It would be exactly as Israeli Arabs live in Israel, and it is a better solution than exchanging territory. I don’t understand why settlers couldn’t live in Palestine?” Sarsur asked during the meeting sponsored by Kedem (Voices for Religious Reconciliation).
Emotionally charged meeting (Photo: Tamar Matsafi)
Sarsur is convinced that leaving settlers in West Bank lands which will become a Palestinian state is the best option considering the present circumstances. “Despite the fact that they took over the land, I support their continued residence there. Maybe if they live there and we as Israeli Arabs live here, we can all live peacefully together,” Sarsur said.
However, in Sarsur’s view settlers and Israeli Arabs aren’t in an exactly equivalent situation.
“The difference between settlers and Israeli Arabs from an historical perspective must be taken into consideration,” he said. “We have a right to the land and they went to live there for political reasons.”
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“From an ethical perspective I cannot agree with the idea, because I’m opposed to Jews living in any other place in the world (than Israel),” Brill said.
He insisted Jews could not give up sovereignty in the territories.
“The Jewish and Zionist dream is to live in the State of Israel – the state of the Jews. We cannot surrender Jewish sovereignty not only because of security risks,” the rabbi said.
He noted that although concessions may have to be made during the establishment of permanent borders for the state, “settlers would rather stay within the borders of Israel.”
Pan-Islamic state
During the conference, numerous rabbis slammed an earlier statement by Sarsur that there should be a pan-Islamic state ruled by an Islamic government and headed by a caliphate. Sarsur shrugged off their criticism saying that in his view a caliphate does not pose a threat to Israel.
“No one intends for Israel to be part of the pan-Islamic state. I don’t understand why Americans, Chinese and Indians can unite, each of them in a large country, while we Muslims cannot unite to a country of 350 million here in the Middle East," he said.
Shaham rabbi and Head of Petach Tikva’s Hesder Yeshiva, Rabbi David Stav, remarked on statistics published last week indicating that 62 percent of Israelis want the state to encourage emigration of Israeli Arabs.
“Of course the data should worry us all, but it shows that Jews feel threatened,” Stav said.
Addressing Sarsur, he added: “Your statement on the matter of a caliphate made us lose sleep at night. We want to smile with you, but not in the frying pan or in the fire.”
Sarsur reiterated that his ideas should not pose a threat to Israel.
“I recognize Israel’s right to exist, but not to dictate my principles,” Sarsur said.
In conclusion, he noted that such discussions between rabbis and Muslim religious leaders should continue and recalled the golden ages in Spain as an example of exceptional cooperation between Muslims and Jews.
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