Back to November 1947
Op-ed: Bibi’s demand for recognition of Israel as Jewish state logical but also risky
In his Knesset speech earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that the Palestinian leadership recognize Israel as “the nation-state of the Jewish people.” This is not an unfounded demand: It was expressed modestly and is accepted by the states who established diplomatic relations with Israel. US President Barack Obama went even further, recognizing Israel as “the historic homeland of the Jewish people.”
Netanyahu is demanding a little less than that: He wants the Palestinian leadership to recognize the United Nations’ partition resolution from November 29th, 1947 – not word for word, but rather, recognition of its spirit and essence.
Ever since then, the term “Jewish state” has been used as a synonym for Israel in the world: in the Declaration of Independence, we merely gave the future Jewish state a new name – “Israel.” Although the Zionist movement accepted the UN resolution while the Palestinian movement furiously rejected it, the partition principle was not entrenched in the psyche of both people for many years.
I recall how during the fight to set Soviet Jews free, the Mapam party produced a poster with a Soviet Jew on one end, a Palestinian refugee on the other, and above them a caption that read: “A homeland for each people.” The poster was immediately shelved by party veterans. Even the leftist Mapam did not come to terms at the time with the notion of a Palestinian state. Israel’s public opinion was even more resistant.
The change began to take shape with the signing of the peace treaty with Egypt. Prime Minister Menachem Begin recognized the legitimate rights of the Palestinians in the framework of the treaty, thereby changing the essence of Israel’s political debate. Ever since then, it was clear to both the Right and Left in Israel that a Palestinian nation with a right for self-determination exists. The question that remains in the intra-Jewish framework has to do with the borders, in the broad sense of the word.
Opening old wounds?
A similar process in respect to Israel had taken place on the Arab side – yet to their misfortune, not among the Palestinians. Indeed, Palestinian leaders still view the Jews as members of the same religion, rather than members of the same nation. They are willing to reconcile themselves to the existence of the State of Israel, and even to annexation and territorial tradeoffs, yet they disgustingly reject the partition’s basic premise, which was so accurately described in the abovementioned Mapam poster: A homeland for each nation.
This also explains the Palestinian decision to refrain from declaring an independent state and the lack of enthusiasm over such prospect. Many Palestinians fear that establishing a Palestinian state would be perceived by the world as complete fulfillment of their national aspirations and the ultimate implementation of the partition resolution, which they despise.
By bringing up the demand to recognize Israel as the “nation-state of the Jewish people” or the “Jewish people’s state,” Netanyahu is therefore taking the Israeli-Palestinian conflict back to the discussions that took place in the autumn of 1947. In his view, there is historic and national logic to it – yet this move also entails immense risk. The partition decision includes clauses and notions that current-day Israel would be unable to accept. Revisiting these issues would open old wounds and not necessarily be in our favor.
Netanyahu is very confident and convinced that this risk is worthwhile. Until the Palestinians recognize the partition decision and accept it, he believes, no peace shall prevail between the two nations. His demand may be rejected, thereby putting off peace forever. Yet it is possible that 63 years later, the Palestinians will surprise us and accept the fact that Israel is “the Jewish people’s nation-state.” It’s unclear whether Netanyahu would know what to do with such recognition and how to act in its wake.
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