Opinion
Israel needs life-saving surgery
David Harel
Published: 28.12.12, 12:48
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1. an excellent piece
Michael ,   Haifa   (12.28.12)
...it will also have the fringe benefit of raising the blood pressure levels of the rabid right-wing talkbackers here
2. Very good article!
Dave from Brazil ,   Sao Paulo   (12.28.12)
I hope more people begin to realize what you are saying and that Israel will be saved.
3. Professor..For argument's sake...
Mark ,   Lodz, Poland   (12.28.12)
Let's say we vacated the West Bank... Would you sleep well? Haven't you learnt anything from our withdrawal from Gaza in 2005?
4. Another "scholar"
Devorah   (12.28.12)
who is too weak in the mind and spirit to defend Israel. Another "scholar" too afraid, too delicate to fight for what is his. Another "scholar" using crappy metaphors because he can't come right out and admit that he is nothing but a disgraceful appeaser.
5. Dear Professor Harel
Anshel ,   Canada   (12.28.12)
Your medicine and surgery was already tried in Gaza and I don't see you rushing to move to live in Sderot. Easy to pen noble words, easy to criticize without trying to secure a place in the Knesset with your platform. You or any of the peaceniks have ever explained how you achieve secure peace without the other side recognizing the right of the Israel be of the Jewish nation, living with the neighbors in peace and within secured borders? I urge you to read the PLO's charter and compare it to the Hamas position. Last time I checked the facts, Abbas and his Fatah factions are the PLO.
6. What is the solution then?
Steve   (12.28.12)
The security barrier was built to protect innocent Israelis from suicide terrorism and other atrocities, that we saw on almost a weekly basis in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, etc. Since the Oslo accords were signed, we've seen thousands of Jews murdered and maimed by terrorism. So what is the solution? Establish a Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria, Gaza and portions of Jerusalem, dedicated to Israel's destruction? Does Mr. Harel think a Palestinian state will be anything other than a well-armed terror state with rockets and other deadly weapons?
7. What Occupation?
Reuven Brauner ,   Raanana, Israel   (12.28.12)
I have been living in Israel for 34 years and am unaware of any occupation. The author of this article is clearly delusional.
8. 100% correct
Mike ,   UK   (12.28.12)
Your leaders are utter fools, the whole world is turning against what you are doing. This situation will inevitably lead to Israel being one state for two people. Its your choice, right?
9. Another "Jews are our misfortune" piece
Ilan   (12.28.12)
Tired worn out and discredited way of thought. No legitimacy in denying Jews their connection to their homes. None at all
10. Brilliant academics not necessarily wise !
YIsrael of Jerusalem ,   Jerusalem , ISRAEL   (12.28.12)
Proof positive that brilliance does not bring wisdom. Alas, education is not perfect after all. The country does indeed have a cancer; its Olmertian defeatism.
11. hmm...
pete ,   us   (12.28.12)
jews living in an area compared to cancer. where have we heard that one before?
12. no leadership
yaacovic   (12.28.12)
David, I am afraid you are 100% correct. Leaders by definition lead in a particular direction with the aim of fulfilling a particular vision. The problem with the current leadership is that they apparently are just treading water, going nowhere and have no viable vision whatsoever for the future. The situation sure is difficult. Priorities of self defense and survival mandate drastic measures but all the current leaders can conjure up is more conflict without resolution. What do the leaders want Israel to look like in 20, 50, 100 years? What vision do they have for the future of the huge Palestinian population under Israeli control? What vision do they have for a cooperative existence in the future between Israelis and Palestinians in which each are equal partners? What will such an equitable state of affairs look like and what are they doing to bring it about? The leaders apparently have no answers. There of course are no easy answers but all they seem to want is to maintain the current status quo and to pretend that somehow an impossible situation will work out. Perhaps the Palestinians will disappear or we can pretend that they are just not there. For peace to come about some things have to change. You cannot bring about change by maintaining and entrenching the status quo. It is just not enough and it can hardly be called leadership to pretend that it is.
13. A coup d grace?
bad Assed Jew ,   United States   (12.28.12)
Haven't the enemies of the Jews done enough to 'help them"? Europe 'helped' the Jews to reach the camps, 'helped' them to remove the gold from their teeth, 'helped' extracted the blood from Jewish children, stole all their property, and 'helped' turn them into ashes. Aren't 6 million dead European Jews enough for these anti semitic monsters? Why keep torturing Jews on their OWN HOMELAND??? No wonder America fought against these pigs and is free, I pray Israel will also be free of these anti semitic devils.
14. Israel needs life-saving surgery
(12.28.12)
The analogy to surgery for cancer is faulty. The writer assumes that the cancer can be removed for good. In this case, the cancer is not really going to be removed. The Arabs will still be there and will come find ways to destroy Israel even if they get their state (look at Gaza and Lebenon).
15. Two Words About That Fence
emanon ,   USA   (12.28.12)
The first one is "tough". The second can be various words but they all mean the same as two other words: "too bad". You want the wall to come down? I give the terrorists one word: "disarm". When terrorists no longer attack Jews and Israeli civilians, then we no longer need the wall. Oh those golden words of Golda: "There will be peace when the arabs love their children more then they hate us".
16. As far as I know Arabs have refused partition in 1947 and
leo ,   usa   (12.28.12)
their attitude hasn't changed since then. That perspective puts entire Israel into domain of "occupied territory". So, what exactly is being suggested here. How much of Israel author is willing to cut off to satisfy popular demand.
17. Mike @8, do not rush with your judgement.
leo ,   usa   (12.28.12)
Attitudes change from generation to generation, but Israel stays.
18. This Article Is An Outrage!
Ariel Ben Yochanan ,   Kfar Tapuah, Efraim   (12.28.12)
B"H - Completely ignoring Jewish heritage and Jewish values and even contemporary law.
19. OP-Ed: Israel needs surgery
daniel baum ,   London UK   (12.28.12)
Professor Harel's emotive use of the word cancer to describe the hundreds of thousands of Jews who live in East Jerusalem, Judea and Shomron is repulsive. He quotes from Proverbs to provide legitamacy for his argument, but it rings very hollow.Israel's true enemies are Hamas, the fake peaceful Fatah and Israel's bloodthirsty neighbours and not other Jews. Harel should ask himself why his much vaunted desire for a Palestinian state on Jewish land, needs to be Jew free. The answer is clear, the Arab world always has and always will crave to wipe out the Jewish state and with people like Harel, they smell success. Thankfully, there are those who know that although the sacrifice in Jewish blood is great and exceedingly painful, the ture enemies are not their fellow Jews. Maybe Harel should move to Gaza, Ramallah or Nablus for a while to see how he is treated there and then report back about Israel's enemies.
20. TO PROF. HAREL.
FO ,   Belgium   (12.28.12)
You pretend that the State of Israel, "your dear country", as you wrote, suffers from cancer, because of the "occupation" of the area east of the green line . So if I follow your logic, I must conclude that the settlement of Jews west of the green line (Tel Aviv, Haifa, etc), is a cancerous phenomena too. I defy you Prof. Harel, and all others who accuse Israel of violating International Law about the "West Bank", and even the Golan Heights, to prove it, let it be, just by one article of law ! And please don't come along with the famous fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, because it is not relevant to the "West Bank", being an unallocated part of the Palestine Mandate. The Jewish right of settlement in Palestine west of the Jordan River was made UNASSAILABLE by the League of Nations in 1922. This right has NEVER been terminated and cannot been terminated in view of Article 80 of the UN Charter. Taking into consideration that the UN Partition Plan of 1947 was not binding, and that the "Green Line" isn't a border, so what logic made you write what you wrote ?
21. #6. Its not that simple
Sammy ,   Newcastle   (12.28.12)
You seem to suggest - correctly Dammed if you do dammed if you dont There is clearly a danger that an Independent Palestinian State in the West Bank can become a Launch Pad for missiles against Israel....but a totally demilitarised West Bank would be equally unpalatable and easily reversed Yet another reason why we should start thinking seriously about a Palestine in a Federation with Jordan ala UK Model where there is an Indepedent Parliament, Judiciary, Flag, National Anthem, Education System (even language some would argue!) but a unified Defense and Central Bank The mutual benefits for the economies, for security, for stability etc would be substantial
22. Professor, it may come to you as a surprise...
Daniel ,   JM   (12.28.12)
but in medicine, when a treatment fails, trying to apply it again does not usually yield successful results. Using your analogy, Israel has tried to treat its cancer by amputating a perfectly healthy limb in 2005. Instead of letting the drunk butcher have another go and lop off another healthy extremity, perhaps we should consider a lawsuit for malpractice?
23. Wrong Paper
Marty ,   Toronto Canada   (12.28.12)
For a moment I thought I was reading Haaretz.
24. And he is supposed to be a professor!
Maurice ,   Montreal   (12.28.12)
He can't even see the obvious: that the West Bank will turn into another Gaza within months if Israel were to leave. No international guarantees can be trusted when your "peace" partners are hateful terrorist minded people who will never accept you. Leaving the West Bank will turn Tel Aviv into Shedorot and worse! Interesting to note just how this "professor" blames Israel for "occupation" but does not provide any solutions!
25. TO PROF. HAREL.
FO ,   Belgium   (12.28.12)
You pretend that the State of Israel, "your dear country", as you wrote, suffers from cancer, because of the "occupation" of the area east of the green line . So if I follow your logic, I must conclude that the settlement of Jews west of the green line (Tel Aviv, Haifa, etc), is a cancerous phenomena too. I defy you Prof. Harel, and all others who accuse Israel of violating International Law about the "West Bank", and even the Golan Heights, to prove it, let it be, just by one article of law ! And please don't come along with the famous fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, because it is not relevant to the "West Bank", being an unallocated part of the Palestine Mandate. The Jewish right of settlement in Palestine west of the Jordan River was made UNASSAILABLE by the League of Nations in 1922. This right has NEVER been terminated and cannot been terminated in view of Article 80 of the UN Charter. Taking into consideration that the UN Partition Plan of 1947 was not binding, and that the "Green Line" isn't a border, so what logic made you write what you wrote ?
26. Let me see if I got this right, Prof
A ,   Belgium   (12.28.12)
You say, "Let us ignore the disease's history". Ok, so if I have cancer, that word you so enjoy tossing around, lung cancer for example, I can ignore the fact the if I also smoked 5 packs a day for 30 years, that MIGHT have had something to do with it, but I can ignore that fact? Should we also ignore the fact (since you don't find any reason to blame the "palestinians" for anything, just like the 5 pack a day smoking habit) that Israelis have been killed, wounded, burnt, shot at, rocketed, knifed, blown up...inside and outside of Israel (2 examples, Kahane and Ze'evi) by arabs, but ONLY because of the so called "occupation", and not because of the true source of the "cancer"...islamic fundamentalism and hatred for all things and people not moslem? Should we ignore THAT fact? If you were a doctor, I'd hope to see your license revoked for malpractice!
27. Emigrate.
michael Pielet ,   israel   (12.28.12)
The writer should stick to what he knows. The writer supports the creation of a second arab-Iranian terrorist state in Judea and Samaria. The result would be Jerusalem and Gush Dan under constant missile and rocket attack. The writer is not satisfied with one arab-Iranian terrorist state in Gaza.. He wants a second one. Go back to your lab and stay there.
28. Solutions?????
robert levine ,   las terrenas,DR   (12.28.12)
The author talks about the cancer,but where are his solutions?????
29. Rule # 1: analogies are not proofs.
Pinchas ,   Boston   (12.28.12)
Saying the west bank is a cancer is negative and meant to scare, obviously; contrarily, to say that Judea and Samaria represent a shield is a positive analogy, meant to embolden. But both are only analogies and both simplify the complex reality and therefore are not helpful. Rule # 2: beware of physical scientists speaking arrogantly about social science and history. They have a bad track record. As the old expression goes,shoemaker, stick to your last. History is not a laboratory science., even an expensive hightech weizman institue laboratory. Judea and Samaria SHOULD be retained AND populated by Jews for they are, like God,Torah,and Peoplehood, VITAL to what Judaism is all about. Judea and Samaria should be important to Jews for the same reason the Kotel in Yerushalayim and the Machpela in Chevron are important, for at least the same reason the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument are important to Americans, the Black Hills in South Dakota to the Sioux Indian Nation, the Kaaba in Mecca to Moslems, etc., etc. If David Harel doesn't agree, then I think his Jewish heart may have a cancer.
30. Professor David Harel go back into your liberal closet of
Moshe ,   Usa   (12.28.12)
your university so then the whole world will love you & your worthless reach out to the treacherous arob land grab to disposses Jews from our land. You disgust me. OH, OH if only we all could get along. Love, Love, Love! You are in fantacy land! Have you been to Disneyland lately. Take a trip! We will never get peace from arobs. And they will continue to steal our land & discard our antiquities while they call the land pallyshtein which was never an arob nation. Invented nation!
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