Recognizing Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish People: What’s the big deal?
Is this obstructionism or a genuine desire for peace? Surely mutual recognition is at the heart of any final settlement. But in 1993 the PLO recognized Israel’s right to exists, so why this demand that it be recognized as the nation state of the Jewish people?
Well, it comes down to the refugee issue and the future status of the Arabs in Israel. By declaring Israel the nation state of the Jewish people, this puts to bed the question of a mass-return of Palestinian refugees from the wars of 1948 and 1967. Somewhere between 600,000 and 900,000 refugees left in 1948, either voluntarily, encouraged by their leaders, or forcefully expelled by the newly formed IDF. Today, the Palestinians want between 3 and 5 million “refugees to return” to Israel proper. What does that spell? The end of a Jewish state. National suicide is obviously anathema to the Israeli negotiators.
Likewise by recognizing Israel’s status, and the land of “Israel proper” (pre-67 borders), as the nation state of the Jewish people, it renders any more claims to land within Israel as null and void. The Arabs in the Galilee, the Negev (and indeed across Israel) will be a protected minority in a democracy (as they are today). By determining that the agreed borders are final, and that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, Netanyahu wishes to ensure that in 10 or 20 years time, the large population blocs of Arabs – in both the Negev and Galilee – cannot just decide to declare autonomy or join a future state of Palestine.
Thus true mutual recognition of each other’s legitimate national rights lies at the very heart of conflict resolution. Palestine will be the nation state of the Palestinian people, Israel the nation state of the Jewish people – and any national minority within those states will have the protection of the rule of law, as in a proper functioning democracy. Easy? No?
