Following up on my last posting:
Here is a (long) very thoughtful article on the Goldstone Report by Moshe Halbertal, one of the most thoughtful Jewish and Israeli philosophers today. He assesses the moral premises of the report, and writes as someone involved in writing the Israel Defense Forces' ethical code several years ago. At the end he says:
The Goldstone Report as a whole is a terrible document. It is biased
and unfair. It offers no help in sorting out the real issues. What
methods can Israel–and other countries in similar
situations–legitimately apply in the defense of their citizens? To
create standards of morality in war that leave a state without the
means of legitimate self-protection is politically foolish and morally
problematic; but real answers to these real problems cannot be found in
the Goldstone Report…
It is important, for this reason, that Israel respond to the U.N.
report by clarifying the principles that it operated upon in Gaza, thus
exposing the limits and the prejudices of the report. A mere
denunciation of the report will not suffice. Israel must establish an
independent investigation into the concrete allegations that the report
makes. By clearing up these issues, by refuting what can be refuted,
and by admitting wrongs when wrongs were done, Israel can establish the
legitimacy of its self-defense in the next round, as well as honestly
deal with its own failures.
Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed a gathering of Jewish leaders from Federations around North America this week. Here is the full text and here is video. This is part of what he said about peace with the Palestinians:
I believe there is no time to waste. We need to move
towards peace with a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose. I want to
be clear. My goal is not to have endless negotiations. My goal is not
negotiations for negotiations sake. My goal is to reach a peace treaty,
and soon.
But to get a peace agreement, we must start negotiating. Let's stop talking about negotiations. Let's start moving.
This past June at Bar-Ilan University, I put forward a vision of peace that has united the vast majority of Israelis.
In this vision of two states for two peoples, a demilitarized Palestinian state would recognize the Jewish state.
Now, what do I mean by a Jewish state? It is a state in which all
individuals and all minorities have equal individual rights. Yet our
national symbols, language and culture spring from the heritage of the
Jewish people. And most important, any Jew from anywhere in the world
has a right to immigrate to Israel and become a citizen.
I want to make it clear: Any Jew, of any denomination, will always
have the right to come home to the Jewish state. Religious pluralism
and tolerance will always guide my policy.
Leave a Reply