Posted on 06/04/2007 9:56:32 AM PDT by Squidpup
Jerusalem - A new peace plan in Israel is gaining attention for its controversial suggestions to solve the current conflicts in Gaza. Known as The Sanders Peace Plan, written by Michael S. Sanders, Director of Expeditions and Research at the Ancient Cultures Research Foundation, the proposal suggests a new paradigm for a comprehensive peace solution in the Middle East. The Sanders Peace Plan is based on the idea that "In a two state solution, it would be agreed that there would be a differentiation between residency and citizenship. All new Arab residents of Israel (present Arab citizens of Israel would be given a choice) would become citizens of Palestine but residents of Israel. All Jews living in Palestine would be citizens of Israel but residents of Palestine." To understand the particulars of the Sanders plan, it would be instructive to see how Sanders addresses three key issues: 1) "The Right of Return." Sanders posits that "The Palestinian side feels strongly that some recognition be granted to those refugees and their descendants who lost their land for a variety of reasons in the area that will be the final State of Israel." Sanders does not seem to know that the "right of return" is not only an "in principle" negotiating position of the Palestinian Arab leadership. Instead, the notion of "right of return" represents the impassioned philosophy which unites all Palestinian factions around the idea that they have the inherent right for descendants of Arab refugees from the 1948 war to replace the state of Israel. Since the inception of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, the PA has indoctrinated a new generation to believe in and fight to the death for the "inalienable" right to return to the 531 villages that they left in 1948. Sanders should peruse www.PalestineRemembered.com to see how Palestinians have carefully charted their return to every one of these villages, regardless of whether or not Israelis live there now. 2) "The Final Boundaries". Sanders posits that " Palestinians have demanded that Israel withdraw completely to the 1967 borders which at present is interpreted as the dismantling of all the Israeli 'settlements' in the so-called 'West Bank,' 'Gaza' and 'East Jerusalem'..." and that "The Israelis wish to keep Jerusalem as an undivided capital of Israel and not dismantle large 'settlement' blocks on the east of the 1967 'borders' ..." Sanders suggests a solution to this issue by suggesting that Israelis and Arabs be granted the right to purchase land on both sides of the 1967 line, allowing Arabs to live in Israel, while allowing Jews to live in a future Palestinian Arab state. Sanders does not seem to know that the Palestinian leadership has never seen a future Palestinian state limited to the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. The consistent and unchanging position of the Palestinian leadership, expressed in all Arabic content of the Palestinian Authority schools and media, remains their demand for control over all of Jerusalem and for hegemony over all of Palestine. In March 2003, after sources in the Vatican disclosed the constitution of the Palestinian Authority to this reporter, these goals of the Palestinian leadership were confirmed. 3) "Jerusalem and the Temple Mount". Sanders posits that "the problem is essentially one of religion with each side claiming their right to the Temple Mount. The evidence is overwhelming that these conflicting claims are the result of archaeological misunderstandings." Sanders ignores the fact that Israel recognizes that both Islam and Judaism recognize the holiness of the Temple Mount to their respective religions, while the Palestinian Arab leadership recognizes no Jewish right to the Temple Mount. The fact that the Palestinian Arab leadership has sought to destroy archaeological artifacts found on the Temple Mount is far from an "archaeological misunderstanding." It is difficult for Sanders and some other advocates of Middle East peace to understand the tenacity and the ferocity of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, as represented by entities such as the PLO and Hamas, neither of whom seek a rational means to resolve the current Middle East crisis.
"Religions are known by there adherents," to borrow another Pragerism. Thus I would that mine might reflect what God wants insofar as I'm able to determine that. Thus as frustrating as it often is, I do care.
It is definitely a mitzvah to kill another to save a life if it is absolutely necessary, though it is also a mitzvah not to kill if it is not absolutely necessary.
I am of course no poseq so I would rely on one to determine how this is to be applied to an entire dangerous people. There are also certain nations who are to be exterminated. It may be that the "islamists" are of this nation, but it would take a poseq to determine this.
Though by Deuteronomy 4:19 and Malachi 1:11, "Hence the amazing tolerance shown by Judaism of all ages towards the followers of other cults, so long as these were not steeped in imorality and crime." (JH Hertz)
Unfortunately, Rabbi Hertz was under the influence of some very non-traditional ideas (such as higher criticism of the Na"KH while arbitrarily excluding the Torah from the same thing). It may be that he felt it necessary to do this in order to communicate to a Victorian audience, but I have no idea.
The "tolerance" of Judaism is greatly misunderstood. While Judaism is opposed to the notion that one can only come to G-d via J*sus, it nevertheless insists that HaShem is a Jealous G-d and that to worship any other "gxd" is idolatry. Unfortunately, many Jews, in fighting against the former idea (only through J*sus) have proceeded to dismiss HaShem's Jealousy (one must worship only HaShem and not any other "gxd").
Another factor is Judaism's lack of a mission to convert the entire human race to Judaism. This is because Judaism always has been, and always will be, a special covenant between G-d and the Jewish People and does not apply to anyone else. Converts are accepted, but not encouraged (at least until after the prospective convert has been discouraged three times). However, Judaism does insist that every non-Jewish human being is obligated by the Seven Laws of the Sons of Noach, which is the one and exclsive religion for all non-Jews. All other religions are actually forbidden. Judaism does not teach that each and every single human being who doesn't embrace Noachism must therefore be eternally damned (the Judgement of G-d is like no other and embraces every aspect of a person, including his ignorance of his true responsibilities), but this does not mean that "all other religions are all right so long as they're tolerant." Objectively, every single non-Jewish human being is bound by the Seven Noachide Laws, but G-d's Judgement embraces both the objective and the subjective.
Also note that Jews have not been in a position where they could freely proselytize on behalf of the Noachide Laws in a very, very long time (the penalties for converting a chr*stian to something else during most of the past two millenia must have been terrible). As a result the Jewish community ceased its educational mission just to survive. This is understandable, but the mission still exists (and as the penalties no longer exist in societies like the US, they'd better get to it!).
Finally, the theoretical mission of the Jewish Nation is to "compel" the world to embrace the Noachide laws. When Israel waged wars of conquest their enemies were required to embrace the Noachide Laws and become tributaries to Israel. The alternative was to have the place destroyed, the males killed, and the women and children seized as perpetual slaves. This is actually the means by which Israel was to spread Noachism, and it is much more militant than Baptist door-knocking (and again, very similar to islam). When Mashiach comes he will quite literally complete this mission, waging the wars of HaShem to bring the nations of the world to the Noachide Laws.
I'm not trying to be unpleasant to you. Perhaps there are people who are so attracted to the modern, post-enlightenment worldview that they have to be told that Judaism is an ancient religion that has always possessed a modern worldview. I dispute this. Not only does this offend as many people as it attracts (if not more), but I hold that it isn't even true.
You can read my primitive, pre-modern rants on my web site (assuming it hasn't been sabotaged by Nazis or something).
And although it probably errs as much on the other side as most sites do on the side of "tolerance," you might also check out this site, if only to balance out what you're getting from the likes of Prager, Schroeder, and Hertz.
Thanks, and Baruch Hashem. Everything Good to You and Yours.
They did. That was a quote from 1948.
“I support Israel, its being the only democracy in the Middle East and the enemy of the Islamic terrorists. But at the same time, let’s not rewrite history about the birth of the state of Israel.”
Benny Morris is one of a group of revisionists called the New Historians which is a group of guilt filled extremely self-hating leftwing revisionist that attempt to revise history to blame Israel for the sun rising in the east and the sun setting in the west and for everything bad that happens under the sun. Dr. Efraim Karsh obliterated Benny Morris’s scholarship, or lack their of, regarding that piece of crap book that you are referencing. In other words, Morris is an idiot!
I recognize the same. Same Michael S. Sanders HERE?
I've had this site bookmarked for years, and I don't know if has been updated in a while. I always thought his theory about the location of the Ark of the Covenant is curious, as he places it in a village that was known in the Ketuvim as Debir (meaning oracle aka sanctuary aka Holy of Holies). Yet he never mentions this, apparently unaware of the word play.
Actually Benny Morris thought Ben-Gurion “got cold feet” and didn’t go far enough.
Benny Morris said: “He should have done a complete job.”
Another quote by Morris: “There are circumstances in history that jusify ethnic cleansing. A Jewish state would not have come into existence without the uprooting of 700,000 Palestinians....the overall final good justifies harsh and cruel acts that are committed in the course of history.”
Those are hardly the words of a “self-hating leftwing revisionist.”
Has anyone checked this theory out?
*If* he is on the right track, well... I just think it would be the ultimate Captain Obvious moment if the Ark has been where it has always been: in the "Debir". On a spiritual level, the meaning would be the same. That is, the Word of Hashem, the Tablets of the Law have kept and guarded in the place where they have always been guarded... in the inner sanctuary of every Torah-lover, their hearts/souls/minds.
4. Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
5. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might:
6. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart...
What a mess. Sounds like he's trying to outdo our congress. (amnesty)
Alouette, do you know the position of the Gedolim on finding the 'Aron HaBerit here and now?
Yes, it was the subject of an NBC/Channel 4 UK and around the world special. A follow up is planned live on the internet later this year if it is safe !
Not a mess at all. For a real Peace to happen (as contrasted with wishful thinking prevalent in some quarters) Arabs and Jews will have to live together at some stage. To solve the demographic problem so that the Jewish State remain Jewish, Arabs would be residents but not citizens. To have ALL Jews remain in Judea and Samaria and not have a repeat of Gaza, they would be residents of a Palestinian State and citizens of Israel. Now THAT SOLVES problems rather than relying on meaningless invective, wishful thinking and prayer.
Geez, that's brilliant. Must have taken quite a while to come up with that conclusion. Too bad you fail to notice the stickler, the Arabs DONT WANT TO LIVE WITH JEWS.THEY WANT THEM ELIMINATED.
approx. one million Arabs live in Israel at the moment as Israeli citizens. Sweeping statements like yours are not helpful or do you think a war of elimination is preferable. Israel is probably at its weakest point in its modern history and the outcome is no longer as assured as it was (vide Lebanon).
And do you know what makes Israel weak? When she gives and gives and gives to her enemy and in return they attack and want more. There is no amount of land, money, citizenship or label that will change that.
This wouldn’t be any different.
Sounds like something Col.Sanders cooked up.
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