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Book Review: An Apology for the Elimination of Israel

(Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs) Dr. Joel Fishman - The goal of Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics by Marc Lamont Hill and Mitchell Plitnick is to make a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance part of the agenda of "progressive" American politics. The authors automatically deny the fact that the sovereign State of Israel has some just claims and ascribe moral superiority to the Palestinian cause. The authors advocate "justice" for Palestinians as if this expression has a commonly agreed-upon meaning. Former Israeli chief of military intelligence Yehoshafat Harkabi described the real meaning of terms such as "peace on the basis of justice" as "the opposite pole to a peace or solution founded on...the fact of Israel's existence. The just solution, according to this view, is the annulment of the wrong involved in the very existence of Israel and the restoration of Israel to its legal owners. Justice is a denial of Israel's existence." Upon hearing the term "just peace," a native English speaker would probably think of a reasonable compromise, whereas the commonly accepted meaning on the "Arab Street" would be the destruction of Israel. Thus, the slogan "Justice for Palestine" becomes a truly outstanding example of "doublespeak." Therefore, Hill and Plitnick's manifesto really is not a plea for justice for the Palestinians, as it would normally be understood. The writer is a Fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
2021-12-30 00:00:00
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