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The Self-Inflicted Palestinian Tragedy

(Jerusalem Post) Amb. Mark Regev - In 1947, the Palestinian Arabs rejected the UN partition proposal that awarded them an independent sovereign state. They opposed all compromises with the Jews. The Zionist leadership at the time was not enamored with the borders set out in the UN plan, but a small state was preferable to no state at all. Upon suffering diplomatic defeat in the General Assembly, the Arab world chose to overturn the UN's determination through the force of arms. There was an immediate escalation of Palestinian violence against the Jews. And in May 1948, when the British Mandate ended and Israel was established, the surrounding Arab countries invaded in support of their Palestinian brethren. The ensuing bloodshed and displacement stemmed directly from the Arabs' decision. It is easy for Palestinians to blame their statelessness on the Zionists. This response avoids confronting difficult questions about their own leadership's all-or-nothing culpability in their national tragedy. Had the Palestinian position been more pragmatic and moderate, they too could be celebrating their 75th Independence Day this May. The writer, formerly an adviser to the prime minister and Israel's Ambassador to the UK, is chair of the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy at Reichman University.
2022-12-05 00:00:00
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