I know Rabbi Mark Levin to be a compassionate person from my personal experience with him and from the activities for peace and understanding in which he has been engaged for many years. I am moved to engage him as he made known his compassion for Palestinians in the article “No Palestinian state — now or ever” published in The Chronicle May 17. He states Palestinians have been abandoned by Arab counties and have no hope for a state of their own. He made the statement that no one cares about the Palestinians, “not the Arab countries and not the Israelis.”
I, too, have feelings for the Palestinians but from a different perspective. They have been misled by their leaders that attacked Israel at its birth, rejecting the partition of Palestine, one state for Arabs and the other for Israel. Many fled from their homes as they were urged to do because of the false promise that they could return after they succeeded in defeating the new Israelis.
So many attempts at peace have failed as Palestinian leaders did not accept peace overtures from Israel. The rejections were followed by intifada uprisings and terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens. The most recent peace plan (2007) was proposed by then Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who wrote in his memoir that his plan “offered the relinquishing of the entire West Bank and East Jerusalem (as the capital of Palestine),” along with other concessions. That over generous plan was rejected to the detriment of ordinary Palestinians, who have my sympathy.
One might ask “why are these people behaving this way that leads to their despair?” I propose that the answer lies in what they and their children are made to believe. The song from the musical South Pacific explains it well, “you have to be taught!”
It is not the Israelis that make the lives of the Palestinians and their wish for a state of their own hopeless. It is the consistent failure of their leadership to accept the reality of Israel’s existence and the rejection of peace between them and the Jewish people of Israel. Palestinians are encouraged to act against their own interests by their self-destructive behavior, like the blowing up of fuel lines into Gaza and the blocking of trucks from Israelis bearing aide. Even when the Israeli trucks could again pass through, Hamas refused to accept shipments of medical supplies for Gaza hospitals. Palestinians, you have my sympathy.
Perhaps now with some Arab states becoming ready to begin relationships with Israel, the weakening of their support might encourage the Palestinian leadership to change. The outlook for the immediate future is bleak as Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas has spewed anti-Sematic speech (for which he has apologized) revealing his true feelings about Jews. Hamas is again engaging in the use of human shields at its border that have resulted in the deaths of 60 demonstrators, at least 50 of them Hamas admitted be members of their terrorist regime. The “peaceful” demonstrations at the Gaza border fence is an attempt at mayhem, according to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar who declared, “We will take down the border and we will tear out their hearts.” Nonetheless, they have garnered the sympathy of many individuals and countries. Hamas is wallowing in the deaths of those victims as it gains support from individuals, countries and the United Nations. This, even though women and their children are put at risk at the volatile scene. Palestinians, you have my sympathy.
As those gathered at the border barrier, many of whom are armed with a variety of lethal weapons, sending kites with fire bombs to ignite Israeli crops, Israeli children have flown hundreds of kites with messages of peace and love. They, too, have sympathy for the manipulated Palestinians.
Rabbi Levin wrote that he has a problem with Israel declaring that it is a Jewish state. I am puzzled that he seems upset at that prospect. Countries of the world fly flags with religious symbols, the cross of Christianity and the moon crescent of Islam. There are 29 flags with Christian crosses and 21 with the crescent of Islam. There is only one flag with the Star of David, a symbol of the Jewish state and in my opinion, of the Jewish people. People of many religions live under these flags, so why not Israel?
The rabbi expressed concern that Israel may become a fascist state. That comment really shocked me. In contrast with the Arab states led by dictators and the Palestinians, Israel is an Island of democracy in its part of the globe. There are a dozen Arabs in the Israeli parliament (Knesset). An Arab sits on its supreme court. Arab students and professors attend Israeli universities. Arab states caused the exodus of 850,000 Jews from their countries. The Israelis that lived in Gaza were not allowed to remain there. Mahmoud Abbas has declared that no Jews would be allowed to live in a Palestinian state, where as Israel’s Arabs constitute 20 percent of its population. Are these the indicators of a fascist state?
There is no doubt in my mind that Rabbi Levin is absolutely committed to Israel and that he loves that state. I fear his concern about issues he has with some of Israel’s actions and the domination of the ultra-Orthodox has tempered his feelings and judgments. I have confidence his love of Israel will overcome his concern for the Palestinians and Israel.
(Sol Koenigsberg is executive director emeritus of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.)
