Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg’s latest project sheds new light upon the reasons why brokering peace between Israel and the Palestinians often seem insurmountable. The book, “Genesis of the Palestinian Authority,” was written by David Bedein and edited by Rosenberg. As Bedein stated, this book brings to light information about the Palestinian Authority (PA) that has been glossed over or ignored by the media since the signing of the Oslo Accords.
Rabbi Bernhard H. Rosenberg is the only child of Holocaust survivors and was born in a displaced person’s camp in Regensburg, Germany. He is a Holocaust historian and noted author of numerous books on the Holocaust. Rosenberg grew up in Kansas City, attended Kehilath Israel Synagogue and graduated from Southwest High School. He is rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth-El in Edison, New Jersey.
David Bedein is an investigative journalist who has been covering the Israeli-PLO conflict for more than 30 years. Bedein was present at the signing of the Oslo Accords, has met with the Fatah and Hamas leadership and has sent camera crews into key PA and UNRWA meetings and institutions. He has continuously reported on the PA since its inception in 1994. Bedein is the director of the Israel Resource News Agency and the Center for Near East Policy Research.
Bedein and Rosenberg have been friends for many years and share a deep interest in Israel and in making sure that the entire story of the conflict is told. Rabbi Rosenberg suggested the idea for the book to Bedein, who promptly asked Rosenberg to edit it. Bedein has volumes of information from his 23 years of reporting on the Israeli-PLO conflict — hundreds of news articles and documented investigations. Rosenberg took these and edited them into what he described as one comprehensive book aimed at informing policy makers and giving them context to help better understand the issues of the region.
According to Bedein, the book examines the evolution of the PA and their actual, rather than stated, policies. In “Genesis of the Palestinian Authority,” Bedein takes readers inside one of the world’s most covered conflicts and shows them what the mainstream media and most governments have spent the past two decades ignoring — that despite the “peace talks” and public declarations, the PA has no real desire for co-existence with Israel and meaningful peace.
“Genesis of the Palestinian Authority,” gives much-needed insight into Hamas, UNRWA and the Israeli governments who negotiated and implemented the Oslo Accords. The book contradicts many of the mainstream accepted views regarding the PA. In the book, Bedein states that the prevailing view of PA President Mahmoud Abbas as a moderate Palestinian leader is false. Bedein documents that Abbas was the financier of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and that Abbas has used the PA security forces to stop dissent, retaliate against critics and opponents and pursue Palestinians selling land to Jews — a crime punishable by death in the PA. The book also describes how the PA coordinates its policies with UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East), to maintain approximately 5 million descendants of refugees as “refugees in perpetuity,” while operating refugee facilities under the illusion of the ‘right of return’ to villages that no longer exist. Per Bedein’s findings, the UNRWA makes no real effort to seek long-term solutions for descendants of refugees who have wallowed in the indignity of refugee life for nearly 70 years. Bedein provides voluminous research documenting how UNRWA camps have become a breeding ground for terrorists through indoctrination at UNRWA schools.
“This book has no premise and no agenda, except to ask readers to consider the facts on the ground. I have spent over 20 years covering the PA, going directly to the sources and reporting what we (our news agency) have found out. It is not that we analyze the PA’s intentions. We only report their policies,” Bedein said.
When Rosenberg was asked if he sees a solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict anytime soon, he did not mince his words.
“No, not for the next couple of generations. Not unless the current Palestinian leadership somehow gets sick of the fighting,” the rabbi said.
Bedein and Rosenberg state that their aim is to get “Genesis of the Palestinian Authority” into the hands of every diplomat, journalist and policy maker who deals with Israel-Arab policy matters. Bedein and Rosenberg hope that their book can serve as a guide to policy makers about which mistakes should not be repeated in the pursuit of a lasting peace. They believe it is an important read for anyone who is curious as to why there is no lasting peace in the region.
The book can be purchaed at amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.