Personal
views and analyses by seasoned observers in Israel can add
to understanding the dynamics of life in the country. The
ICIC presents the following viewpoints and policy discussions
and encourages you to respond, react and submit your questions
on these or any other issues tofeedback@hasbara.com.
A rush of shocking events is creating a “tipping point”
in Jewish consciousness. Increasingly, Jews feel our situation
has substantially changed, and for the worse.
The
events include Iran’s nuclear threats and Holocaust
denial, Hamas’ electoral victory, the torture and
murder of Ilan Halimi in Paris by a Muslim gang, the “discovery”
by a Harvard dean that Jews actually do conspire to control
Congress and American foreign policy in the service of Israel
and to the detriment of U.S. interests, and the British
academic boycott.
The
members of the Christian Allies Caucus of Israel’s
parliament sat in stunned silence. A visiting African American
pastor had just told them something they had never expected:
Israel had a potentially powerful ally in America’s
black community.
For many Israelis the point of departure for the analysis
of the Geneva Initiative is not the Initiative itself, but
the appropriateness of private citizens negotiating, in
fact or appearance, foreign treaties.
If
one were to attempt to extrapolate the contents of the Fourth
Geneva Convention from a condensation of every related comment
published or aired in the media and the internet over the
past decade, one would end up with a document that is almost
entirely unlike the actual text of the Convention. There
is probably no other international agreement which has been
so utterly misquoted and miscited in the service of political
posturing. Even more disturbing is the fact that all the
misquotations and miscitations go virtually unnoticed by
the public. How did this situation arise?
On
May 15, 2002, Yasir Arafat addressed the Palestinian Legislative
Council in Ramalla. The occasion was the 54th anniversary of
the Nakba ("the disaster" of Palestine, i.e. the establishment
of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948). In his speech Arafat
referred to the suicide attacks against Israeli citizens, stating
that these attacks "do not serve our cause, but rather
subject us to angry criticism on the part of the international
community".
1.
Israel has repeatedly violated the international community’s
wishes, especially not agreeing to withdraw to the 1967 border,
as required by UN resolution 242.
2. The crux of the conflict lies in the 35+
years of Israeli occupation and settlement building. The occupation
demeans, creates desperation and is contrary to the 4th Geneva
Convention and other human rights resolutions.
It
must be unusual for the MP of a leafy Surrey constituency
and one of her constituents to meet each other for the first
time in Israel.
But two weeks ago Dr Jenny Tonge, MP, together with Oona King
MP, William Bell of Christian Aid, and two assistants, sat
round a table in a flat in Jerusalem with eight ex-Brits who
now live in Israel.
A rush of shocking events is creating a “tipping point”
in Jewish consciousness. Increasingly, Jews feel our situation
has substantially changed, and for the worse. 
If
one were to attempt to extrapolate the contents of the Fourth
Geneva Convention from a condensation of every related comment
published or aired in the media and the internet over the
past decade, one would end up with a document that is almost
entirely unlike the actual text of the Convention. There
is probably no other international agreement which has been
so utterly misquoted and miscited in the service of political
posturing. Even more disturbing is the fact that all the
misquotations and miscitations go virtually unnoticed by
the public. How did this situation arise?
On
May 15, 2002, Yasir Arafat addressed the Palestinian Legislative
Council in Ramalla. The occasion was the 54th anniversary of
the Nakba ("the disaster" of Palestine, i.e. the establishment
of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948). In his speech Arafat
referred to the suicide attacks against Israeli citizens, stating
that these attacks "do not serve our cause, but rather
subject us to angry criticism on the part of the international
community". 
