World
Some Settlers Must Go
But Jerusalem will never be "abandoned," Israeli envoy tells confab.
Michael Jacobs
Jewish Renaissance Media
Atlanta
I
srael's current leaders know they will
be marked in history as the genera-
tion that forever gave up parts of the
land of Israel promised by God; but they
will bear that burden to ensure a secure
future for the State of Israel, Sallai Meridor
told the Jewish Council for Public Affairs
on Sunday.
"We'll have to uproot the best of our
people the Israeli ambassador to the
United States said, and the result is likely
to be a rift in Israeli society. "But we'll have
to do it:'
Still, he said peace cannot come until
the leaders on the Palestinian side also are
prepared to trade their fantasy Palestine
for a real nation living beside Israel
instead of replacing it.
That means the Palestinians must give
up on refugees returning to land that will
remain Israel, and they must accept that
the final borders of the two countries will
not be the same as Israel's borders before
the Six-Day War of 1967 and that Israel
will not abandon Jerusalem, he said.
"We appreciate their connection to
Jerusalem;' Meridor said. "But we don't
have a Mecca. We don't have a Medina. We
have only one place. We
cedure that will be
have Jerusalem:'
less confrontational
He said the
than the withdraw-
Palestinians are "very,
al from Gaza in
very far" from develop-
2005. He said that
ing the security and
withdrawal of 8,000
political systems that
settlers exceeded
could make them full
any expectations
partners for peace.
the road map
He said Israel will
placed on Israel.
not allow Judaea and
That answer did
Samaria — the West
not satisfy author-
Bank — to become
activist Leibel Fein,
another Gaza, harbor-
who
scoffed during
.2j;,
ing terrorists and bom- Israeli envoy Sallai Meridor addresses a later session on
barding Israeli towns at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Jewish advocacy
the rate of 16 rockets a
that Israel has had
day, each giving people
seven years to come
only 15 seconds to find shelter. But, he
up with such a plan and has failed to act.
said, at least the Palestinian Authority
leadership in the West Bank talks of want-
Iran Threat
ing to be free of terrorists.
It may be arguable if Israel faces a threat
"There is nothing Israel wants more
to its existence from the Palestinians or
than having peace with its neighbors:'
from delays or failures in the peace pro-
Meridor said.
cess.
But when asked about delays in the
But there is no doubt about Iran, which
removal of illegal outposts and the failure
Israel contends is continuing to develop
to freeze settlements in the West Bank,
nuclear weapons. As Meridor said, that's
as called for in the "road map" peace
not a good thing for a nation whose presi-
plan and committed to by Israeli Prime
dent talks regularly about wiping Israel off
Minister Ehud Olmert at Annapolis, Md.,
the map.
in November, Meridor was less direct. He
The ambassador said the United States
said Israel intends to remove illegal settle-
and Europe must turn up the economic
ments, but it is taking time to plan a pro-
pressure on Iran, including divestment,
to force it to drop its nuclear ambitions;
otherwise, Israel will have to consider a
military option. "The world must act now:'
Asked by a delegate why rational
Iranian leaders would ever use nuclear
weapons, Meridor said it's not possible to
rule out irrationality on their part. But he
said Iran would not have to use the weap-
ons to wreak havoc. Merely having them
would provide a deterrent for any action
against Iran, freeing it to become 10 times
more aggressive in exporting its Islamist
revolution around the world. And Iran's
Arab neighbors would not doubt pursue
their own nuclear programs in response,
increasing instability in the Middle East.
As Emory University professor Ken
Stein said during a presentation on the
state of the Middle East after Meridor's
speech, stability is a prime goal of the
United States in the region.
But in keeping with the hopeful spirit of
the day, Meridor closed with an optimistic
review of how far Israel has come in 60
years and how much it has given and will
continue to give the world, from computer
chips and low-moisture farming to a ref-
uge from the horrors of Darfur.
And he praised the role diaspora Jews
have played in Israel's success. He said it's
wrong to see the connection as a partner-
ship between Israel and other Jews; the
ties run much deeper. "Israel is of, by and
for the Jewish people." ❑
The Courage To Hope
Jewish activists plan for a more just world.
Michael Jacobs
Jewish Renaissance Media
Atlanta
C
ourage was the official theme of
the 2008 national plenum of the
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
(JCPA) at the InterContinental Buckhead
in suburban Atlanta, but the watchword
for the opening session of the three-day
conference was hope.
Hope for an end to poverty and hunger
in America. Hope for a break from U.S.
dependence on oil. Hope for an end to
A22
February 28 • 2008
the genocide in Darfur. Hope for an end
to Iran's nuclear and expansionist ambi-
tions. Hope for peace in the Middle East.
And hope for a U.S. president in 2009
who can play a role in making those other
hopes come true.
"When we have hope, we will find an
answer," JCPA Executive Director Steve
Gutow said. "Without hope, people won't
fight for food. With hope, they will fight
for anything."
Focus On Jewish Values
The JCPA arrived here with so much
hope in part because of the leadership of
Atlantan Lois Frank, who completed her
two-year term as JCPA chairwoman dur-
ing the conference. Gutow, who took over
the organization half a year before Frank's
term began, thanked her for guiding the
JCPA through a time of great change that
refocused the group on Jewish values and
allowed it to implement hope.
The JCPA is the umbrella organization
for 125 local Jewish Community Relations
Councils around North America, as well
as 14 national member agencies, such
as the American Jewish Committee, the
Anti-Defamation League and the National
Council of Jewish Women. Together,
Gutow said, those Jewish organizations
are building armies for change.
The JCPA sets a change agenda for the
Jewish community and motivates del-
egates from the grass roots at its annual
plenum.
Israel and other international affairs
were the focus of the Sunday sessions;
domestic issues took center stage
Monday. Tuesday, the delegates debated
a number of resolutions and heard from
representatives of the presidential cam-
paigns.
Gutow said the JCPA's goals are rooted
in Jewish values, including justice for all.
"Let's change the world:' Gutow urged
the 300-plus delegates, including about 30
Atlantans. "Let's get out of despair."
❑