 JULY 9 • 2020 | 19

large settlement blocs near 
Jerusalem, then Israel would 
achieve much more in keeping 
those through a process of 
swaps and negotiation than it 
would bearing all the costs and 
none of the benefits of unilater-
al annexation. 
Such swaps and annexation 
of large settlement blocks have 
been the staple of numerous 
sets of peace negotiations: 
Olmert’
s 2008 offer, the Clinton 
Parameters and Arab League 
declarations, all envision a 
peace agreement with borders 
based on the 1967 borders, 
with swaps that would leave 
some large settlement blocs 
(like those near Jerusalem) in 
Israeli hands. 
If it takes the path of uni-
lateral annexation, instead of 
getting what it wants with all 
the benefits of a peace deal, 
Israel would lose the support 
of long-standing, moderate, 
genuine partners for peace such 
as Salam Fayyad, former prime 
minister of the Palestinian 
Authority, who is driven now, 
based on just the threat of 
unilateral annexation, to advo-
cating that Palestinians harden 
their positions and go back to 
demanding either a Palestinian 
state with 1967 borders with-
out any swaps or a one-state 
solution in which Palestinians 
would eventually be the major-
ity of that state. In a completely 
unnecessary unilateral move, 
Israel would be losing its best 
partners for a lasting peace. 
A glimmer of hope in 

this dark moment, however, 
remains for those brave and 
far-sighted enough to pursue 
it. On June 29, in a letter to the 
Quartet on the Middle East, the 
Palestinian Authority said it is 
prepared to renew negotiations 
with Israel and agree to minor 
territorial exchanges. This is a 
shift, and should be urgently 
pursued.
The U.S. can help Israel make 
this decision. Joe Biden, who 
according to current polls is 
likely to be the next U.S. presi-
dent, has publicly and strongly 
opposed unilateral annexation, 
as have 191 Democratic House 
representatives. As Paul Scham, 
director of the University of 
Maryland Gildenhorn Institute 
for Israel Studies, has recently 
written, Biden should now 
make clear that he will not rec-
ognize any such annexations if 
he becomes president. Polling 
shows that only a quarter of 
Israelis support unilateral 
annexation if the U.S. does 
not support it. For anyone, 
Republican or Democrat, con-
cerned with Israel’
s well-being 
— as well as international law, 
human rights and the right to 
self-determination for both 
Israelis and Palestinians — the 
time is now to make our oppo-
sition to unilateral annexation 
known, and dissuade Israel 
from taking any such steps. 

Yael S. Aronoff is Serling Chair in Israel 
Studies and Director, Serling Institute 
for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel 
at Michigan State University.

Yael Aranoff,
Serling Chair
in Israel Studies

MSU

Philanthropist Spencer Partrich wants to 
donate millions to Israeli PM’
s defense fund. 

I

sraeli Prime Minister 
Benjamin Netanyahu was 
indicted on charges of fraud, 
breach of trust and bribery in 
January. The trial began last 
month in Jerusalem and is set to 
resume July 19, and a prominent 
Jewish Detroiter may play a large 
part. 
Although he’
s on trial for 
receiving money from wealthy 
friends, Netanyahu has asked 
an Israeli oversight committee 
to allow him to receive a $2.9 
million donation from his friend, 
Bloomfield Hills resident Spencer 
Partrich, to help fund his legal 
defense. Partrich is currently wit-
ness No. 283 out of 333, in one of 
the cases against Netanyahu.
Partrich declined to comment 
to the JN regarding the matter. 
Partrich is co-owner of Lautrec 
Ltd., a Farmington Hills-based 
real estate management and 
development firm. He has also 
been long associated with Jewish 
causes throughout Metro Detroit, 
including running the Spencer M. 
Partrich Charitable Foundation, a 
private foundation in Farmington 
Hills founded in 2016. 
Partrich serves on the executive 
board for the Friends of the Israel 
Defense Forces (FIDF) and was 
honored Nov. 3, 2015, at its gala. 
Netanyahu spoke via video at the 
dinner honoring his “close friend 
and a committed, dedicated Jew, 
Spencer M. Partrich.
” 

The FIDF would not comment 
for this story, citing policy.
According to the AP
, 
Netanyahu’
s ties to Partrich 
date as far back as 1999, when 
Netanyahu was just finishing his 
first term as prime minister. 
According to court docu-
ments, Netanyahu has already 
been approved to receive a 
$570,000 loan from Partrich. But 
last year, the committee denied 
Netanyahu’
s request for the $2.9M 
donation, saying it was inappro-
priate given the circumstances. 
This year, a new committee 
was formed under Netanyahu to 
reconsider Partrich’
s donation. 
The committee is awaiting the 
Israeli attorney general’
s decision 
on whether Netanyahu will be 
allowed to accept the money. 
Bryan Roby, assistant professor 
of Judaic Studies at the University 
of Michigan, said the outside 
donation to a sitting prime minis-
ter “is incredibly unusual.
”
“Over the past decade or so, 
there have been, in the Likud 
party particularly, attacks against 
the center and left-wing parties 
for receiving foreign donations 
from American Jews, and that 
it is an unnecessary and undue 
foreign influence on Israeli pol-
itics,
” Roby said. “To hear that 
[Netanyahu] is openly soliciting 
donations from American Jews is 
not surprising, but pretty shock-
ing.
” 

CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER

Bibi’s Buddy in 
Bloomfield Hills

Spencer 
Partrich 
(left) and 
Netanyahu 
(right).

RON LIEBERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY/R-MARC 
ISRAEL SELLEM/POOL/FLASH90 VIA JTA

