Our Readers Speak: The Middle East
OUR READERS SPEAK: THE MIDDLE EAST The results of moment's February poll offer a most interesting insight into at least one segment of American Jewry in these troubled days. (We define that...
...There are surely risks which have to be taken for peace...
...On the other hand, I could crudely chop it off—and possibly suffer all the more for this gross excision...
...The territory gained during the past conflicts should have been understood as negotiable and never thought to be permanent territory...
...But even here, more than two out of three express dissatisfaction with President Carter's performance regarding the Middle East...
...It seems to me that Israel is a democracy, and the Israelis voted Mr...
...to secure boundaries...
...His pious pronouncements betray the mental set of a "true believer" for whom his ideas constitute the only way, never admitting that there are alternatives to his preconceptions...
...Give up Jerusalem...
...when the Arabs massacred the first Jewish settler...
...There is a subtle undercurrent in this country against Begin and I think this is disgraceful...
...Instead, they were imprisoned in camps in Jordan, Syria, etc...
...Oil—that's the name of the game, unfortunately, and Mr...
...2. Carter is —well, Carter...
...Asking Israel to withdraw is like giving the American Southwest back to Mexico, and Puerto Rico to Spain...
...will do as little as possible to pressure either side...
...It is in Israel's long term interest to be flexible in the name of the people...
...It is between Jews whose one and only country was stolen in the 7th century by the Imperialist, Colonialist sweep westward of the newly-turned-Islamic Arabs, who today are masters of 22 lands...
...If a commitment to retention of the West Bank is what defines a person as a "hawk," then a majority of our respondents are hawks...
...No non-Jew can fully understand...
...Certainly, the Begin government's policy on the settlements and Resolution 242, even if strictly legal, are counter-productive, even dangerous...
...Since we didn't have to man the ramparts in Israel, since our children are not called up to serve in Israel's army, don't you think the least we can do here is to stand behind Israel, no matter who heads the State...
...Not in a million years will most of the important Arab factions agree on a common set of peace terms with Israel...
...Admittedly, the question is very general: it does not distinguish "Israel's security and destiny should be left to its leaders to decide, and not to any bleeding heart liberals from America...
...A unique opportunity to neutralize Israel's most important neighbor has presented itself, and this sanctimonious and rather smug ideologue is about to let the opportunity pass...
...The community is scarcely so monolithic as it appears or as is so often suggested it is...
...at the same time, there is marked concern for the security implications of the West Bank, and Mr...
...I feel less able eveiy week to support Israel's policy...
...Apart from the substance, the Israeli response lacks any sense of graciousness...
...Begin has, apparently, succeeded in persuading many—but not yet most—people that Israel's claims to the West Bank can be justified not only in terms of security, but also in terms of right...
...Palestinian independence is no more justified than the Basques' or Slovenes' or Mexican-Americans...
...We need an Israeli premier who can obviate American interference and make peace with Sadat...
...It is irrational and counter-productive...
...They were virtually unanimous in their criticism of Israel (all but two felt that Israel had not been responsive enough to the Sadat initiative), as also in their readiness for territorial concessions on the West Bank...
...When the Arabs removed the first Jewish tombstone from Jerusalem to make toilets...
...Why didn't he encourage a separate Egyptian-Israeli agreement...
...Never...
...Begin was a disaster in the War of Independence in '48, and he is still a disaster...
...He is tough, and I admire his response to the latest PLO atrocity...
...I lived in Israel for 30 years, and fought in 5 wars, and I strongly oppose the present policy of the Israeli government...
...The events of the last two weeks should be indicative of the situation and if Israel were to take over the "oil fields," I feel certain that the U.S...
...And overall, 91 percent of all respondents join in expressing such dissatisfaction...
...Begin's position is really far more reasonable and conciliatory than he has been able to make the world, i.e., the U.S., perceive...
...Israel does not have to deal with murderers, but she must recognize her moral obligation to a proud people with their own nationalistic aspirations...
...Although she didn't cause it directly, Israel can't overlook the Palestinian problem...
...The belief that a cycle of hatred and killing can be ended by killing and uprooting tens Continued on page 34 "Ben Gurion was right when he said, "Peace is more important than real estate...
...Continued from page 31 of thousands of families is insane...
...And if they would, is the upper limit of the "swing" element 22 percent— that is, the difference between the 28 percent who already feel that Arab leaders can be trusted, and the 50 percent who feel that the West Bank should not be relinquished under any circumstances...
...How many more blown-up buses does she need...
...Three out of five believe that Israel should be prepared to make major territorial concessions so long as Israel's security needs can be satisfied...
...Begin's hard line and ideological position is driving the U.S...
...There is a Palestinian State and that state is Jordan, which is 80 percent of the original Palestine under the British Mandate...
...Furthermore, the Israelis should make some gesture of recognition that the Palestinians have become a "people" (nation) since 1947, and deserve to be recognized as such...
...It is a good opening position but now must be subject to change through negotiations...
...In general, Westerners, especially Americans, do not accurately comprehend the total situation in the Mideast, especially Arab attitudes and philosophy...
...Otherwise, Israel will find itself alone against the world without even the U.S...
...Even more, such elective surgery, if done early enough, can reduce the needed loss to a minimum...
...Israel's security and destiny should be left to its leaders to decide, and not to any bleeding heart liberals from America...
...Again I say, we must be strong and solidly behind Israel or our administration and Congress wiH sell us down the river at the least sign of weakness...
...Israel will be best served by maintaining her present policy of settlements in Yehudah and Shom-ron...
...Skillful amputation may cause loss of limb, but prove to be a life-saver...
...I find it unjust, unrealistic, and in the long run, possibly tragic for Israel...
...I am very pessimistic about the chances for peace with Menachem Begin making the decisions...
...that Israel is intransigent and not forthcoming...
...Even worse than Carter's "neutrality" is the sniping at Begin and Israel's policy by politicians of the Ribicoff ilk...
...I am an American Jew and an Israeli citizen...
...Your poll arrives at a time when I feel like a yoyo vis-a-vis Israel...
...But, Israel has reasons to deal responsibly with Sadat, especially since Sadat has good reason to make peace with Israel...
...What sort of a crazy notion got into some American Jews since Begin assumed office...
...Here are the principal findings: 1. The intensity of disappointment in and opposition to the Carter Administration cannot be overstated...
...two out of five believe that "justice requires that the Palestinians be given the opportunity to determine their own destiny...
...It has lately replaced "Recognition of Israel" as the major obstacle to peace...
...I can stubbornly refuse to give it up, but then it may well be the death of me...
...Who can blame them after 30 years of war...
...Absolutely NO territorial concessions...
...It is Israel's responsibility to show they have chosen the right path, and to avoid pushing these leaders back into the extremist camp...
...This will push them further into the extremist camp...
...He is a captive of Sadat's "shtick" and Saudi Arabian oil control...
...But he is also rigid and of narrow vision...
...when the Arabs divided among themselves the land given to the Palestinian Arabs by the U.N., they gave up, forever, all "rights...
...This struggle is not between Israelis and Palestinians...
...Prime Minister Begin's position of maximization of territorial demands for the Jewish State is in the tradition of Jabotinsky...
...It took us, the U.S., 75 years to even consider giving up the Panama Canal to Panama, so why are we pressuring Israel, after 10 years, to rush to return Gaza and/or the West Bank...
...The tragedy is that Begin is intellectually incapable of capitalizing on the opportunity for peace that Sadat has presented him with...
...Begin's plan for Judea and Samaria was not given the attention it deserved by Mr...
...among the different Arab leaders, nor does it specify what conditions might increase the respondent's readiness to trust...
...It's so difficult for me to understand how President Carter could surround himself with "young punks" who could never possibly know anything about foreign policy, and we have to put up with their so-called "sage" advice...
...Territory Only Israel, not Jimmy Carter or his biased advisors, can decide if and/or when the West Bank or Gaza should be returned...
...I think the whole administration is 'The Jewish community must hold down its fanatical fringe who paint Carter as a modern day Amalek...
...On demographic grounds, I agree with Eban that Israel cannot afford to incorporate more districts with large Arab population into its body politic...
...Israel has very little to gain by continuing to play the hard-line role...
...Israel makes it so much more confusing to be a concerned Jew in America—there's always a Catch-22.1 begin to wonder if this constant struggling between the particular and the universal isn't destructive in the long run to the survival of the Jewish people...
...Egyptian sovereignty over Sinai is not definite and Egypt agrees...
...He knew that Prime Minister Begin could never agree to the creation of a Palestinian State, and his other proposals...
...The only valid criterion for deciding whether Israel should retain the West Bank is its impact on Israel's long-run viability as an independent Jewish State...
...Policy President Carter should have no say in the affairs of Israel...
...Carter has attempted to sell out the Israelis for this black gold...
...However, the political strength of the movement cannot be denied without endangering Israel's security forever...
...Jimmy Carter's incompetence disturbs me...
...History will judge Carter as an "enemy of the Jews," not merely as an enemy of Israel...
...4. Begin, who started out seeming to be a fresh face, each day now becomes more and more of an embarrassment...
...More than a quarter of our respondents believe that the Begin plan for self-rule is not satisfactory...
...Justice does not require a Palestinian homeland...
...Members of Western cultures should not attempt to evaluate the worth of Arab promises, much less tell someone else to stake their lives on them...
...I believe that Mr...
...The impression given is that the Israelis really prefer the status quo to a lasting peace settlement, if a peace settlement requires any major concession on their part...
...No doubt...
...still wet behind the ears, and knows absolutely nothing about running a country...
...What Israel urgently needs right now is a first-class public relations campaign...
...Nor can the PLO, at this point, or probably at any forseeable point...
...Like it or not, Israel cannot have peace without a reasonable satisfaction of Palestinian national aspirations...
...Israel needs to protect her citizens, too...
...Herewith, a sampling of the comments so many respondents added to the questionnaire: Leaders While America may want to be helpful, she has no business "forcing" Israel to back off, as is being tried...
...Israel should only be required to give peace in return for peace...
...It is incumbent upon those of us who have consistently supported Israel in every way, including financially, to voice our opposition to Begin's wrong-headed diplomacy with the vigor with which we oppose Carter's inept and biased approach to the Mideast...
...And if that is so, would Arab actions designed to increase the level of trust swing more people into the generally dovish category...
...Considering the circumstances, it seemed to me to be a fair and equitable plan and one that could add to the full realization of peace in the area...
...It's bad enough that Carter and Sadat want to see the Jews divided amongst themselves...
...Let us give of our time, concern, money and see to it that Israel not only has our sympathy, but also our backing in every way possible...
...Carter, I feel like they're stabbing me to death like I was the State of Israel...
...The real crux of the problem lies, rather, in the refusal of the Arabs to respect the national rights of others: Jews, Kurds, Black Sudanese, etc...
...Jewish self-hatred is not only disgusting, but very dangerous...
...Israel's position in the world today is quite shaky...
...so that 30 years and one generation later, the Arabs would breed a people with innate anti-Semitism...
...a vassal state of Saudi Arabia...
...He came to Jerusalem knowing full well that he was safer there than in any Arab country...
...Any solution based on such pressure is bound to ignore the real problems and thus collapse in the long run...
...It needs a Ben-Gurion...
...If this strength were only matched by some flexibility...
...They have been living in a state of stagnation while hatred breeds in their hearts...
...I think President Sadat was a big phony by coming to Israel...
...Some of the descendants of those 7th century Imperialists claim that the stolen land is theirs...
...How can the answer to nine questions ever adequately express my opinion on the Middle East...
...They will destroy the concept of a democratic Jewish State, based on Jewish self-labor...
...It does not help to say, as Golda Meir once did, that there is no Palestinian people...
...Begin in...
...We are very disappointed in the Israeli response to Sadat's initiative...
...And fully fifty percent hold that the West Bank belongs to Israel as a matter of right, and should not be relinquished under any circumstances...
...There seems little or no justification for fighting for the continued existence of the Sinai settlements...
...For peace-makers, the U.S...
...Israel should get out of Lebanon when Israel feels she should...
...Rejectionist state leaders, of course, can't be trusted...
...Skokie and the Palestinians only accentuate the problem of being Jewish for us...
...But who knows better than they that Sadat is not to be trusted...
...By virtue of their responses on other items, we may define this 15 percent as the "hard-core" doves...
...Sadat, his intransigence is compromising his own position and his insistence that Israel make major security and territorial concessions for his one "concession" of recognizing Israel's right to exist seems neither logical nor conducive to peace...
...It's time that we as Jews woke up to the fact that the Palestinian fact must be dealt with...
...Examples: planes to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and Palestinian "homeland," and pressure on Israel...
...The Arabs see weakness and vulnerability as aspects to be exploited, not sympathized with...
...I think it is worse when Jews try to divide Jews in this country...
...Hassan of Morocco is also relatively trustworthy, again because of self-interest...
...The Arabs only want the disappearance and destruction of Israel, and they must be handled in the best way possible...
...What, for example, does it mean when a respondent says that "justice requires that the Palestinians be given the opportunity to determine their own destiny," and then goes on to say that "Israel's security needs make a withdrawal from the West Bank unthinkable," or that "The West Bank belongs to Israel as a matter of right, and should not be relinquished under any circumstances...
...The Golan, Judea, Samaria, Gaza, Sinai, and Jerusalem are hers...
...The failure of Carter is, I believe, a tactless and undisciplined foreign policy, oblivious to Jewish sensitivities, but not hostile to Israel's best interests...
...administration would not be pressuring Israel as they are today...
...I cannot support his stand on the settlements nor his interpretation of Resolution 242.1 also feel that the Shiloh affair was disgraceful...
...But the solution to the Palestinian quest for a sovereign nation-state would not alone solve the Arab-Israel conflict...
...should remember that we can't always keep pressuring Israel...
...Of course, we were unhappy with Carter's Russian-American agreement (but so were Sadat, Saudi Arabia, and OPEC States,) and we are unhappy about the ridiculous plane deal...
...In general, I am disappointed in the Begin government's responses...
...one out of three feels that Israel has been inadequately responsive to the Sadat initiative...
...We know what war is like already...
...Will today's answer be satisfactory tomorrow...
...It is not clear which comes first, the willingness to trust or the willingness to concede territory...
...The Palestinian question is an interesting one...
...that the Arab owners of much land and wealth have no right to claim the one little land that belongs to us...
...The Arabs will always attempt to destroy Israel, until God punishes them unmercifully, through Israel, for their genocidal perversion...
...I believe the Israeli response to Sadat and the recent invasion of Lebanon to be short-sighted to the point of suicide...
...3. Sadat, for all his miserable past, seems to be behaving with greater intelligence and moderation than either of his counterparts...
...Prime Minister Begin's present policy is leading Israel into disaster...
...It is absurd to consider that Israel exchange this recognition and give the Arabs back all the things they could not win in the four wars...
...The Jerusalem Post said it best...
...No other question produces so lopsided a response...
...Further, there is, as would be expected, a strong correlation with readiness for territorial concessions...
...Carter...
...Although I believe Israel's initial response to the Sadat initiative was right (i.e., limited self-rule for the West Bank while maintaining Israeli military presence for security over a period of time) I also feel that continual settlements in the West Bank do little to breed West Bank Arab trust in Israeli motives...
...Don't they realize that Israel must consider security for the year 2,000 and beyond, and not set themselves up for an easy defeat whenever the Arabs decide to tear up the peace treaty...
...While three out of five endorse major territorial concessions (consistent with Israel's security requirements), three out of five hold that Israel's security needs make withdrawal from the West Bank "unthinkable...
...Its size ranges—depending on which questions are taken as critical—from 25 percent to 60 percent of all respondents to our questionnaire...
...I am an American first and foremost, but I'm also a Jew, and feel only what a Jew can feel...
...Egypt never gave the Sinai Bedouins citizenship...
...One question asked whether America should apply pressure on Israel if the Israelis do not make additional significant concessions on their own...
...From the most militant hawks to the most militant doves, Carter flunks...
...Ben-Gurion was right when he said, "Peace is more important than real estate...
...Sadat has shattered that premise, and while I am under no illusions that the entire Arab world will change overnight, I do believe that a negotiated peace is possible...
...Jordan's hegemony in the West Bank was not recognized by the world community as a whole, nor was Syria's over Golan...
...I was first chairman of the Zionist Emergency Council in my state...
...He certainly should not pressure her into concession of land...
...A compromise might be to allow the Jewish population of an Arab-ruled Judea/Samaria/Gaza to theoretically rise to the same percentage as Arabs comprise in Israel...
...It is my opinion that Israel will have to once again risk (as it has all through its existence) the possibility of war, to gain a "permanent" peace...
...Still, that is my right...
...Just because Sadat went to Jerusalem doesn't mean that Israel should give everything to him laid out on a gold platter...
...I feel that a five to ten year transitional period is needed, with the West Bank remaining permanently demilitarized...
...Most other countries have done likewise...
...As to my distrust of Arab leaders, although I still believe a majority of them do not accept Israel's existence, there are some, such as President Sadat, who are willing to chance a limited dialogue until they believe they have chosen wrong...
...Is it that people who believe, on whatever the grounds, that Arab leaders can be trusted (at least under some circumstances) go on to believe that the risk of territorial concession is not too great...
...But Samaria, maybe...
...as an ally...
...They said, "Aggression is still aggression even if it fails...
...It should be firm in its determination to facilitate a peace, but not force Israel to give up more than what security demands...
...He has made the U.S...
...He is more concerned with domestic politics than true peace...
...Then again, I could sacrifice much of its bulk to the surgeon's skilled knife...
...5. All of which points to the enormous complexity of the issues, only superficially tapped by our questions...
...Nonetheless, the fact that 72 percent of our respondents feel that Arab leaders cannot be trusted is a clear indication that the heritage of 30 years now enshrouds the prospect of peace...
...But Israel and the American Jews see him for the phony he is...
...Acting soon could return the world's attention to our initiatives—leave the onus of responsibility with them—insure our security—eliminate the legitimacy of their intransigence...
...However, from an American, and a peace point of view, Israel's post-'67 foreign policy has invited a lot of the pressure...
...World Jewry must be patient, and not be critical of situations they know very little about...
...The Israelis are hungry for peace...
...A golden opportunity for a major breakthrough in the direction of peace is being frittered away with almost insane abandon...
...At the same moment that I'm furious with Begin for his settlement policy on the West Bank, and with Schindler and the American Jewish leadership for sublimating their critical faculties about Israeli policy on the West Bank—PLO terrorists attack innocent Israeli citizens, and my emotions and concern for Israeli security overwhelm my intellectual concern for justice for the Palestinians...
...I consider peace to be the most important issue for Israel, and world Jewry, and I believe that significant risks must be taken for peace, even if we have little reason to trust Arab leaders...
...But the question would never have come up if when they ran from Israel in 1947-48 their Arab brothers had accepted them...
...Now I begin to wonder...
...Begin's position on the West Bank cannot be defended and should be criticized by the Jewish leadership...
...Unless Jews are prepared to make aliyah, let them help Israelis in a lesser way—especially by demanding that President Carter stop bullying the only democratic state in the Middle East...
...Israeli policy seems to be entrapped in a maze of slogans which are not necessarily valid today, even if they might have been so ten or more years ago...
...4. One very critical element in the entire complex of questions has to do with perceptions of Arab reliability...
...President Carter "snowed" the American people, and has done absolutely nothing in the fifteen months he has been in office, except to sway back and forth like the French people have done for many decades...
...Why then is there so much anxiety amongst some Jews in the U.S...
...I think Israel's (rather Begin's) policy has obfuscated Israel's basic security needs so that allies, people who were our staunch friends, see emerging a new, narrow, and chauvinistic Israel, with a kind of mindless, uninformed, Israel-right-or-wrong support by American Jews...
...If one becomes gangrenous—it threatens my life, my existence...
...Right now (March 22), I feel as follows: 1. Begin has turned out to be a disaster...
...We Jews demand that the theft be returned to the rightful owners...
...We define that segment as unusually intelligent, as attested by their being subscribers, and as unusually concerned, as witnessed by their having taken the time to fill out and return the poll...
...And how about a special joint Israel-Arab (local or Jordanian) patrol force to permanently secure the areas...
...The people who live in Israel are the only ones who have the right to decide what is necessary for Israel...
...We must back Israel all the way...
...Although I want very much to trust Mr...
...I do not agree that Israel must relinquish land in the first place...
...We want and expect that all will have our attitude towards honor, truth and integrity, and so We start to believe it...
...Finally, the preoccupation with concern, and rights that go beyond security, does not prevent a solid 40 percent from acknowledging the merits of Palestinian claims...
...I am a Zionist, fully committed to Israel's survival and welfare, but I cannot and will not support Begin's vision of a greater Israel...
...The Jewish community must hold down its fanatical fringe who will attempt to paint Carter as a modern day "Amalek...
...If a Palestinian state is now "unthinkable," then at the very least, Israel should, now, declare under what circumstances and at which time it could become thinkable...
...America once fought a war because a country sunk a passenger ship...
...Carter has the nerve to make him a Super-Hero...
...He is much too inflexible—at least that is the impression he gives...
...3. Our respondents draw a sharp distinction between territorial concessions in general and territorial concessions on the West Bank in particular...
...Our question asked whether Arab leaders can be trusted...
...We know there is propaganda (even in the U.S...
...Sadat made the initiative, and to world opinion it appears that Israel's hard-line approach is the stumbling block...
...But I agree with Begin that Jews have an absolute right to resettle there, now and in the future...
...Retention, on one hand, appears to make physical defense easier...
...The Israelis have had plenty of experience with Arab treachery, and cannot disregard their knowledge of just what and who they are dealing with...
...The Masada complex position, represented in America by those who would fight to the death of the last Israeli soldier, was based on a premise that we were involved in a clash of civilizations, which was part of a thousand year war...
...when the Arabs refused to allow Jews to pray at the Wall, after agreeing that they would...
...What is Egypt giving up to even the score...
...Having believed all these years that Israel truly wanted peace above all, I feel deeply disappointed and somewhat betrayed...
...Israel, and only Israel, can decide what is good for her...
...This will serve no one's interest, least of all, the Jews...
...2. There is a significant dovish element in the American Jewish community...
...I was born with two legs—my birthright...
...it seems to be deliberately provocative and offensive...
...and certainly we know that all Sadat offered is to recognize Israel (after 30 years of her existence) and after having lost four wars...
...Between the Arabs and Mr...
...To me, the only non-nego-tiable issue is Jerusalem...
...On the other hand, a large, rapidly growing Arab population, with all attendant implications flowing therefrom, would lead to the destruction of Israel's democracy and Jewish character...
...It was justified and necessary...
...His reneging on the Ford-Kissinger-Sinai deal is even more outrageous than Begin's obtuseness...
...The only thing Sadat did was to say that Israel existed...
...Asking Israel to withdraw is like giving the American southwest back to Mexico...
...It is preposterous, too, that American Jews can allow themselves to be used to help the Arabs in this quest, no matter how good the public relations...
...Sadat or Mr...
...It's all so saddening...
...President Carter has betrayed the trust that we placed in him by voting for him on the basis of his campaign pledges regarding the Middle East...
...6. In sum, there is very widespread opposition to Carter, and there is substantial internal division regarding Israeli policy...
...His judgment, I believe, is poor...
...Israel needs a political leader with both courage and vision...
...Is he sincere, courageous...
...Begin is a disaster for Israel...
...The Carter administration must maintain working relations with both sides in the dispute...
...The only way out of this dilemma appears to lie in the form of Palestinian Arab autonomy that precludes the rise of a radical, irredentist state...
...closer to Saudi Arabia than would have been the case...
...It is also my hope that the U.S...
...Only 15 percent of all respondents agreed that America should apply such pressure, a smaller number than accepted any of the "moderate" positions contained in other questions...
...His dogmatic insistence on a comprehensive settlement is insane...
...I think he is the most indecisive President we have had the misfortune of having in my lifetime, and I'm sixty years old...
...My sympathies are all with Sadat, at this point...
...Begin's ideology is alien to that of most American Jews...
...It will have to take the assurances of the U.S...
...I think it is wrong for Israel to become responsible for an additional one million Arabs...
...Carter is a "catastrophe" as far as a secure Middle East peace is concerned...
...because Begin became Premier...
...Begin is, in many ways, an admirable replacement for the pathetic Labor Party leadership...
...American Jews can best support Israel by remembering that "We are one," and stand united with the decisions of the government of Israel...
...To do otherwise would be disastrous...
Vol. 3 • May 1978 • No. 6
