Palestinian Attacks Wound Israel's Reputation

[Purveyor]

FEB 8, 2016 12:02 PM EST
By Daniel Gordis

Palestinians’ recent attacks on Israelis are, at first blush, not an existential threat to Israel. Horrific as the losses are, the future of the state is not in question.

Or so it seems. But in a closer look, it appears that this round of violence is costing Israel more than the human toll. As the Palestinians clearly intend, the renewed conflict is doing serious damage to Israel’s international standing.

One of the first indications of this swing in public opinion was a comment by Sweden’s foreign minister, Margot Wallstrom, who laid part of the blame for November’s terrorist attacks in Paris on Israel. “To counteract the radicalization we must go back to the situation such as the one in the Middle East of which not the least the Palestinians see that there is no future: We must either accept a desperate situation or resort to violence,” she said not particularly coherently on Swedish television.

A tongue-lashing from Sweden was not terribly surprising. Relations between Israel and Sweden have been rather icy since Sweden decided, in October 2014, to recognize Palestine as a state. In response to that declaration, Israel snubbed Wallstrom, who responded by canceling a scheduled trip to Israel. Yet despite the cool relations, blaming Islamic State attacks on Israel seemed a new low for a Swedish official. Israeli officials rebuked Wallstrom, but the public was keenly aware that relations between the Jewish state and parts of Europe had hit a new low.

Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said to the Security Council that “It is human nature to react to occupation, which often serves as a potent incubator of hate and extremism.” Once again, the Israeli government responded with fury. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retorted that the secretary-general had provided “a tailwind for terrorism” and insisted that “those Palestinians who murder do not want to build a state, they want to destroy a state and they say this openly.” In this case, even moderates joined the condemnation. After a New York Times op-ed article in which Ban defended his remarks, the centrist columnist Jeffrey Goldberg tweeted that he was “eagerly awaiting Ban Ki-moon's New York Times op-ed criticizing Russia's intervention in Syria.”

more...

http://bloombergview.com/articles/2016-02-08/palestinian-attacks-wound-israel-s-reputation

[King_David]

1. Daniel Gordis

Daniel Gordis

Dr. Daniel Gordis is Senior Vice President and Senior Fellow at the Shalem Center. Professor Alan Dershowitz has called him "one of Israel's most thoughtful observers." His writing has appeared in magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, The New Republic, The New York Times Magazine, Moment, Tikkun, Azure, and Commentary Magazine. His latest book, Saving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War That May Never End was published by Wiley in March 2009, and was subsequently awarded the 2009 National Jewish Book Award. His next book, co-authored with Dr. David Ellenson of the Hebrew Union College, is e
Facebook Daniel at https://www.facebook.com/DanielGordis


http://www.jpost.com/Author/Daniel-Gordis


Endorsed by Dershowitz

[Little Tich]

2. It's pretty significant that even some on the right-wing are beginning to understand

that there might be other underlying causes to the current violence than just incitement.

[shira]

4. Do you try explaining the cause of any other terror attacks worldwide? Any at all? n/t

[Little Tich]

6. Of course. Why do you think groups like the PKK in Turkey,

The ETA in Spain and the IRA in Northern Ireland ever resorted to terrorism? All these groups can trace their origin from a state of oppression.

I doesn't mean that they are excused in any way, but it's reasonable to say that oppression sometimes causes resistance in the form of terrorism.

[shira]

7. Really? Those groups target kids, pregnant women & then praise & reward those acts?

Do fathers & mothers outside I/P celebrate when their child murders innocents? And then these actions are explained by world leaders as human nature?

I don't see the point to all this pretense, as if what the Palestinians are doing is natural worldwide.

It clearly isn't.

So why the pretense?

[shira]

8. Those other occupied people haven't turned down offers for their own state....

....repeatedly, free of occupation,like the Palestinians have on numerous occasions. It's unimaginable that other occupied people would.

So they're even more "desperate" than Palestinians, and yet we don't see constant incitement to murder children or elderly, nor do we see praise of such attacks. We certainly don't see those terrorists cast as victims when killed.

Your position is morally indefensible.

[Little Tich]

9. I think it's disingenious to somehow argue that Palestinian terrorism is worse than any other kind

terrorism.

When it comes to imaginary offers, I don't remember any offer that would remove the occupation completely. A withdrawal that doesn't remove the illegal settlements is meaningless, as every single settlement is built in a location that makes a Palestinian state non-viable. If land swaps were possible, then I would have nothing against having the matter looked into.

[shira]

10. So name terror somewhere else that's just as bad, and explained "in context"....

....where the terrorists must be seen as poor victims. We both know you cannot, mainly because it's absurd in any other context.

When it comes to imaginary offers, I don't remember any offer that would remove the occupation completely. A withdrawal that doesn't remove the illegal settlements is meaningless, as every single settlement is built in a location that makes a Palestinian state non-viable. If land swaps were possible, then I would have nothing against having the matter looked into.

The Palestinians rejected the '47 Partition Plan and the plans in 2001 and 2008 included land swaps, half of Jerusalem, etc.

No other desperate occupied victim people would reject that.

Problem is, the Palestinians are against the existence of a Jewish state, just like anti-Zionists and BDS'ers are. It's not about a state of their own & never has been.

[6chars]

3. eh

It doesn't take much for Swedish ministers and UN officials to justify terrorism .

[shira]

5. Perfect for Israel haters. Root the terrorists on, still blame Israel for it.

How much better does it get than that?

[geek tragedy]

12. do any supporters of Israel understand the difference

between explanation and justification?

Anyhow, enjoy your one-state solution. You earned it.

[King_David]

14. You're wrong - The unilateral pullout plan is gaining steam,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1134124749

That's the next step...

[geek tragedy]

15. The Sharon plan for Gaza except ten times bigger.

Real plausible. Should go over swimmingly.

[King_David]

16. Go over with whom?

Hamas ?
There's nothing short of National Jewish suicide that will make any plan go over swimmingly- hence the unilateral pullout plan...

[geek tragedy]

17. those settler nutjobs are armed, committed to staying, and have significant power in the Knesset.

good luck getting them out

[azurnoir]

11. Israel isn't helping itself much here between home demolitions, denial of funerals to families

allowing anyone who police decide to be searched just because the police want to, and now suspending Arab MK's for comforting families who've been denied the right to bury their family members

[geek tragedy]

13. Israel considers the occupation to be its highest national priority.

Once one understands that--that increasingly it is impossible to oppose the occupation while remaining a loyal Israeli or a supporter of Israel--then things make a lot more sense.

The occupation is Israel, and Israel is the occupation.