Peter Beinart: “I No Longer Believe In A Jewish
State”
Allan C. Brownfeld, Editor
Special Interest Report
August 2020
Peter Beinart, a long-time liberal Zionist and advocate of a two-State
solution, has now changed his mind. He stirred much controversy with an
article in The New York Times (July 8, 2020) entitled, “I No Longer Believe
In A Jewish State.” This was preceded by a longer article in Jewish
Currents, where he is editor-at-large, “Yavne: A Jewish Case For Equality In
Israel-Palestine.”
He writes: “For decades I argued for a separation between Israelis and
Palestinians. Now, I can imagine a Jewish home in an equal state...I was 22
in 1993 when Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat shook hands on the White House
lawn to officially begin the peace process that many hoped would create a
Palestinian state alongside Israel. I’ve been arguing for a two-State
solution...ever since. “
Beinart notes that, “I knew Israel was wrong to deny Palestinians in the
West Bank citizenship, due process, free movement and the right to vote in
the country in which they lived. But the dream of a two-State solution that
would give Palestinians a country of their own let me hope that I could
remain a liberal and a supporter of Jewish statehood at the same time.
Events have extinguished that hope.”
At the present time, about 640,000 Jewish settlers now live in East
Jerusalem and the West Bank and, argues Beinart, “...the Israeli and
American governments have divested Palestinian statehood of any real
meaning. The Trump administration’s peace plan envisions an archipelago of
Palestinian towns scattered across as little as 70% of the West Bank, under
Israeli control. ...If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fulfills his pledge
to impose Israeli sovereignty in parts of the West Bank, he will just
formalize a decades-old reality: In practice, Israel annexed the West Bank
long ago.”
In reality, Beinart writes, “Israel has all but made its decision: one
country that includes millions of Palestinians who lack basic rights. Now
liberal Zionists must make our decision, too. It’s time to abandon the
traditional two-state solution and embrace the goal of equal rights for Jews
and Palestinians. It’s time to imagine a Jewish home that is not a Jewish
state...Equality could come in the form of one state. That includes Israel,
the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem......or it could be a
confederation that allows free movement between two deeply integrated
countries.”
Achieving the goal of equality, Beinart believes, ...would be long and
difficult. But it is not fanciful. The goal of equality is now more
realistic than the goal of separation...Israel is already a binational
State. Two peoples, roughly equal in number, live under the ultimate control
of one government. And the political science literature is clear: divided
societies are most stable and most peaceful when governments represent all
their people.”
Beinart concludes: “A Jewish state has become the dominant form of Zionism.
But it is not the essence of Zionism. The essence of Zionism is a Jewish
home in the land of Israel, a thriving Jewish society that can provide
refuge and rejuvenation for Jews across the world. Israel-Palestine can be a
Jewish home that is also, equally, a Palestinian home. Building that home
can bring liberation not just for Palestinians but for us, too.” **
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