WJC President Stirs Debate By Urging Israel To Dismantle Its Settlements

Edgar Bronfman, president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) has stirred a debate with his recent call for the dismantlement of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and unilateral separation from the Palestinians.

Speaking at a WJC gathering in Jerusalem on October 31, Bronfman, reports The Forward (Nov. 9, 2001), “became the first major American Jewish communal leader to break ranks openly with Mr. Sharon ... Mr. Sharon regularly fends off attacks from Israeli doves who want him to negotiate with Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority and agree to the eventual dismantlement of settlements, even as hawks press him to expel Mr. Arafat and dismantle his regime. Similar critiques are voiced regularly in the American and European media. Until now, however, the debate has been muted within the American Jewish communal life. Unsettled by the fury of Palestinian violence over the last year and unwilling to question an Israel under fire, most Jewish activists have kept their criticisms to themselves and supported Israel publicly.”

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the senior leader of Reform Judaism, said: “At a time when Sharon is heading a unity government fighting terror, I’m not interested in criticizing him on what are theoretical positions.”

Mr. Bronfman said that it was his intention to initiate a debate among Israelis, but that he had no “objection” to triggering discussions within the American Jewish community. He noted that, “It’s very difficult to be told to agree with the government when the government doesn’t agree with itself, and has no policy in place to attempt to deal with the situation.”

Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of CLAL—The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, declared, “It’s important to widen the debate. A lack of debate allows opinions to get sloppy.”

Columnist Leonard Fein (The Forward, Nov. 9, 2001) argues that if critics of Israeli policy remain silent, both Jerusalem and Washington “will suppose” that “the noisy, hawkish stance of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish organizations speak for the majority of America’s Jews.”

Fein believes that “Israel’s policies endanger Israel’s security and wellbeing.” He points out that an advertisement signed by prominent Israelis and Palestinians in the International Herald Tribune (Oct. 29, 2001), Ha’aretz, Al-Ayyam and Al-Quds received almost no coverage in the U.S. and is worthy of attention.

It stated, in part: “The window of opportunity created by the international desire to unite against terror following the criminal acts of September 11 is in danger of closing. Our region is being dragged to the brink of an unnecessary war by the acts of extremists on both sides. We, the undersigned, believe that we represent the majority on each side in our rejection of terror in all its forms. We demand the immediate implementation of the Mitchell Report and in particular: an immediate end to all violence and assassinations; an immediate cessation of all settlement activity; return to permanent status negot­iations based on U.N. Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and building on the progress achieved in previous negotiation rounds.”

Signing the declaration were 18 Palestinians, including five members of Yasser Arafat’s cabinet — and 19 Israelis, including 10 members of the Knesset and six former members. Many of the Israelis are well-known to American Jews: Yossi Sarid, Collette Avital, Yael Dayan, Yossi Beilin, and Yuli Tamir among them.

Leonard Fein writes: “I do not know whether there was much conversation in Israel about the ad when it was published, so dispirited is the peace camp these days. I also do not know whether adding the signatures of thousands of American Jews will help the cause of peace. But I do know such signatures won’t hurt. The address for endorsement is ‘IPJointDeclaration@hotmail.com.’ Now you can’t say you didn’t know.”