Word: israels
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...weeks ago today, I wrote a piece called "Israel's Worst Best Friends," in which I argued that Israel's morally unsavory actions against Palestinians in the occupied territories create an intellectual crisis for a certain group of American Jews...
...defined this group, the "Zealots," as those Jews who support Israel merely because it is a Jewish state, and for whom Israel's status as a democracy is ancillary. Because the majority of American supporters of Israel--myself included--do not share this unqualified support for Israel, the Zealots are forced into intellectual dishonesty when Israel commits acts unbefitting a democracy...
...many Israelis, these killings are proof that the uprising is merely a brutish expression of Palestinian hostility. But that attitude ignores the fundamental accomplishments of the intifadeh. Two years of prime-time revolt have wrought an extraordinary shift in international, and especially U.S., public opinion, convincing many of Israel's supporters that the Jewish nation's continued rule over 1.7 million Arabs is dangerous and absurd. And after decades of serving as pawns for larger powers, the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have taken control of the Arab struggle against Israel, forcing the rest of the Arab world...
...with Washington, but brought on nightmares in Jerusalem. Pressure mounted from the Bush Administration and American Jews, and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir finally countered with an initiative last spring that calls for elections among Palestinians in the territories. Representatives chosen there would negotiate a period of autonomy with Israel, to be followed by the promise of talks on a final settlement...
Jerusalem has been in the middle of a game of hot potato ever since. The main obstacle: how to assemble a Palestinian delegation that gives Arafat a voice but allows Israel to pretend that the P.L.O. is not party to negotiations. So far, no formula has been found. While the U.S. is growing impatient with Shamir's delaying tactics, President Bush appears unwilling to expend his political capital by pressuring Shamir. Privately, many U.S. officials have concluded that Shamir is incapable of compromise...