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Setting the Record Straight

A Realistic View of the Conflict

posted on 05/09/08

“The enemies of Israel divide into two main camps: the left and the Muslims, with the far right a minor third element. … In the final analysis, however, the Left serves less as a force in its own right than as an auxiliary for the primary anti-Zionist actor, which is the Muslim population. … Israel having survived countless threats to its existence over the past six decades, and it having done so with its honor intact, offers a reason for its population to celebrate. But the rejoicing cannot last long, for it’s right back to the barricades to defend against the next threat.”
–Daniel Pipes, National Post, May 6, 2008

VS.

“At the end of the decade, the traditional disagreements between left and right have lost much of their relevance, as a majority of Israelis support the end of occupation and the creation of a Palestinian state. … Unilateralism is largely discredited as an option. Our negotiating partner is our partner, however imperfect. Israelis may be less hopeful than they were, but they are more realistic in their demands. They know the limits of military power. What’s more, they know that time is running out. It may just be that sense of urgency that will make an agreement possible at the end of 2008.”
–MK Colette Avital (Labor), Jewish Daily Forward, May 1, 2008