ISRAEL IS an extraordinary place, full of people who — in the span of one lifetime — survived the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century, established a sanctuary for millions of traumatized Jewish refugees, and prevailed in three existential wars.
Yet its image in the world is still hostage to one question: What will happen to the millions of Palestinians living under Israeli control? Here’s a bit of what I heard on a recent journalist trip to the region organized by the Foundation for Middle East Peace.
THE KNESSET is a hive of activity. Elections are in the air. In the maze-like hallways, you can almost hear the sound of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition cracking. There’s a feeling that he’s vulnerable. His party, Likud, is the smallest ruling party in history.
We sit down in a conference room with a member of the right-wingJewish Home party. She’s in a foul mood. Newspapers have just published a list of possible sanctions that the European Union could enact against members of her party, which supports settlements and opposes a Palestinian state.
“The Americans have thrown us under the bus,” she fumes. “The European Union would never do such a thing without getting a quiet OK from the United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment