Philadelphia — We bring to your attention “Recognizing Israel as the Jewish State: Statements,” a continuously updated, 14,000-word weblog by Middle East Forum president Daniel Pipes that provides the fullest source of information in English on the issue of Palestinians recognizing Israel as the Jewish state.
The Jewish state argument stood at the margins of diplomacy as recently as 2007. But it has quickly become central to Israel-Palestinian negotiations – and a possible deal-breaker in the current round of negotiations. Both sides insist on their way, and their positions could hardly be farther apart:
“Palestine can never recognize Israel as a Jewish state.” Palestinian Authority boss Mahmoud Abbas, January 20, 2014.
“If the Palestinians expect me and my people to recognize a nation state for the Palestinian people, surely we can expect them to recognize a nation state for the Jewish people. After all, we’ve only been here four millennia.” Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, January 21, 2014.
January 13, 2014: Arab League foreign ministers tell Secretary of State John Kerry that they refuse to accept Israel as a Jewish state.
January 15, 2014: Egypt’s Al-Ahram reports that John Kerry “tried to convince officials in [Jordan and Saudi Arabia] of the Jewishness of Israel.”
January 20, 2014: Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper told the Israeli parliament that “Support today for the Jewish State of Israel is more than a moral imperative. It is also a matter of strategic importance, also a matter of our own, long-term interests.”
For more information, contact:
Amy Shargel, Director, Middle East Forum
Shargel@MEForum.org
