Category Archives: Israeli or Jewish History

The Partition Resolution: a Paper Triumph

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Victor Rosenthal

Friday was 29 November, the 72nd anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s passage of resolution 181, the “partition resolution” which recommended the division of the Palestine Mandate into a Jewish and an Arab state. You will see this date on … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli or Jewish History, Israeli Politics, The UN | 1 Comment

Realism, not Sadism

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Victor Rosenthal

Odeh Bisharat is an Arab novelist, political writer and activist, who is also – quite painfully for him – a citizen of the Jewish state of Israel. He recently published an op-ed in that flagship of Jewish shame, Ha’aretz, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Arabs, Israeli or Jewish History | 2 Comments

The nakba that is Ha’aretz

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Victor Rosenthal

One   who   becomes   compassionate   instead of   cruel,   will   ultimately   become   cruel   instead   of   compassionate… Midrash Kohelet Rabba (a discussion of this is here) The lead editorial in Ha’aretz today is headlined “The Nakba isn’t Going Away,” and it touts a … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, Israeli or Jewish History, Media, War | 4 Comments

How to Win Back the Squandered Gift of 1967

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Victor Rosenthal

Recently I watched a short (10 minutes), very powerful video about Israel’s victory in the Six Days War. The film suggests that the victory was literally miraculous. It may well have been so, although miracles like the destruction of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, Israeli or Jewish History, War | Comments Off on How to Win Back the Squandered Gift of 1967

Don’t apologize

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Victor Rosenthal

Often I read “pro-Israel” articles, usually by American Jews, which include a statement like this: “Of course I disagree with many of Israel’s policies, but…” Or, “Of course, Israel treats the Palestinians badly, but…” Or, “Of course the occupation is … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, Israeli or Jewish History, Israeli Society | Comments Off on Don’t apologize

The absurdity of land swaps

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Victor Rosenthal

Recent hints about what might be in Donald Trump’s deal of deals indicate that it includes Israel annexing parts of Judea and Samaria containing major settlement blocks, in return for “land swaps” in which a Palestinian entity would receive land … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Peace' Process, Israel and Palestinian Arabs, Israeli or Jewish History | 1 Comment

Divorcing the Palestinians

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Victor Rosenthal

One of the favorite lines heard from Israel’s Left is that they want to “separate” from the Palestinians, or, lately, to “divorce” them. This may sound like a good idea, but it is a poor analogy. In the usual divorce, … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Peace' Process, Israel and Palestinian Arabs, Israeli or Jewish History | 2 Comments

Ben-Gurion, Zionism, and democracy

Posted on January 13, 2019 by Victor Rosenthal

During the acrimonious debate over the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, opponents claimed it was defective because it didn’t mention “democracy” or “equality,” concepts that are found implicitly or explicitly in Israel’s Declaration of Independence, … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli or Jewish History, Israeli Politics, Zionism | 1 Comment