Interpretations

For Israel's 66th Independence Day, choose your interpretation:

Fact: The Israelis are rich while the Palestinians are poor.

Liberal interpretation: The Israelis are exploiting the Palestinians

Conservative interpretation: The Israelis work hard while the Palestinians are lazy

Analysis: The Israelis are innovative and have developed many industries, while the Palestinians are content to live off the donations of the USA and EU while their leaders skim money off the top.

Fact: Part of the West Bank is occupied by the IDF

Liberal interpretation: The Israelis occupy Palestinian Arab land

Conservative interpretation: The occupation continues because the Palestinians refuse to make peace with Israel

Analysis: The West Bank is disputed territory and a resolution of its status cannot be made until there is a peace agreement.  Until then Israel is within its rights to continue to build there, just as the Arabs do.

Fact: Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel

Liberal interpretation: Jerusalem should be divided between Jews and Arabs

Conservative interpretation: Jerusalem is holy only to the Jews, not to the Muslims

Analysis: It would be suicidal for Israel to give up the Arab suburbs of Jerusalem to a hostile terrorist entity,

Fact: There are many Palestinian refugees who continue to suffer

Liberal interpretation: There are ca. 5 million refugees and Israel should accept them back under the "right of return."

Conservative interpretation: There are ca. 30,000 genuine refugees who left Palestine, their descendents are not refugees.

Analysis: There is no such thing as a "right of return" and Israel will never allow 5 million hostile Palestinians to return.

Fact: Israel holds Palestinian prisoners

Liberal interpretation: Israel is oppressing the Palestinians and imprisoning their leaders

Conservative interpretation: Israel holds many prisoners because they are captured terrorists

Analysis: The Palestinian prisoners held by Israel were all taken to court with a lawyer to defend them and tried and given a legal sentence.  Very few of them are leaders, most are rank and file terrorists who have "blood on their hands."

Fact: The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is unequal

Liberal interpretation: Israel is the stronger power and uses disproportionate force against Palestinian civilians

Conservative interpretation: The Palestinians will not give up their fight to destroy Israel, so Israel must respond militarily

Analysis: Until the Palestinians recognise Israel's right to exist no resolution of the conflict is possible

Fact: The Arab world is in turmoil

Liberal interpretation: Israel should not use this as an excuse to prevent a peace agreement

Conservative interpretation: No Palestinian leader will make peace with Israel while the Arab world is in turmoil

Analysis: The Palestinians are part of the Arab world and they are also split.  The latest attempt at a reconciliation between the PLO/Fatah and Hamas in Gaza is unlikely to succeed.  But, the formation of a unity government of the PA with Hamas, which is dedicated to the destruction of Israel, precludes any further negotiations.

Fact: Israel is the only stable democracy in the Middle East 

Liberal interpretation: Israel is actually an apartheid state in which Arabs are discriminated against

Conservative interpretation: The Arabs in Israel have more freedom than those in any of the Arab countries.

Analysis: Israel is a liberal democracy and the accusation that Israel is an "apartheid state" is absurd propaganda. 

Fact: The negotiations between Israel and the PA under US auspices have failed to produce any agreement

Liberal interpretation: The Netanyahu government had no real intention of making any agreement

Conservative interpretation: The Palestinians will never recognise Israel as the Jewish State

Analysis: The sides are too far apart for any negotiated agreement, a fact that US Secty of State Kerry failed to grasp.

Fact: The Palestinian leader Abbas is initiating a series of applications to UN agencies for unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood

Liberal interpretation:  The Palestinians deserve to have an independent state without Israeli permission.

Conservative interpretation: All UN resolutions and agreements so far require a negotiated agreement between Israel and the Palestinian representatives.

Analysis: If the Palestinians choose to take unilateral actions without consultation with Israel, then Israel can do the same, and it is likely that in response Israel will annex the large Jewish settlements in the West Bank.