Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Rahm Emanuel's Rabbi is Nutty

Or his former rabbi, rather. Specifically because of his political views regarding Israel.

Lopatin ... developed some nonconformist ideas, such as "one state, democratic, Jewish and Palestinian."

According to his philosophy, there would first be "a moratorium on the demolition of Arab houses in Jerusalem, in exchange for official U.S. recognition of the right to build for natural Jewish growth in Jewish settlements in the West Bank." This would be followed by "the immediate return of Gilad Shalit; release of Palestinian prisoners; U.S. commuting Jonathan Pollard and sending him to Israel."

Ultimately, he envisages a situation where Jews and Arabs will live anywhere they desire in the Land of Israel - the Jews will be able to live in all quarters of the Old City, and if they wish also in Bethlehem, Nablus and Gaza, while the Palestinians will be able to purchase property, not only in the West Bank but also in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and anywhere else. The Law of Return, he believes, should be applicable not only to Jews but also to Arabs. Israel, he says, would be able to improve its demographic balance "by letting in potentially millions of Africans, Asians and South Americans who self-identify as Jewish even if they cannot prove their Jewish descent."

While I suppose as a human rights advocate, I have no problem with it (except for the obvious point that Jews and Arabs can no more live together in peace in a state than any other two ethnic groups; you need the hundreds-plus with no state ethnic identity and an assimilating culture like in the U.S. for that to work well).

But I don't see how this would amount to anything other than a recipe for the destruction of the Jewish state, if it allows Arabs to return. Perhaps the rabbi doesn't realize how many of them have been kept in shit conditions by Syria, Lebanon and to some extent Jordan who'd come to Israel for the welfare state if nothing else. (not THAT many would be needed to collapse the state, less than for demographic imperilment)

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