Remembering April 24th, Israeli Palestinian Memorial Day

April 24th, has been designated Israeli Palestinian Memorial Day. What the day commemorates is both Israelis and Palestinians, who have died in the perpetual sectarian violence. I was in Tel-Aviv, where at in Rabin Square, renamed from the Kings of Israel Square, after Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated there. Within the square, were coffins draped with both Israeli and Palestinian flags, to show how many have died from the violence, since both Rabin and Yasir Arafat signed the Oslo Accords. You may want to offer your view, no matter what it may be, on what this day signifies to you.

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Permalink Reply by Igor Gonev on May 3, 2012 at 2:55pm

Curious reply "just the West Bank and Gaza. Israel is no longer in Gaza, but it is still in the West Bank." So all the others get a pass and only Israel MUST give up its heritage. The answer is in "Oslo"-autonomy. Is that not what you are suggesting for the Kurds and is that not what the USA has created for the Kurds in Iraq?

There are solutions and options if we look for them.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Upham on May 3, 2012 at 5:33pm

Yes, there are solutions and options. With the Kurds in Iraq, obviously Turkey was a great deciding factor into how much autonomy they should have. So that does not mean there should not be an independent Kurdistan? The Kurds have been trying to achieve independence since the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. But a great deal of their territory having oil reserves went under British and French mandate, and after World War II became independent Iraq and Syria, minus Iran and Turkey. But there would have to be a drive to have an international solution to Kurdistan. The international solution for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza is mediation, not bring them together. They already are together. If Israel is being deprived of its heritage by relinquishing the West Bank, then which is worse, being deprived of its heritage or forever having to deal with a restive population? Dealing with a restive population is the reason why Israel withdrew from Gaza. At the Israel Museum, I saw numerous ancient artworks from present-day Gaza. But was 16,000 Israelis suppose to administer over 1.5 million Palestinians? It can be said are things any better after Israel withdrew? Then this leads us into the problem of factious Palestinian leadership. Israel withdrew from Gaza, but Gaza is plagued by factious leadership. This is something that solutions and options can be applied to. With the West Bank are approximately 300,000 Israelis suppose to administer over 3,000,0000 Palestinians. So it is either apply some type of autonomy as the Oslo Accords outlined and said it would be expanded, or apply Meir Kahane's radical thought that they should all be expelled. So it is Jewish thought to apply either one or the other. As an individual, I choose to support the first option. But that does not mean that more than two options can be explored.

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Permalink Reply by Igor Gonev on May 3, 2012 at 5:54pm

So short of allowing another Palestinian state and the right of return of refugees, what is your solution. Maybe we are not that far apart in out thinking after all. Autonomy with a joint Jewish-Arab administration in Judea and Samaria and Gaza would be a good indicator of whether we can co-exist with the Palestinians on this small piece of land.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Upham on May 3, 2012 at 8:34pm

It is hard to say if Israel wants to go in and reestablish a presence within Gaza. But withdrawing unilaterally, shows that it has no desire too. So it seems that Gaza is on its own, with Hamas currently damaging its economy. As for the West Bank, it is divided up into three areas, where there is joint administration of one degree or another. But if both Israel and the Palestinian Authority can agree to continue that type of format. It can, but there is a stronger drive within Israel, Jordan, United States, and the European Union for a two-state solution. So unless all of these entities can support and formulate some type of joint administration, it seems like the momentum for a two-state solution has more support to it. That is like what is being proposed by the settlers, that they have dual citizenship. So regardless, they will be no such thing as areas that are Jew-free and Arab-free. Any place that has a majority, will always have a minority, and that is a given.

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Permalink Reply by Igor Gonev on May 3, 2012 at 11:03pm

I do agree to some degree. I do object to the USA, Jordan or the EU having any say as to what happens in Judea and Samaria or Gaza. Israelis would probably vote overwhelmingly for autonomy where only natural growth would be allowed and the refugee problem would have to be solved from without rather than within.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Upham on May 3, 2012 at 11:29pm

Israel can have a referendum on the future status of the West Bank. They are scheduled to have elections this fall. But it does not seem so far yet, that the future status of the West Bank will be included. If that is not the case, then it will be up to the ruling party to handle the future status of the West Bank. That is the reason why I am hoping Kadima will become the ruling party, because they are more definite about a two-state solution.

Permalink Reply by Igor Gonev on May 4, 2012 at 3:54am

How does that US saying go, about a snowballs chance in hell. Kadima is polling in the 10 seat range while Likud is in the 30 seat range. There is no reason to decide on the status of Judea and Samaria as there is no one on the other side who can make a decision as to acceptance and no one was available until now. Oslo was premature and that is why it is now at deaths door if not past that door. There is no appetite by any party in Israel to disturb the status quo under these conditions.This election is going to be about the economy and social issues as it should be.