Illuminating the path

Editorial

At Chanukah, we celebrate the hard-won right to religious freedom, the victory of the few over the many, the miracle of the one-day’s supply of oil that lasted eight days.

As we reflect on these ancient events and consider their meaning for contemporary events, we are put in mind of the story from the Canadian Jewish News that the Independent reprinted last issue, in which Israel’s new consul general to Toronto and Western Canada, D.J. Schneeweiss, was forced to defend a report he wrote for the Israeli Foreign Ministry last July.

The leaked report on the issue of delegitimization was spun by media as being anti-Israel. And yet, his remarks appear to have been accurate, even prescient. He argued that the Palestinian Authority’s (now-successful) bid to achieve observer non-member-state status at the United Nations does not affect in any way Israel’s legitimacy. Neither, he contended, does the Palestinians’ decision to recognize, or not recognize, Israel as a Jewish state. There are reasons to oppose these positions, but they do not pose a threat to Israel’s legitimacy.

“There is a price you pay to credibility when you imply that every single time someone disagrees with you they’re actually trying to end your existence,” Schneeweiss warns in the CJN article. “We have to be more disciplined.”

He asked policymakers to consider what actual effects flotillas and other such PR stunts have on Israel’s legitimacy: “Just because someone has the intent or makes the attempt to delegitimize you doesn’t mean you actually have been delegitimized,” he said, adding, “We are legitimate because we have borders, the rule of law, UN recognition, a historic right to the land ... and because the Western world sees us, in general, as legitimate.”

Being overly concerned with, or defining ourselves by, the perceptions or actions of others cedes control of our future and of our narrative to others. Not only that, but basing our identity and behavior on what we think someone else wants us to do, in our personal or political lives, is even harder than staying true to our own course, being “the person or state we wish to be,” so to speak.

While Jewish advocacy groups and countries supportive of Israel tripped over each other to condemn the recent UN decision, and Israel announced its plan to build 3,000 homes east of Jerusalem, what has been grievously lacking is any hint of original ideas for addressing what comes next. While there is plenty of criticism and ideological knee-jerking, there have been precious few ideas for how Israel or the world Jewish community might constructively respond to the new reality. We desperately need new ideas.

We need to start considering the breadth of the Jewish community’s experience and opinions on what ultimately could bring the desired resolution: a two-state solution whereby Israelis can live in relative peace with their neighbors.

Many valid and complex issues are raised as barriers to a resolution – the status of Jerusalem, refugee compensation (for both Arabs and Jews), settlements, final borders, protection of and access to holy sites ... the list goes on. But is there a way we can be more imaginative about the elements required to reach the end goal? For example, almost all of the reactions to the UN decision said that negotiations were necessary for a genuine and lasting peace. Is this really the only avenue? Can the diplomatic win for Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah not be leveraged in some way to Israel’s advantage? On the cynical side, could an Abbas UN “victory” be used to sideline the terrorist Hamas leadership in Gaza? Could Israel and its allies use the fact that it was the UN’s decision to change the Palestinians’ status in the organization to successfully pressure the UN and its blue helmets to take some active responsibility for stopping the barrage of rockets targeting Israeli civilian centres, or for persuading Fatah to come to the table to at least discuss becoming good neighbors?

These are probably naive ideas, but what we’ve been doing – from re-branding Israel, to screaming our side of the narrative, to military action – has not brought us the peace we seek.

As we celebrate this festival of light, let us focus on generating new ideas, and on cultivating and valuing forward-thinking, creative Jewish leadership. We need not be victims of the future – in fact, we are obligated to be active agents in our own story. We need to face new challenges with new solutions. And, yes, a miracle would help.

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