Wearing a kipah in a liberal academic environment, I am occasionally confronted by colleagues eager to express their sympathies for the Palestinian cause.  I listen in shock and disbelief at how they distort history to portray the Palestinians as the victims and the Israelis as the oppressors in the Middle East conflict. They tell me about “the poor, displaced, oppressed Palestinians who are struggling to survive under the harsh Israeli military occupation.”  They see the villains in this conflict as the American-supported, technologically advanced Israeli army, which marches into “Palestinian territory” to demolish homes, arrest the men, and humiliate the women at the numerous checkpoints. After all, these women are only trying to cross the border to obtain a little food and medicine for their hungry, sick children who are running around barefoot in the sand. Don’t we all know that it is the Palestinian children who are suffering the most as the innocent victims of this prolonged turmoil and violence? Oh, if only these poor, homeless Palestinians had a little piece of land that they could call their own, free from the “racist, apartheid Israeli government,” they would be so happy tending to their goatherds, cultivating their olive trees, and selling pottery to tourists. There would be peace and tranquility throughout the Holy Land!

I don’t fault my colleagues for harboring these views. I don’t consider them antagonistic or anti-Semitic. I actually get along quite well with them. I fault them only for allowing themselves to be misinformed and misguided. They are, themselves, the victims of a well-funded Palestinian propaganda machine, a biased media which relies on Palestinian sources, a Muslim-dominated United Nations, and a European Union which prefers to curry favor with 300 million Arabs rather than 5 million Israelis.

Their illusionary beliefs remind me of a scene in the popular Broadway musical, “Fiddler on the Roof.”  In this scene, Tevye’s younger daughters, approaching marriageable age, dream of the husband that Yentl the Matchmaker will bring them. They fantasize that he will be a handsome scholar, “as rich as a king.”  Their older sister then awakens them to the reality that they are more likely to get a drunken wife-beater than a rich, handsome scholar.  Similarly, we need to dismiss our illusions about a peaceful Palestinian state and examine what we can really expect from such a state, based on actual statements and actions from the Palestinians and their Muslim cohorts.  First, let’s take a look at some basic geographic and demographic statistics.

The main reason for listing these statistics here is to illustrate that the tiny sizes and large population densities of the State of Israel and the Palestinian territories would require a great deal of mutual cooperation between the two in order for them to survive. Neither could be economically viable by just remaining within their own borders. There would have to be a great deal of interdependence and cooperation between the two states on issues of regional concern.  These issues include: security, transportation, commerce, agriculture, tourism, natural resources, archeology, and public health. Let’s try to take a realistic view of issues that may arise with the establishment of a Palestinian state and how they may be addressed by the nascent state. There are many questions  which come to mind so we’ll just ask the questions and leave it to the reader to determine the answers.

I.                    Mutual Cooperation.  Have any of the Palestinian groups given any indication in their words or deeds that they are ready to accept and cooperate with a Jewish State of Israel in any borders at all?  Are there any indications that the establishment of a Palestinian State will be followed by the cessation of terrorist tactics against the State of Israel? Can we be confident that terrorism and conflict will replaced by an amicable atmosphere of acceptance,  tolerance, and negotiated compromise? Have the Palestinians said or done anything to suggest that?

II.                 Commerce.  Both Israel and a neighboring Palestinian state would depend on an exchange of goods between the two states.  That includes manufactured and agricultural goods, as well as human resources.  Will the checkpoints that exist now be reduced or could they even be expanded to include both Palestinian and Israeli checkpoints at the borders?  Will there be free trade or a system of tariffs and taxes on the goods?  What kind of security will there be at the border crossings? How easy or difficult will it be for merchants to exchange goods between the two states?

III.                 Passports and Visas.  An independent Palestinian state will have the ability to issue passports and visas.  Can we feel confident that passports won’t be issued to trained terrorists who want to export their skills to comrades in other countries?  Since the Gaza Strip is so readily accessible by land, sea, and air, can we be confident that the Gaza Strip won’t be used as a safe haven for international criminals who are trying to escape from Interpol or the FBI?

IV.              Security and Weapons. A sovereign Palestinian state would have the right to purchase  weapons for security and defense.  Can we be confident that the Palestinians will do that in a responsible manner so that explosive materials and sophisticated weapons don’t get into the hands of criminals and terrorists? Will the Palestinians be able to maintain a system of security and justice within their own borders?

V.                 Natural Resources.  Fresh water and energy sources are scarce in that part of the world. Will the Palestinians and Israelis work amicably together to conserve, develop, and distribute valuable water resources? How will they determine placement of pipelines and cables?  How will they ensure that both countries get an adequate supply of water, oil, and electricity?  What kind of security will be provided for pipelines, cables, and reservoirs?

VI.              Transportation.  The Palestinians will probably want to construct airports, seaports, and highways. Can we be assured that they will do that with concern for security and environmental protection?  Will the Palestinians show respect for archeological, historical, and religious sites in their construction plans? Let’s take an example of a transportation issue that could feasibly arise with the establishment of a Palestinian State.

            Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport is only a short distance from Palestinian areas. What would happen if an El-Al pilot has to circle over Palestinian airspace in a period of heavy air traffic or poor weather conditions?  Is it possible that a surface-to-air missile will shoot up from Palestinian territory to destroy the plane and kill all 400 passengers? The Palestinians will immediately call a press conference and say, “We’re really sorry that we shot down the plane, we didn’t mean it.  Our radar operator reported a military craft violating our airspace.  We dismissed the radar operator and this will never happen again.”  In the meantime, 400 Jews were killed and travel to Israel will grind to a halt. 

           Let’s say the reverse situation occurs. The Palestinians build an airport on the Gaza Strip, a short distance from Tel Aviv.  Israeli security officials will probably insist that all take-off and landing patterns be directed away from Israeli population centers.  One day, Israeli radar detects a commercial jet over international waters in the Mediterranean heading straight for Tel Aviv.  It is conceivable that the pilot had a legitimate need to modify his landing pattern because of air traffic, weather conditions, or a medical emergency on board. Israeli security officials will have only minutes to establish communication with the pilot to be sure that he has no malicious intent.  If they can’t do that, do they shoot down a commercial jet over international waters and kill a few hundred civilians, or do they allow the plane to continue on a possible mission of enormous death and destruction?  That’s a decision that not even King Solomon would want to make. Can we really trust the Palestinians to use transportation facilities in a responsible manner?

VII.              Tourism.  Tourists who wish to visit the Holy Land will probably want to visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Nazareth, and Tiberias, all within driving distance from each other.  Will Palestinians cooperate with Israelis to allow tourists of all faiths to have free access to these areas?  What kind of security will be provided for tourist buses? What happens when the bus has to travel from Israeli to Palestinian areas? Will buses be able to travel directly from Jerusalem to Hebron or from Jericho to Tiberias, or will they have to take some lengthy, circuitous route for security reasons?  Will Palestinians and Israelis work together to encourage tourism and commerce, or will antagonistic policies discourage tourists from visiting holy sites?

VIII.            Public Health.  Can the Palestinians be trusted to address the health needs of their own population? Will children receive their inoculations? Will geriatric needs be addressed? Will Palestinian health officials cooperate with their Israeli counterparts? Suppose an atypical epidemic breaks out in Israel. It could be a tropical disease such as West Nile Fever or it could be bio-terrorism.  Will Palestinian officials provide access to Israeli health officials to investigate the source of infection or will they make it more difficult? Will Palestinains cooperate with Israelis to control the epidemic or will Israelis have to examine birds and mosquitoes at checkpoints?

IX.               Archeological, religious, and historical sites. Can we trust the Palestinians to respect and preserve the holy sites of all religions? Will there be free and secure access for all religions? Suppose the Palestinians are building new housing in Jericho and come across some artifacts from the biblical era. Will they call Israeli archeologists at Hebrew University and say, “We discovered some materials that may be of interest to you, would you like to come and examine them?”  Or will they attempt to erase any signs of Jewish history in the area?

These questions go on and on.

We have no definitive answers, but they all leadto the same conclusion: the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state will not resolve problems and bring peace; it will only create more problems and conflicts. Sovereignty over the disputed areas in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza should be granted to the State of Israel. However, that would lead to another question: How can the State of Israel maintain its identity as a democratic Jewish State if 50% of the population is comprised of Arab Muslims?

That’s really a tough question. Going back to the scene in “Fiddler,” Tevye’s daughters realized that they would have to look for alternatives to the traditional matchmaking arrangements.  Similarly, the international community will have to seek innovative, creative arrangements to resolve this issue. Several workable plans have been proposed, but discussion about them would be beyond the scope of this article. A solution is within the realm of possibility.  A clue can be found within the population statistics provided above. Discussion will be deferred to the next article.