Opinion

Unrealistic expectations

OPINION PIECE BY ROBERT FESTENSTEIN

There has been much in the Jewish press recently about divisions in the community and to what extent there is a left-right split on attitudes towards Israel. Whilst this is of some interest what is more significant and has not been reported on is the manifest failure by so many commentators to actually understand Israel and the Israelis.

I do not claim to have an in depth knowledge of the Israeli psyche. I do though have a grasp of the history of the country and in that context it is apparent that some UK Jewish groups have ignored that history when making demands of Israel concerning the peace process.

In 1948 the population of Israel was barely 800,000. Today it stands over 10 times that number, a substantial increase by any conventional standard. Aside from the usual population growth associated with a young demographic, the numbers were swollen by displaced persons in the early days of the country, Jews expelled from Arab countries and over the years Jews who wished to live in the Jewish state. Put another way, the country was made up of those who had endured serious trauma or were there for ideological reasons.

Whilst this movement of people was going on, the country lived under constant risk of attack both in the conventional sense of the wars in 1967 and 1973 and subsequently terror attacks on a regular basis of varying intensity. It is only since the separation barrier was built that the number of terror attacks have dropped and for the last generation absolutely no progress whatsoever on the peace process.

Enter now the UK Jewish critics of Israel who by and large have no shared experience with Israelis other than holidays or perhaps an extended stay just before or after university. UK Jews generally don’t hear stories from their parents of what they did in the 1967 or 1973 war, or how a neighbour was killed by a terrorist bomb. UK Jews do not have to serve in the army and until recently had no reason to be nervous of someone wearing a coat and carrying a rucksack on a hot day. Yet bizarrely, many in our community feel able to apply their own comfortable western peaceful standards to a country born, brought up and living with war in some form or another.

The idea that if you are nice to someone they will be nice back is an old and well tried idea and one which almost always fails. As far back as the middle ages English Kings levied a tax raised to pay Viking raiders so they wouldn’t invade. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. The UK Government policy of appeasement in the 1930s of trying to accommodate Nazi Germany as we know, failed. So with these lessons from history it makes no sense to promote the idea that if Israel is to unilaterally give up land for the hope of peace in the future has any chance of working.

Germany at least made a pretence of claiming that their acquisition of land was finite, Hamas has made no such claim. The land – Gaza – over which Israel relinquished control in 2005 has not turned into a land of prosperity engaging in peaceful co-existence with Israel. On the contrary it is an area dominated by Jew hating leaders who seek the destruction of the entire state. The Palestinian Authority continues to pay those who kill Jews in Israel. There is no indication anywhere that this is likely to stop anytime soon. Against this background the evidence is clear. There is no prospect of any peace in the near future, yet for some UK Jews this evidence is just an inconvenient truth which is best sacrificed on the altar of an ideal which might sound good but for now is wholly unachievable.

Now more than ever it is time that those who make demands of Israel first gain some understanding of the subject matter on which they are opining since at present sadly there is none.

Robert Festenstein is a practising solicitor and has been the principal of his Salford based firm for over 20 years. He has fought BDS motions to the Court of Appeal and is President of the Zionist Central Council in Manchester which serves to protect and defend the democratic State of Israel.

WEEKLY SINGLES NETWORK GATHERING

Members of the community are invited to participate and network in a weekly singles gathering to be held:

Place: Host: Ner Yisrael Community 9 The Crest, Hendon, London NW4 2HY

Dates & Times Every Sunday at 11.00 am (over 4 weeks) 10 October to 31 October inclusive

Objectives Networking opportunities, relationship development and general personal empowerment

Topics An introductory, interactive talk in communication, motivation, confidence, dealing with vulnerability and isolation, networking, character development

Enquiries Chayim Lubin: 020 8201 9515 (10.00 – 17.00) No appointment or pre-booking required. Light Refreshments.

The singles group is a pilot project and will be potentially extended subject to demand