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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
August 10, 2005
/ 5 Menachem-Av, 5765
Israeli settlers seeking to become Palestinian citizens
By
Tod Robberson
|  Enjoying it while they can |
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Not a publicity stunt to make a rhetorical point
JewishWorldReview.com | (KRT)
UGIT
Fisherman Ronny Cohen believes he has the solution to Israel's political crisis over its decision to withdraw from the Gaza Strip: If he and other settlers don't want to leave, let them stay and become Palestinians.
"I want to get a Palestinian identity card and live under Abu Mazen," he said, invoking the nickname of the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas.
The idea might seem far-fetched, and many Israelis laugh it off as a cynical ploy, given the settlers' strong right-wing political sentiments and the harsh animosity many feel toward Palestinians. But Cohen and several other settlers in the northern Gaza Strip insist this is no joke.
Palestinian officials say they have no objections to the idea. Even the militant Islamic organization Hamas says it would respect any settler's decision to become a Palestinian. Israeli and Palestinian academics take the proposal seriously enough to have held a lengthy debate about its workability in a recent public forum.
Israeli officials, however, have refused to entertain the idea and say the settlers must leave by Monday, or troops will remove them by force.
"Our government will never allow us to become Palestinian citizens. They'll take us out of here before it ever becomes a possibility," said Tzuri Ganish, an activist and community leader in the nearby settlement of Elie Sinai. "They say they can't let it happen because we're not strong enough to defend ourselves. We say, don't worry about us. We'll give you our (Israeli) passports, and we won't be your problem anymore."
Cohen said he believes the solution is for Israelis and Palestinians to "destroy all the walls and fences," unite their countries and share the same land, since both nations claim it as their own anyway.
"Let's be serious. If we just give them a little here, a little there, they're going to keep attacking us. The only solution is to open it all up and make it one big country - run by Palestinians and Israelis," he said. "I think the Arabs are basically good. It's Israel and the rest of the world that tried to make them out as evil animals. The Palestinians just want a life. Why not give them a chance?"
Ganish said he and other settlers had enjoyed a comfortable, respectful and cordial relationship with Palestinians from Gaza until 2000, when the intifada, or uprising, led to a five-year explosion of violence throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Rockets rained down on Jewish settlements in Gaza, and guerrillas staged scores of deadly attacks. Israeli forces responded with equally deadly force. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says an Israeli "disengagement" from Gaza is the best way to keep Israelis safe.
In spite of the carnage on both sides, some settlers insist that there is little to fear from the Palestinians and that it is possible for Jews and Arabs to live together.
In the late 1980s, "I set up a fishing enterprise with a group of Palestinians. We had 10 fishing boats. My own daughter went out to fish with them every day," said another Elie Sinai activist, Avi Farhan. "The Palestinians didn't work for me, they were my partners."
All that changed after 1993, when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin concluded the landmark Oslo peace accord, which established a framework for Palestinian self-government and eventual statehood. Hamas opposed the deal and unleashed an unprecedented, 11-year campaign of suicide bombings and armed attacks.
"Everything was fine until the `peace' came and destroyed everything," Farhan told a group of academics who gathered on July 28 at Bar Ilan University to debate whether Israelis could live in a Palestinian state. Although some of the academics dismissed the idea as unworkable because of security concerns, Farhan told them, "I say to the people of Israel: Do not worry about my security. I can take care of myself."
In Elie Sinai, Ganish agreed. "The Palestinians are not like the Nazis. They don't want to kill us just because we are Jews. They don't care about us as long as we respect that it is their country. The problem is, they want the entire country to be Palestine," he said. "I think they want us here. They want to show the world that they can have a modern, tolerant country, and they want the Jewish mind to help them."
Besides, he added, if the Israeli government forcibly removes Jewish settlers from their homes, it sends a message "that it's all right for them to expel Arabs from their homes, too."
Other Israelis have already proved they can live under Palestinian rule. A group of around 600 Israelis, from the ancient Samaritan sect, lives on Mount Gerizim, above Nablus, on Palestinian land in the West Bank, and holds both Israeli and Palestinian citizenship. They are neither Jewish, Muslim nor Gentile, but they worship in synagogues, speak and read ancient Hebrew, and regard the Torah as their holy scripture.
"If Jews choose to live in Gaza and become Palestinians, they will have no problem, but they must allow the Palestinian government to exercise its authority without obstruction," said Hosni Wasif Cohen, a senior Samaritan priest interviewed in Mount Gerizim.
The Palestinian information minister, Nabil Shaath, said his government "would seriously consider" any request by settlers to become Palestinian citizens even though he believes the Israeli government would not allow it. He made clear, however, that the settlers would not necessarily be allowed to remain in their current homes just because they changed citizenship.
"They don't own that land. If they were accepted as citizens, they would first have to apply for residency there." They would be competing against 1.2 million residents who live in extremely cramped conditions in the Gaza Strip. Shaath added that it is virtually certain that the settlers' homes will be razed by Israel before the land is handed over to the Palestinian Authority.
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© 2005, The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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