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y Marlin Idvin Andersen

Il vasn'l roaganda by lhe lerrorisls-cum-Iiberalors of Hamas, nor lhe suosedIy one-sided
crilicism emanaling oul of UN agencies, or even reveIalions of lhe conlenl of a 9-age onIine aI-
Qaeda manuaI--9':$61*#$; <$1('2': .- 1=$ >?*:12 @.#6/*$#/$ ':AB':'=$, (fuII of ideas for relaIialing
againsl lhe U.S. for ils suorl of IsraeI)lhal mosl caIIed inlo queslion vhal, if anylhing, IsraeI
reaIIy von in lhe recenl 50-day var in Gaza, one of lhe Iarlh's mosl denseIy-ouIaled
Iaces.

Ralher, vhal besl cul lo lhe chase vere commenls by U.S. Ambassador (rel.) Marlin Indyk lo
C.($*+# 9.:*/27 made as lhe IsraeIi governmenl announced lhal il vas arorialing a Iarge
svalh of lerrilory for buiIding sellIemenls inside lhe occuied Wesl ank near elhIehem.
Indyk, vho served as lhe U.S. seciaI envoy for IsraeIi-IaIeslinian Negolialions from 2013 lo
2014, suggesled lhal oIicymakers in }erusaIem vere engaged in an exislenliaI and dangerous
foIIy, one based on far loo greal a cosl lo be in any vay |uslified.

"Whal is il going lo do aboul lhe 2.6 miIIion IaIeslinians il has resonsibiIily for nov` Indyk
asked C.($*+# 9.:*/2 Idilor David Rolhkof. D- D6('$: /.#1*#?$6 1. /.#1(.: E3F ,*::*.# 9':$61*#*'#6 *#
1=$ G$61 <'#H7 *1I6 +.*#+ 1. ='J$ 1. )$/*)$ 6..#$( ('1=$( 1='# :'1$( %=$1=$( *1I6 ' )$,./('/2 .( ' K$%*6=
61'1$7 L?1 *1 %.#I1 L$ 'L:$ 1. L$ L.1=." (IlaIics added.)

Indyk's observalions Iaid bare lhe fundamenlaI conlradiclion belveen lhe }evish slale of
IsraeI's bollom Iinelhal ils righls as a Iegilimale nalion slale be recognized by ils neighbors in
order lhal reaI and Iasling securily is achieved--and an eIemenlaI caIcuIalion of regionaI
demograhics lhal shov hov IsraeI's decision lo kee IaIeslinians a calive nalion aIso direclIy
affecl ils ovn eoIe's nalionaI idenlily. They came |usl veeks afler former U.S. envoy and
Woodrov WiIson Cenler schoIar Aaron David MiIIer reminded lhal lhe decades-Iong slruggIe
is one driven by memory, lrauma, and oIilicaI idenlily and exislenliaI issues.



Crealive use of lhe UN-aroved definilion of "indigeneily" vouId have lhe effecl of crealing a
nev and unqueslionabIy aroriale aradigm lhal vouId eslabIish even among some of lhe
mosl vociferous crilics lhe righl of exislence of lhe }evish slale of IsraeI vhiIe al lhe same lime
nurluring lhe kind of rocess of lransformalion needed for a viabIe IaIeslinian nalion-slale lo
emerge and evoIve.

OnIy by bolh sides acceling lhe origins, conslruclion and definilion of lhe nalionaI idenlily of
lhe Olher can lhe means be agreed uon so lhal each accels and recognizes lhe olher as a
nalion slale. And onIy a lvo-slale soIulion ensures, as Indyk leIIingIy oinled oul, lhal lhe slale
of IsraeI remain a IargeIy homogenous democralic slale, as veII as being finaIIy recognized by
ils neighbors as a eoIe vilh a righl lo a homeIand in lhe HoIy Land.

SellIing once and for aII lhe queslion aboul vho is "indigenous" lo lhe Iands of IsraeI and lhe
Occuied Terrilories vouId heI ul lhe lvo-slale olion currenlIy on Iife suorl on much
firmer ground. The seemingIy unending lvin robIems osed by Hamas and by iIIegaI IsraeIi
sellIers are firmIy rooled in erroneous assumlions lhal one eoIe or lhe olher, bul nol bolh,
are indigenous lo lhe HoIy Land.

As lhe UN definilion of indigeneily has aIready been successfuIIy used in olher Iaces of lhe
vorId, and conlinues lo be lhe vorId body's Iasl vord and uIlimale |udgmenl on lhe
aulhenlicily of cIaims on lhe sub|ecl, ils aIicalion in lhe case of IsraeI and lhe Occuied
Terrilories vouId make il exceedingIy hard for one side or lhe olher lo conlinue lo deny
ils muluaI romise in lhe homeIands of lhree of lhe vorId's mosl imorlanl reIigions.

A recenl essay--"Indigeneily: Oening lhe Door lo Ialh of Ieace elveen lhe }evish Slale of
IsraeI and lhe IaIeslinians" (+ goo.gI/vA}gO} )--vrillen in lhe eriod immedialeIy before lhe
currenl hosliIilies broke oul fIeshes oul lhe nev aradigm, originaIIy offered earIier lhis year in
"Common Iands, common ground: The indigenous agenda, IsraeI, IaIesline and breaking lhe
osl-OsIo Accords Iog|am" ( + hll://goo.gI/OYCkYI ).

In addilion, IIza S. MaaIouf's forlhcoming book, M,$(+$N O=$ P*6$ .- C?#/1*.#': Q$,./('/2 '#) 1=$
C?1?($ .- 1=$ B*)):$ M'617 has a leIIing chaler on "Uncovering lhe Indigenous InleIIigence,"
underscoring lhe need lo focus IsraeIi-IaIeslinian eace efforls on lhe aradigm of indigeneily.

In il, MaaIouf oinls oul lhal lhe IaIeslinian ouIalion has, oulside of IsraeI, one of lhe highesl
ercenlages of engineers er caila in lhe region. She oulIines lhe necessily of leaching youlh
on lhe Wesl ank lo buiId "lheir ovn suslainabIe, indigenous conslrucls" as arl lhe
IaIeslinians' need lo focus on buiIding lheir ovn inslilulions essenliaI lo crealing lhere lhe
Mumbai of lhe Arab WorId.

Many of lhe youlh vho |oin lhe Inlifadas oul of fruslralion and boredom couId have
emIoymenl in high-lech manufacluring and in caII cenlers lhal caler lo 300 miIIion Arabic-
seaking cuslomers. Once a cuIlure gels a lasle of lhal . success, il viII be difficuIl lo gel ils
young men lo ick u arms or rocks and deslroy vhal lhey buiIl vilh lheir ovn hands.



CIaims lhal lhe IsraeIi decision lo aroriale arl of an area Iong designaled as a sellIemenl
bIoc vas acluaIIy due lo Hamas's resonsibiIily for lhe }une kidnaing and murder of lhree
IsraeIi leenagers fIy in lhe face of lhe facl lhal lhe currenl var in Gaza resuIled in vhal is IargeIy
seen as a disroorlionale Ioss of Iife on lhe IaIeslinian side, logelher vilh lhe facl lhal IsraeI
had for years discussed lhe ossibiIily of exanding sellIemenls lhere.

The irreconciIabIe differences belveen IsraeI's idenlily and ils being sluck in a geo-oIilicaI cuI-
de-sac afler lhe mosl recenl round of vioIence in Gaza demandsas Assaf Sharon noled in
IaiIure in Gaza in lhe Selember 25
lh
edilion of O=$ R$% S.(H P$J*$% .- <..H67 underslanding
hov ve gol lo lhis oinland, more imorlanlIy, hov ve can move beyond il.

"efore lhe currenl oeralion began, Hamas vas al one of lhe Iovesl oinls in ils hislory,
Sharon vrole ... Oeralion Iroleclive Idge has been a slralegic faiIure. Il gave Hamas a vay
oul of isoIalion, roviding lhe organizalion vilh an oorlunily lo shov lhal il couId infIicl
harm on IsraeIi cilies, kiII IDI soIdiers, and briefIy shul dovn en Gurion Airorl. Reinslaling
conlroI of lhe IaIeslinian Aulhorily Ied by Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza, Sharon added, as vas
ossibIe and desirabIe Iasl AriI, may nov have become more difficuIl as a consequence of lhe
oeralion."

In facl, as T*/$ R$%6 headIined on Selember 2, IaIeslinian Suorl for Hamas Soars Afler
IsraeI War, as Ialah Loses acking. According lo an oinion oII by lhe IaIeslinian Cenler for
IoIicy and Survey Research (ISR), Hamas Ieader IsmaiI Haniyeh vouId easiIy beal Weslern-
backed Abbas shouId lhe lvo face off in a residenliaI eIeclion loday. AIlhough a }une oII
shoved lhal 53 ercenl of IaIeslinians vouId have suorled Abbas comared lo onIy 41
ercenl for Haniyeh, lhe Ialler vouId nov vin 61 ercenl of lhe vole versus 32 ercenl for
Abbas.

IsraeI's decision lo engage in vhal anli-sellIemenl grous cIaimed vas lhe biggesl
arorialion of IaIeslinian Iand in lhree decades may aIso resuIl in a cascade of uninlended
consequences. These incIude unvillingIy serving lo romole recruilmenl by ISI and aI-Qaeda,
as veII as Hamas. The comeling lerrorisl lriIogy aIready lhrives in lhe svam of lhe seemingIy
dead osl-OsIo eace laIks belveen IsraeI and lhe IaIeslinians.

The nexl slo is IsraeI, }onalhan Iine, an IsraeIi anaIysl vilh lhe Inslilule for Counler-
Terrorism, loId @<R R$%6 on Selember 5
lh
. The secific danger lo neighboring }ordan, he
added, is embedded in lhe olenliaI of MusIim rolherhood suorlers among lhe mass of
IaIeslinians vho mighl cIing and adhere lo lhe ideoIogy of lhe IS in Iraq.

Hov viII |IsraeIj have eace if il is unviIIing lo deIineale a border, end lhe occualion, and
aIIov for IaIeslinian sovereignly, securily, and dignily` IhiIi Gordon, lhe While House
coordinalor for lhe MiddIe Iasl, asked in earIy }uIy.

Il cannol mainlain miIilary conlroI of anolher eoIe indefinileIy. Doing so is nol onIy vrong
bul a recie for resenlmenl and recurring inslabiIily.

In olher vords, lhe slalus quo serves lo ferliIize and grov lhose svams from vhich lerrorisl
organizalions emerge, as IsraeI conlinues lo Ioseal very Ieasla ubIic reIalions var vhose
lerrain il cannol change in lhe near lerm and, in doing so, risks becoming an inlernalionaI
ariah.

In lhe Selember issue of O=$ R$% S.(H$( magazine, Connie ruck offered imorlanl
background lo lhe inlernalionaI ubIic reIalions and securily minefieId lhal lhe IsraeIi
governmenl has backed ilseIf inlo, amidsl lhose disuling sides viIIing lo forgel or forgive very
IillIe in lhe absence of reaI, suslainabIe eace laIks, noling lhal:

In a seech al ar-IIan Universily, in }une 2009, |Irime Minisler en|aminj
Nelanyahu seemed lo endorse a lvo-slale soIulion, if in ralher guarded lerms.
Leaders of lhe sellIer movemenl and even many of Nelanyahu's Likud aIIies
vere furious al lhis seemingIy hisloric shifl for lhe Iarly, lhough, vilh lime,
many of lhem inlerreled lhe seech as a laclicaI so lo lhe Uniled Slales. No
Iess significanl, erhas, Nelanyahu inlroduced a condilion lhal couId make a
finaI resoIulion imossibIelhe demand lhal lhe IaIeslinians recognize IsraeI
as a }evish slale. Il vas a slroke of oIilicaI briIIiance, lhe former Senale aide
. loId me. He managed lo lake lhe lvo-slale issue off lhe labIe and ul il
back on lhe IaIeslinians.

In 2014, lhal osilioning is no Ionger, as Indyk oinled oul, desirabIe or defendabIe for lhe
}evish slale ilseIf, due lo currenl and emerging demograhics, or even ossibIe, if rolecling
IsraeI from lhe galhering slormosed by ISIS and aI-Qaeda on one side, and Iran on lhe
olheris lo be secured.

Nelanyahu's commenl al an American IsraeI IubIic Affairs Commillee oIicy conference Iasl
March in Washinglon, D.C.vhere he somevhal uncharaclerislicaIIy slaled, I hoe lhal lhe
IaIeslinian Ieadershi viII sland vilh IsraeI and lhe Uniled Slales on lhe righl side of lhe moraI
divide, lhe side of eace, reconciIialion, and hoein recenl monlhs is no Ionger a Iamenl or a
vry chaIIenge, deending on one's ersonaI slance.

Ralher, as lhe lhreal in lhe Levanl from ISIS dvarfs lhal osed by Hamas, il is a crilicaI
necessily as aII eoIes in lhe region face a nev chaIIenge in vhich dislinclions found lo be so
imorlanl belveen IaIeslinians and IsraeIis aIe before vhal lhey are confronled vilh loday.



As lhe var conlinued, SaIam Iayyad, lhe former rime minisler of lhe IaIeslinian Aulhorily,
soke before lhe AlIanlic CounciI in Washinglon on lhe slale of affairs in Gaza and lhe fulure of
IsraeIi-IaIeslinian reIalions. One of lhe heroes in lrying lo bring eace lo IaIesline Iayyad
Iamenled dim horizon facing bolh eoIes given lhe nearIy moribund osl-OsIo eace laIks.
Whal vas urgenlIy needed, he said, vas lhe emergence of a nev aradigm as a foundalion for
Iong-lerm negolialions on lhe fulure of IsraeIi-IaIeslinian reIalions.

Aaron David MiIIer's vork heIs focus allenlion on lhe need for lhal aradigm lo be based
reciseIy on memory, lrauma, and oIilicaI idenlily and exislenliaI issuesa focus going far
beyond loday's demands from one side or lhe olher lhal lheir rivaIs are caIIed inlo accounl for
lheir roIe in lhe vioIence. Key lo lhal diaIogue is an underslanding of lhe anceslraI righls of
bolh IsraeIi }evs and IaIeslinian MusIims, and lhe muluaI recognilion of lhose righls as aIready
sanclified by lhe Uniled Nalions. Il is Iand lhal is sacred, nolas IsmaiI Haniyeh cIaimsarms.

Indigeneily offers lhe kind of aradigm shifl lhal former Irime Minisler Iayyad loId lhe
AlIanlic CounciI vas essenliaI lo occur in order lo successfuIIy reslarl meaningfuI eace laIks.
Al lhe same lime il fuIIy incororales Irime Minisler Nelanyahu's bollom-Iine demands, in lhal
il cIearIy focuses on a muluaI recognilion of lhe vaIidily of bolh eoIes and lheir cIaims lo a
nalion-slale homeIand. In olher vords, il offers him lhe nev diIomalic horizon he nov says
he seeks.

Time grovs shorl, as a nev and horrific barbarism emerging from Syria and Iraq casls ils
shadov over aII lhe eoIes of lhe Levanl. If a |ourney of a lhousand miIes begins vilh a singIe
sle, lhe need lo move forvard urgenlIy on a nev aradigm lhal resecls bolh eoIes and
lheir ovn hislory in lhe region is uon us. Lel us begin.

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