Shanda OTD
According to the Forverts, a bunch o' mainstream Jewish organizations are lobbying the White House to try to keep Israel from agreeing to make Jerusalem the capital of two states, Israel and whatever the Palestinians want to call themselves. To which I respond: oh, for fuck's sake.
I am really bored with hawkish Amerikan Jews -- who are not serving in the IDF, or being blown up at cafes on Ben Yehuda Street -- interfering with the peace process. Does pikuach nefesh mean nothing to these people?
Jerusalem, holy or not, is ultimately just a place -- a pile of rocks and dirt. God, people are always telling us, is everywhere. And this is just a question of who has temporal authority. I can't believe that Israel would agree to a deal whereby we would lose access to the Western Wall, for example. And I'm sure there are Palestinians who want access to west Jerusalem. So it's about who is in charge of a few city blocks.
The Vatican's position has long been that Jerusalem should be an open city under international rule. That annoys a lot of Jews. I think for many of us -- maybe including me -- the fact that the Vatican wants it is reason enough to say No. But if it would help make peace, I think it's a good idea. Ultimately, though, it's not really any of my business, unless I decide to move there.
I am really bored with hawkish Amerikan Jews -- who are not serving in the IDF, or being blown up at cafes on Ben Yehuda Street -- interfering with the peace process. Does pikuach nefesh mean nothing to these people?
Jerusalem, holy or not, is ultimately just a place -- a pile of rocks and dirt. God, people are always telling us, is everywhere. And this is just a question of who has temporal authority. I can't believe that Israel would agree to a deal whereby we would lose access to the Western Wall, for example. And I'm sure there are Palestinians who want access to west Jerusalem. So it's about who is in charge of a few city blocks.
The Vatican's position has long been that Jerusalem should be an open city under international rule. That annoys a lot of Jews. I think for many of us -- maybe including me -- the fact that the Vatican wants it is reason enough to say No. But if it would help make peace, I think it's a good idea. Ultimately, though, it's not really any of my business, unless I decide to move there.