On Nov. 29, 1947, the U.N. General Assembly partitions the British Mandate. A 2,000-year-old Jewish dream is fulfilled. The partition is flawed, imperfect, yet accepted by pragmatists like David Ben Gurion. Five Arab armies attack. Israel survives.
Thereafter, 65 years of remarkable growth follows, surely in fits and starts, interspersed with great sacrifice, war and destruction. Today, Israel is a modern economic powerhouse, the envy of most states in the region. It is flawed but committed to democratic values and justice for all of its citizens. Its Arab citizens, 20 percent of the population, face discrimination but are also represented in the Knesset. A free press maddens everyone yet speaks truth to power. A Supreme Court tirelessly guarantees the rule of law, protecting minority rights. Jews fight and bicker about pluralistic values and the role of religion in daily life. Israel is, in S.Y. Agnon’s words, the "flowering of our redemption.”
On Nov. 29, 2012, 65 years to the day, a lopsided, unfair piece of political theater passes the General Assembly affirming only the Palestinian narrative. Palestinians rejoice.
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On Nov. 30, there are no negotiations between the parties to work out differences. There is no "flowering of Palestinian redemption.” What’s next? Game on!
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.