MK Wilf: Palestinian bid aims to isolate Israel
In op-ed published by The Guardian Knesset's Foreign Affairs Committee member Einat Wilf urges PA to peruse peace talks over UN bid charade; says bid aims to 'isolate Israel, present Zionism as illegitimate'
"The Palestinians are too smart and knowledgeable to be so mistaken about what is possible in the UN," she wrote. "Rather, they are going to the UN to continue their fight against Israel and Zionism in an arena where they enjoy a considerable advantage. This is a legitimate move for a people engaged in conflict, but it has nothing to do with seeking statehood, and certainly not with promoting peace."
Full coverage of the Palestinian statehood bid:
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- Palestinians torch Obama photos in Ramallah
- Obama courts Jewish vote with UN speech
Wilf argued that Britain and Israel "should say yes and in fact have repeatedly said yes, to Palestinian statehood," but insisted that the vote in the UN has nothing to do with it.
"The vote in the UN is the continuation of the battle against Israel and Zionism by different means," she claimed. "The Palestinians, and many Arab and Muslim countries, are taking advantage of the current anti-Israel mood to isolate Israel diplomatically and present Israel and Zionism as fundamentally illegitimate."
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Wilf also remarked that the reason why the Jews have been able to gain statehood against such opposition, whereas the Palestinians, enjoying widespread sympathy, have failed, is because "the Zionist movement sought the dignity of sovereignty above all."
"In their quest for statehood the Jewish people put the past behind, abandoned the demand for absolute justice and focused on building their future. Chaim Weitzman, Israel's first president and one of the Zionist movement's most important leaders, is known to have said that the Jewish people would accept a state, even if it was the size of napkin."
- For full coverage of PA's statehood bid, click here
The MK suggested that the Palestinians, if they truly want a "real state," should return to the negotiations' table in order to end the decades-old rift between Israelis and Palestinians peacefully.
"The Palestinians have no alternative to negotiating with Israel… It's certainly not as exhilarating as a global race for votes in the UN," concluded Wilf.
"Negotiating a state would mean forgoing claims for complete rectification of all past wrongs. But that is the choice that should be taken by a people who truly want a real – rather than a virtual – state."
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