Who Is for Peace?

Who Is for Peace?

August 1, 2013

Dear Friend of Israel,
U.S.-brokered peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders have begun in Washington, D.C. And, already, Israel has been called on to make concessions – particularly painful ones at that. So it was that, earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, backed by his cabinet, announced that Israel will release 104 Palestinian prisoners, many of them hardened terrorists with blood on their hands, as a “goodwill” gesture to the Palestinians.
The fact that it takes such drastic measures to get Palestinian leadership to the negotiating table shouldn’t surprise anyone. When you look back at previous peace talks – and there have been many – it is clear who is willing to make tough sacrifices for the sake of peace … and who isn’t. Israel has given up land, only to be attacked from that very soil. Israel has released other prisoners, only to have them commit additional acts of terror. Israeli leaders have proven time and again that they are willing not just to speak, but to act for the sake of peace, often at great cost. Meanwhile, Palestinian leaders demand monumental and painful concessions before they will even entertain the notion of peace talks.
Sacrifices like this are hotly debated in Israel. In an open letter to the Israeli people, Netanyahu acknowledged the pain and controversy brought by the decision to release more prisoners: “This is an incomparably difficult decision. It is painful for the bereaved families, and it is painful for the entire nation, and it is also very painful for me. It collides with the incomparably important value of justice.” In fact, one recent poll showed that an overwhelming majority of Israelis – nearly 85 percent – are opposed to releasing prisoners as a precondition for negotiations.
Of course, the question of whether or not Israel should make such sacrifices is ultimately up to Israelis to decide. The larger question – the question that no one seems to want to address – is why the world continues to expect of Israel what it refuses to expect from Palestinians. When is the last time we heard Palestinian officials talk about making “tough decisions”? Have we ever heard them say they would give up the so-called Palestinian “right of return,” which would mean the end of the Jewish state as we know it? Have we ever heard them vow to root out the poisonous culture of anti-Semitism that leads to Palestinian children being taught from an early age to hate Jews? Have we ever heard them say that the crimes of some Palestinian prisoners are so vile, so heinous, that they might not deserve to be released from prison?
The world, in fact, expects of Israel what it would never expect of itself. In a recent article in Commentary, Jonathan Tobin wrote about the U.S. pressure on Israeli leadership to agree to a prisoner release: “Americans should pause and wonder whether they would ever give a moment’s consideration to doing what their government is twisting Israel’s arm to do. Would we ever think of releasing any of those convicted and currently serving long jail sentences for involvement in the 9/11 attacks or any other terrorist assault on the United States and its citizens? Not a chance.”
Israelis hope and pray for peace fervently, perhaps even more fervently than anyone. And the Israeli government, unlike its Palestinian counterpart, has shown through its actions that it is willing to pay a high price on the chance, however slim, that peace can be achieved. So while the world passively cheers the renewed peace talks, and Israelis pray that those Palestinian prisoners slated for release don’t repeat their terrorist acts, those of us who love Israel should continue to call for a peace process that expects as much of the Palestinians as it expects of Israel.
With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
Founder and President