The Chaim Herzog Center
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THE CHAIM HERZOG CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST STUDIES & DIPLOMACY מרכז חיים הרצוג לחקר המזרח התיכון והדיפלומטיה مركز حايم هرتصوغ لدراسات الشرق اﻷوسط والدبلوماسية Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva, Israel Vol. 18-19 April 2015 Israel and its Demand for Recognition as a Jewish State Prof. Yoram Meital Chair, The Chaim Herzog Center wenty-one years after the signing of the ‘Declaration T of Principles on Interim Self-Government Agreements’ (“Oslo Accords”), the relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are in a state of perpetual crisis. The causes of the crisis and the reasons for its continuation are manifold and diverse. However, each side has one contention regarding the main reason for not achieving a final status agreement ending the bloody historical conflict. PM Netanyahu at the UN, November 2014 President Mahmoud Abbas In this Issue: claims that “the settlement the Palestinians’ refusal to activity represents the core of recognize a Jewish state in any Israel and its Demand for 1-2 the policy of military colonial borders.” The end of occupation Recognition as a Jewish State occupation of the Palestinian and mutual recognition were the Conferences & Workshops 3-29 people’s territory and all the two pillars of the Oslo Accords, brutality of the aggression and meant to lead to a permanent Film Screening and Visitors 30-33 racial discrimination against our agreement and a resolution of Events 34-35 people that this policy entails.” the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin The dominant perception Jama‘a 36-37 Netanyahu has repeatedly among most Israelis is that the Scholarships 37-38 declared that “the core of the widespread opposition within conflict has always been and the PLO to recognize Israel as Calendar 39-40 unfortunately continues to be a Jewish state is an expression We Invite you to browse our new website: http://humweb2.bgu.ac.il/herzog/he; http://in.bgu.ac.il/hercen/Pages/default.aspx 1 of a denial of the legitimacy Palestinian narrative with regard of course, affected by regional of Israel’s very existence and to the 1948 War. developments, primarily the reflects opposition in principle to The second implication power struggles that began with the recognition of its sovereignty. stems from the fact that the the civil uprisings known as the This common perception is Israeli demand has been “Arab Spring.” The upheavals rooted in the failure to distinguish raised during the permanent in Egypt and Syria and the between the recognition of Israel status negotiations. First challenges that the governments and its recognition as a Jewish and foremost this stipulation in Jordan and Lebanon are state. basically undermines the facing had a significant impact Various groups in Arab Palestinian position regarding on the positions held by Israel societies are indeed opposed their sovereignty over a part of and the Palestinians. The Israeli to recognizing Israel. Yet, it is Jerusalem and their demand government has adopted a not true that all Arabs refuse to control the Haram al-Sharif policy that actually reflects a to recognize it. The peace complex – that is the Temple preference for the status quo agreements signed between Mount. Is it conceivable that and the rejection of negotiations Israel and Egypt, and with after gaining Arab recognition the conclusion of which will Jordan include explicit provisions as a Jewish state, Israel would require a significant withdrawal regarding the recognition of Israel; still be ready to compromise on and end its control over the and on the eve of the signing of the control over an area that West Bank. In this situation the the Oslo Accords, Yitzhak Rabin represents the site where the PA leadership places its hopes and Yasser Arafat exchanged inner sanctum of Judaism was in the international community. letters on the issue. However, located? And in the context of President Abbas’ policy seeks to there is no reference in these the Palestinian refugee issue, the convert the international support agreements to recognizing Israel recognition of Israel as a Jewish in principle for the establishment ‘as a Jewish state.’ Diplomatic state undermines any possibility of a Palestinian state into political and legal recognition of the of reaching an agreement on this action hoping that it will create State of Israel is a necessary charged issue. a new dynamic in the political condition for a peace agreement The third implication of the process with Israel. At the same with any Arab side. The (national recognition of Israel as a Jewish time, NGOs in Europe and the US and cultural) collective identity state pertains to its direct and promote initiatives of boycott and of Israeli society is an internal harsh repercussions for the sanctions against Israel. These matter. It is of course legitimate Palestinian minority among initiatives are controversial, and for the Israeli consensus to give Israel’s citizens, particularly it is questionable whether they expression to its Jewish identity. in relation to their link to their contribute to the accomplishment The demand for the Palestinian historical homeland. The last of the goals, some of them side to recognize the Jewish decade saw an ever growing declare to pursue. The status quo identity of the State of Israel is number of expressions of in the Israeli–Palestinian arena is not relevant to the signing of a alienation among the Jewish fragile and it is doubtful whether it peace agreement with them. majority in Israel from the will last much longer. The demand for the recognition minority’s positions regarding This complex situation poses of Israel as a Jewish state in the their historical and national a challenge for scholars of the context of the Israeli–Palestinian identity as an integral part of the Middle East. The issue 18-19 conflict, and in particular when Palestinian people. The events of the Chaim Herzog Center raised in the context of the final of October 2000 constitute a Newsletter testifies to the status negotiations, has three landmark in the way Israel’s importance we have given during main implications. The first entails Palestinian citizens perceive the the last two years to major issues, a denial of the very legitimacy state and the majority’s attitude including those mentioned of the Palestinian demand for toward them. The growing above. Many of the reviews recognition of their historical political support for the Right, presented in this volume have in rights to their homeland, or at least and especially its hawkish wing, common that they examine the the lion share thereof. Accepting finds clear expression in the issues in a broad Middle Eastern Netanyahu’s pre-requisite is Israeli public discourse and in context. This research position tantamount to Abu Mazen nationalist legislation. will continue to guide us in our agreeing to erase the memory The processes between extensive activities during the of the Nakba and eliminating the Israel and the Palestinians are, coming year. 2 CONFERENCES & W or K S H O P S International Workshop: Jewish Thought in Arab Societies 1880-1960 he international workshop to wider, global contexts and The speakers and discussants on Jewish Thought in circles. The workshop organizers included, among others, Yaron T Arab Societies from 1880 thought that such studies may Tsur, Gadi Algazi, Yigal Nizri, to 1960 was the highlight of the be important, helping to fill a Moshe Behar, Zvi Ben-Dor Benite, Chaim Herzog Center’s activities research lacuna, given that the Yuval Ivri, Almog Behar, Menashe in 2014. The participants were field of Jewish Intellectual History Anzi, Yaacov Yadgar, Liat Kozma, scholars from Israel, the USA, is usually associated with Jewish Yoram Meital, Zvi Zohar, Amnon and Europe. Within a wider trend thought that flourished in Europe Raz-Krakotzkin, Deborah Starr, of growing scholarly interest and was affected by the changes Haya Bambaji-Sasportas, Michelle in various aspects of Jewish occurring there. In contrast, the Campos, Abigail Jacobson, Orit history in the modern Middle intellectual history of the Middle Ouaknine-Yekutieli, Esther Meir- East, the workshop focused East is not sufficiently developed, Glitzenstein, Haggai Ram, André on the intellectual activities of and research on the contribution Levy, and Henriette Dahan-Kalev. Jews writing in Arabic, French, of Jews to a variety of ideas The participants’ papers were Hebrew, and English, examining developed in the region is still in its made available in advance which their work in the social, cultural initial stages. Promoting the study allowed for in-depth discussions and political context in which it of Jewish intellectual history of the on a variety of issues, including was created. Taking inspiration region may contribute to both of the intellectual world of Hayyim from the anthology Modern these major fields of knowledge. In Ben Kiki, Shehata Haroun, Rabbi Middle Eastern Jewish Thought: light of the state of historiography, David Buzaglo, Rabbi Yosef Writings on Identity, Politics, and the workshop organizers sought Hayyim, Rabbi Mas’oud Hai Ben Culture 1893–1958 (2013), edited to identify and reveal the texts that Shim’on, Rabbi Raphael Aharon by Moshe Behar (University of make up the “missing corpus” of Ben Shim’on, the filmmaker Togo Manchester) and Zvi Ben-Dor the rich works of Middle Eastern Mizrahi, and the historian Elie Benite (New York University), the Jewish intellectuals. Kedourie. Stimulating discussions workshop was largely conceived The workshop was attended dealt, among other issues, as a continuation of that project. by leading scholars along with with al-Andalus and how Saul The two important scholars, who a host of young researchers. Abdallah Yosef and Abraham edited the anthology, were among the organizers of the workshop. The premise of the workshop participants was that Jews were an integral part of the local societies and were affected in similar ways by the processes and changes occurring in Arab societies as well as by the challenges of modern philosophy stemming from the European Enlightenment.