By Josh Basson , , Seattle
Tom Tugend’s column was very informative (“Tough talk on Jerusalem,” Nov. 2).
I respectfully disagree with Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky, an Orthodox rabbi publicly advocating that his community consider a possible division of Jerusalem.
Why divide Jerusalem when access to it has been open to people of all faiths under Israeli rule for decades? Jerusalem is the holiest city to world Jewry and has long been its heritage. Like the “Right of Return,” the division of Jerusalem should not be the subject of negotiation with Palestinians. Olmert has no mandate from Israelis to divide Jerusalem. The Waqf, over the last 40 years, has been trying to eradicate all evidence of the historical Jewish connection to the Temple Mount.
Palestinians are committed to the end of Israel within and without (Right of Return/terrorism). The reality is that the Palestinian Authority has not met one requirement of the Road Map, nor have they met the commitments laid down by the quartet. Islamists/Hamas will not accept any past agreements, nor the existence of an Israeli state.
The P.A. is unwilling to confront the terrorist groups, including Fatah’s Al Aqsa Brigades. Abbas’s Ramallah-based TV station depicts Palestine as replacing the entire state of Israel. Israel really does not have a credible peace partner. Annapolis is a rerun of previous failed attempts, due to Palestinian intransigence and deceit. Annapolis, like the Oslo Accords and the Gaza disengagement, will not bring peace but lead to bloodshed like happened in 2000 following the failure of the Camp David talks. Why endanger and weaken the future of Israel by emboldening the terrorists?