Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Things Change; Slowly at First, and then, They Snowball

Who would have thought that the Soviet Union would collapse as it did? That Iran would be so quickly transformed with the ouster of the Shah in favor of an Ayatollah? Or that international pressure on South Africa would be so severe, that it had no choice but to reform itself? Events beneath the surface had been playing themselves out for years, and then boom! Things seemed to change suddenly.

It takes a great deal of effort to change the terms of any public debate. But it happens.

That Israel should live within viable, defensible, sustainable and even peaceful borders is not an unattainable utopian ideal. But this reality is certainly not at hand today. It will only happen with the concerted effort of many.

The terms of the debate must change. First, the prospects for Israeli and Palestinian long-term viability within the borders called for by current international consensus must be reexamined. Only when they are fully studied by world leaders, will they be rejected as unworkable. Only then will responsible leaders put forth alternative solutions without fear of ridicule.

Since posting The Case for A Larger Israel a week ago, and telling a few friends to pass the site along, well over a thousand different people have visited the site from all continents, save Antarctica. Beyond the United States and Israel, people from all over Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and Australia have also visited. More people visit each day as word spreads. I am pleased that the reach of the internet has included places such as Ethiopia, Pakistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. The site has been picked up by blogs, it has become searchable in Google and Yahoo, and I was interviewed by Tamar Yonah on Israel National Radio. The show aired on November 7th (www.israelnationalradio.com).

Please keep spreading the word to visit www.alargerisrael.com. Spread the word to read the book. Let’s together change the terms of the debate.

--David Naggar

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

If only it were so...however, judging by the reactions of the world press, and most countries during the recent war with Hezbollah, any sympathy for such a reasonable plan would NOT be welcomed by other nations. Let's face it - history tells us that when push comes to shove, we have no permanent friends in the world - only temporary ones for political expedience. The world fails to realize that Israel is a bastion of democracy and a microcosm of what is to happen worldwide with international Islamo-fascism. Had the world stood up as one and declared united support for Israel at the very beginning of the lebanese war, then Hizbullah would have backed down right there and then. And who is supporting us as the increased threat from Iran and Syria increases? No One!!
It's a wonderful dream, but a dream nonetheless.

Ian from Canada

chaim said...

how have israelis responded to your idea?
is there an israeli political party in allignment w/your position?
have you considered starting a group in order to popularize your position?
keep
up the good work
chaim