103
A rabbi in a yeshiva in Samaria discussed the importance
of the Jewish public sphere on the Israeli street, and how
it could impact his willingness to evacuate: “Elkana will be
less necessary the more Tel Aviv resembles Elkana.”
17
All
this can be summed up in the words a prominent religious-
Zionist rabbi: “The vision is the Land of Israel for the people of
Israel, according to the Torah of Israel. This is the foundation
of religious Zionism; it is the destination we wish to advance
toward, and we have no right to retreat from it. Anyone who
believes, for whatever reason, that it is necessary to retreat
in order to advance in the context of ‘the Land of Israel for
the people of Israel’ should toil in the context of ‘the people
of Israel according to the Torah of Israel’ so that there will
be no overall diminution of sanctity.”
18
Enhancement of the Jewish character of the state in its public
sphere, institutions and education system may in some way
compensate for the evacuation of the settlements in Judea
and Samaria. This might prevent such a solution from being
perceived as a lethal blow to religious Zionism’s vision, one
delivered by those whose beliefs and passions are not at
risk.
19
The above remarks should not be interpreted in praise
of these measures in of themselves, but rather only to point
out their persuasive power. Those investigating the value of
peace initiatives should first measure their ability to increase
the number of people interested in it.
“They’re looking for horses for a runaway
wagon” – on an ineffectual inter-religious
dialogue
A measured “theocratization” of the peace process could,
as noted, bring about a positive turnaround on several levels
and improve the prospects of ending the conflict. However,
certain common types of interreligious dialogue are of little
benefit and make only a questionable contribution.
Numerous organizations and countless initiatives bring
Jews and Muslims together for an open discussion about
both religions. At these meetings, the sides discuss the
similarities and differences between their various beliefs,
traditions, legal systems, holidays and customs. These
meetings enable people who do not normally meet to get
to know one another and help to diminish the alienation,
hatred and suspicion. However, the central message of
this kind of dialogue, which declares that “we are all the
same,” ignores the elephant in the room, along with the
obvious differences in living conditions, personal status and
political context between Jews and Muslims on both sides
of the conflict. The focus on common values creates a false
17 Interview, Petah Tikva, November 2015.
18 Interview, Jerusalem, March 2016.
19 Should an evacuation of this kind become necessary or desirable
in the context of a peace agreement. This issue itself could be
addressed in different ways if the basic religious assumptions, both
Jewish and Muslim, are added to the diplomatic terminology.
symmetry, serving only to distract from the conflictual issues
underlying the meeting.
20
In other cases, the sessions engage directly in the pursuit
of the political challenge, in an attempt to enlist the support
of religious leaders for an existing, fixed, formulated and
detailed political solution. The rabbis and Muslim leaders are
considered public-opinion makers with broad and influential
networks who can convince their flocks on the advisability
of a peace agreement. However, they are not perceived as
people able to offer new, pathbreaking insights as to what
form that peace agreement should take. Rabbis are viewed
as architects of the dissemination of the peace process but
not of its content or form.
21
Only a small part of the religious work related to Israeli-
Palestinian conflict directly addresses religious leaders in
order to investigate the contribution they might be able to
make in shaping the sought-after peace agreement. But
even among these initiatives, most restrict themselves to
working with the most moderate, pragmatic and liberal
religious leaders, those who believe that peace is a paramount
commandment and do not need to engage in meetings as
part of a transformative thinking process, but rather only in
order to work for a common goal. It is not from these leaders
that the desired new voices and insights will come. The vast
majority of the public debate on peace is held in an echo
chamber of the converted, religious and secular both. In order
to move outside this circle, the voices of prominent rabbis
and Muslim clerics must be heard, even those perceived
as radicals who wish to scuttle the peace process. They are
the only ones who can chart a path to peace that doesn’t
compromise the Torah – but fulfills it.
Summary and conclusion
Courageous leaders who suddenly arise and decide to sign
an agreement will not be able to set about implementing it
on the ground and in the hearts and minds of their people’s
if the agreement is disconnected to one degree or another
from the prevalent narratives among both peoples. The trust
between the sides is at such a low ebb that the signing of
an agreement would only be a starting point in the race
towards mutual recriminations regarding its violation. Those
seeking to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict do not lack
for proposals and declarations of principles, but rather for
trust and motivation. Most of the outstanding questions in
the framework of an agreement are a function of the degree
of trust between the parties. Confederative elements, open
borders to a greater or lesser degree, the return of merely a
20 Encounters of this kind are also liable to quickly encounter resistance
on the part of Palestinians who oppose normalization with Israel.
21 In order to refrain from making this mistake, this article does
not enumerate the various religious challenges to resolving the
conflict and the possible ways of addressing them, or the concrete
alternatives to the political proposals that may emerge as a result of
striving for peace from a religious perspective. Recommendations
such as these must arise from an unmediated discourse between
religious leaders from both peoples.
