Orethapedia

David Rubin is a former mayor of Shiloh, Israel – in the region of Samaria, which together with Judea, is known to much of the world as the West Bank. He is the founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund (SICF) – dedicated to healing the trauma of child victims of terrorist attacks, as well as rebuilding the biblical heartland of Israel through the children. SICF was established after Rubin and his three-year-old son were wounded in a vicious terrorist attack while driving home from Jerusalem. Rubin vowed to retaliate – not with hatred, nor with anger, but with compassion – to create positive change for Israel and its children.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to form a new coalition, and therefore, is now facing new elections, just 45 days after the previous election, which everyone thought he won handily.

The main sticking point among several that frustrated Netanyahu’s efforts to build a governing coalition is the question of whether all Israelis should have compulsory military service. The status quo has been to allow Ultra-Orthodox Jews to defer service indefinitely.

Will the new election bring different results? And what are the ramifications for the formation of the next coalition government in Israel? Those are two of several questions with answers yet to come.

For those not well versed in Israeli politics, here are some questions answered by someone who can explain plainly what is happening.

Orethapedia: Now that Prime Minister Netanyahu has failed to form a governing coalition, and new elections have been announced, what is the next step?

David Rubin:  The next step is the new election on a date mutually agreed upon, most likely Sept 17, 2019.

Orethapedia: Why should we believe that Netanyahu would have any more success the next time around? 

David Rubin: The chances are very good that the results of the elections will be very different, and the dynamics of the new election campaign will bring different results. Therefore, the weight of the negotiations might be nuanced in different directions.

Orethpedia: One of the main sticking points was on Army deferment for Torah students. Would that remain the major sticking point the next time around? 

David Rubin: That depends on the results of the elections and the relative strengths of the parties. It’s very possible that due to the new election results there will be more motivation for compromise.

Orethapedia: Given all the factors, do you think Netanyahu is likely to win this election as well and do you think that his strong relationship with President Trump will help him? 

David Rubin:What is virtually certain is that the parties on the Right side of the political spectrum are once again going to be stronger than those on the Left, and this time around, if early polls are to be believed, even stronger. The Right sides with Netanyahu. As for the relationship with President Trump, the President has been wonderful for the U.S.-Israel relationship and he’s very well liked in Israel, so I’m sure Netanyahu will benefit from Trump’s coattails.

Orethapedia: Looking beyond this election, regardless of who the next Prime Minister will be, is there ever going to be a peace plan that works in Israel? 

David Rubin: I propose a new peace plan called Peace for Peace, which does away with the failed land for peace formula and the hopelessly stalled negotiations and offers a unilateral path to peace between Israel and the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria. Peace for Peace, if adopted by Israel’s political leadership, would change the rules of the game and stop unrealistically arousing the appetite of those who currently call themselves Palestinians. The approval of the Palestinian Authority, which has caused so much terrorism through its financing and incitement, would not be required, but the plan would, indeed, provide a better future for the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria.

I can only hope President Trump and Jared Kushner’s ‘Deal of the Century’ contains all or most of the following four key principles in “Peace for Peace”:

A-The entire land of Israel is the eternal sovereign inheritance of the Jewish people and Israeli sovereignty will be declared within the borders in Israel’s possession, which at this time consists of the territory from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.

B. Israel extends its hand in unconditional peace and cooperation, peace for peace, to all of its Arab neighbors, including those Arabs who live within its borders in Judea and Samaria.

C. A path to loyal citizenship in the State of Israel will be offered for all non-citizens of Israel currently living within its borders, including Judea and Samaria. Such a path will include an extensive two-year course in Zionism, Jewish history, Bible, and civics, culminating in a required oath of loyalty to the Jewish State of Israel, and followed by a two to three-year commitment of national service to Israel, as performed by other citizens. A path to loyal citizenship in the State of Israel will be offered for all non-citizens of Israel currently living within its borders, including Judea and Samaria.

D. Those residents who refuse this path to citizenship will be offered a stipend to be resettled in one of the neighboring countries. The option of subsidized transfer will be on the table for one year. After that point, only a small number of non-citizens will be allowed to remain, based on Israel’s needs. The others will be deported. No rational, sovereign country would allow the continued residence of those who openly wish its destruction.

As has been revealed in recent demographic studies, Israel need not fear such a scenario. Given Israel’s experience in eastern Jerusalem, many of the Arab residents would reject the offer and Israel would nonetheless be putting an end to the nagging “apartheid state” accusations without imperiling Israel’s demographic future.

The demographic delusions of some Knesset members, who incessantly harp on the demographic threat to Israel that would be caused by a declaration of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, need not be heeded. As reported extensively by demographic researchers, such as Yoram Ettinger, Israel’s growth in Judea and Samaria is now outpacing the Arab growth. In fact, it is the only part of the world in which the demographic struggle opposite the Muslim world is being won.

While it is true that automatic citizenship for all, including unrepentant haters of Israel, could be suicidal, the conditional path to loyal citizenship, an approach used in most free countries, including the United States, would be a sensible middle ground that would enable loyal citizenship for those who truly want peace.

David reflected on what and how the Trump administration should do too.

Such a plan should be explained to, and closely coordinated with, the new Trump administration, which seems open to hearing these new ideas. The time has come for Israel’s politicians to learn from past failures and to adopt this new approach to peace – a peace plan based on biblical principles, historical justice, and common sense.

Mr. Rubin has become an unofficial spokesman for Israel and the biblical heartland of Israel, with his books that speak the truth about what’s really happening in Israel and the Middle East. Rubin also has written extensively about the Israel US relationship, as well as the very real threat of Jihadist Islam to Judeo-Christian civilization. These books include his most recent: “Trump and The Jews, as well as “The Islamic Tsunami: Israel and America in the Age of Obama”, “Peace For Peace”, “Sparks from Zion,” and “More Sparks from Zion.”