Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Issue 104), Summer 1997

"Intimate Enemies: Jews and Arabs in a Shared Land" by Meron Benvenisti

Book Review by Fouad Moughrabi
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[Excerpt]

Benvenisti welcomes the 1993 Declaration of Principles... At the same time, he is surprised by the readiness of the Palestinians to finally accept defeat and surrender... according to which "the occupation continues albeit by remote control, and with the consent of the Palestinian people"... The process of "peace-making" results in an odd situation where separation is achieved while maintaining a high level of "cooperation"... "Cooperation based on the current power relationship is no more than permanent Israeli domination in disguise, and Palestinian self-rule is merely a euphemism for Bantustanization". Where do we go from here? Benvenisti offers a novel suggestion: "The need to combine political separation with physical unity, separate national self-identity with strong affinity to the shared homeland, points to the need for a confederated Israel/Palestine"... The author correctly states that most Israelis would be opposed to such an idea. He is incorrect in saying that Palestinians would oppose it.
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