Moshe Yaroni

Moshe Yaroni Revealed as Mitchell Plitnick. For the announcement see http://realisticpeace.wordpress.com/ and better, yet, Mitchell's own blog, The Third Way.

Moshe Yaroni is the nom de plume I’ve chosen. I am an American Jew who has spent his life engaged in study and work to bring about a peaceful future for Israel and the Palestinians. I currently work in Washington, advocating for peace and security for Israel and her neighbors.

My background is in history and political analysis. Over the years, I have amassed a great deal of experience with many communities involved in this question, from the most zealous proponents of Greater Israel to absolutists insisting on the abolition, violent or otherwise, of the Jewish State. I have studied these decades both in and out of the academy and have consulted with politicians, diplomats, scholars, and community leaders from all sides, Israeli, Palestinian, other Arab states, the United States and Europe as well as the United Nations.

My approach begins with the idea that Zionism was an entirely justified national movement, and that Palestinians also are deserving of the same human, civil and national rights as anyone else. Reconciling these two things is not simple, as they clash in essential and inherent ways. But finding that reconciliation is the only way, in my view, to get us out of the murderous quagmire that has existed in the region for more than a century.

And, as a Jew who, though secular, has extensive religious training, it is my deeply held belief that finding peace for Israel is crucial for the Jewish future. Whether one agrees with Zionism and Israel or not, it cannot be denied that Israel is now a central component of the Jewish existence. If we don’t find a peace that can endure and be accepted by all concerned, it will be conflict that dictates the Jewish future.

News and Politics

A Policy of Failure

By Moshe Yaroni

All Israel’s siege of Gaza accomplishes is to further diminish the Jewish state’s damaged reputation, harm its relations with its remaining Muslim allies, increase the difficulty of returning to talks with the Palestinians and, of course, greatly magnify the suffering of its civilian victims.

News and Politics

The Sophistry of Daniel Ayalon

By Moshe Yaroni

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister is well-known for his extremist views. Most recently, Minister Ayalon has reintroduced the term “Disputed Territories” in order to undermine the commonality of Diaspora usage of the term “Occupied Territories.” Moshe Yaroni explains why this campaign has been undertaken, and what its real objectives are.

News and Politics

A Most Unlikely Source of Hope

By Moshe Yaroni

It was about as likely as Daniel Pipes converting to Islam, and taking up residence in Gaza. Under intense US pressure, Benjamin Netanyahu, it appears, is throwing his weight behind the two-state solution. The source of this revelation: Steven Rosen, the controversial ex-AIPAC staffer, indicted for espionage by the Justice Department.

News and Politics

Saving Peace from the Peace Activists

By Moshe Yaroni

Activism cannot be guided solely by passion. Activism without a serious political analysis can be just as damaging. Examining the British government’s decision this week to exempt Tzipi Livni from the threat of war crimes prosecution, Moshe Yaroni bemoans the damage caused to the principle of universal jurisdiction.

News and Politics

Reclaiming Hanukah From the Occupation

By Moshe Yaroni

This Hanukah, there is a fork in Israel’s road ahead. Is it going to confront the fundamentalists who threaten to turn the state into a theocracy, as its Justice Minister advocated last week? Or is it going to strive to find peace in secure borders, with a shared Jerusalem and good relations with the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world?

Faith and Practice

The Enemy Within

By Moshe Yaroni

Whether they live in Israel or in the Diaspora, Jewish rightists consistently take the lead in defining the so-called enemy. But what about the enemy within?

News and Politics

Freeze Means Ruse in Hebrew

By Moshe Yaroni

The so-called “freeze” is nothing of the kind. It will not lead to a suspension of settlement construction and it will not restart talks with the Palestinians. Is it only for show then? No. Netanyahu’s goal is to put the peace process on ice once and for all.

News and Politics

Goldstone's Merits

By Moshe Yaroni

Israel has not carried out an investigation of its own culpability for war crimes since 1983, when the Kahan Commission submitted the results of its investigation of the massacre of Palestinian civilians in Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. Despite its flaws, the Goldstone Report provides compelling evidence as to why Israel must conduct a similarly credible investigation of Operation Cast Lead.

News and Politics

America as Spectator

By Moshe Yaroni

The next phase of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is about to begin. The question before Barack Obama is how much of a hand he wants to have in directing it. If Washington wants to take part, it must do so now, before facts on the ground render it completely ineffective.

News and Politics

The End of the Abbas Era?

By Moshe Yaroni

Abu Mazen’s announcement that he would not seek reelection should not come as a surprise. Initially buoyed by President Obama’s attempts to reinvigorate the peace process, the Palestinian leader has been increasingly pressured by the US to unconditionally cooperate with Israel. His resignation is not only a protest. It is a last-ditched attempt to keep alive the possibility of a two-state solution.