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

Attack Iran?

Will the United States or Israel attack Iran? Unlikely. But the new sanctions up the ante.

News and Politics

In Pursuit of Liberal Zionism

Zionism was once synonymous with liberalism. Today, it connotes conservatism. Moshe Yaroni, on Diaspora Jewry’s alienation from Israel, and what it will take to reconnect the two.

News and Politics

Response to Akiva Tor

Racism remains a problem for both sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict, argues Moshe Yaroni. However, it is not anti-Semitic to oppose the Occupation.

News and Politics

Prescription for Survival

Israel will only survive as a democracy if it recognizes the equal rights of its citizenry, frees itself from the grip of the rabbinate, strengthens its courts, and protects its NGO communities.

News and Politics

Making Bibi Sing

The US cannot impose a solution on Israel. However, it can’t let the Netanyahu government shirk its responsibilities towards the peace process, either.

News and Politics

Principled Opposition

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is more popular than ever. How should supporters of the two-state solution best position themselves?

News and Politics

What Must Be Done

Barack Obama is reported to be mulling a new plan to secure a final status agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. Moshe Yaroni has a few words of advice to help him succeed.

News and Politics

The Crisis of Jewish Democracy

63% of Israeli Jews support a two-state solution. 54% of their elected representatives, and an outspoken number of self-appointed US Jewish leaders, do not.

News and Politics

At War With America

The only thing the Netanyahu government knows how to do is make enemies. It might just destroy Israel’s alliance with the United States.

News and Politics

The Capital of War

Jerusalem has always been ground zero for the Arab-Israeli crisis. Now, it’s also the setting for an American-Israeli conflict, as well.

ZEEK is presented by The Jewish Daily Forward | Maintained by SimonAbramson.com