Netanyahu demands Palestinians agree upon manipulation of history

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again insisted that Palestinians recognise the Jewish state and relinquish the right to return. During a speech at Bar-Ilan University, Netanyahu outlined his perception of the impossibility of a two state solution, stating that even recognition from Palestinians would not be sufficient for any semblance of peace.

Netanyahu wants the Jewish state to be discussed without the framework of the illegal occupation, thus distancing Palestinians from their history and memory of displacement within Palestine and abroad. “After generations of incitement we have no confidence that such recognition will percolate down to the Palestinian people. That is why we need extremely strong security arrangements and to go forward, but not blindly.” Netanyahu insisted that the occupation and illegal settlement activity do not obstruct the peace process since, “the issue was and remains the Jewish state. Then 19 years later came the stranglehold around us aimed at uprooting us. And why? After all, then there was no occupation”.

Netanyahu’s discourse precludes the existence of Palestine by stating that Palestinians were against ‘the immigration of Jews to the land of Israel’ – a necessary tactic, given the Zionist intention to build a state upon plundered land. Early Zionist leaders such as David Ben Gurion and Ze’ev Jabotinsky commented about the means through which Palestinian existence could be permanently eliminated from the land in order to assume absolute authority over Palestine and create a fabricated nation to fit the Zionist narrative of ‘a people without a land’.

By invoking 1921 as the year which ignited the ongoing violence, Netanyahu has intentionally manipulated history in a manner which obliterates the prior ideology providing the foundations of a future Jewish state. The displacement of blame upon Palestinians by portraying Zionists in agreement with the United Nations partition plan is a tactic aimed at legitimising Israel’s atrocities by claiming adherence to the international organisation allegedly concerned with the protection of human rights. In seeking to play out a contrast between Jewish and Palestinian reactions to the partition plan, Netanyahu accentuates the Zionist interpretation of Palestinians as dissatisfied with benevolence bestowed upon them by the imperialist international organisation.

Not only is the Jewish state to be considered an issue deterring any prospect of peace. Its unethical construction and intentional manipulation of memory and history are of concern, especially the manner in which Zionists expect Palestinians to accept a Jewish state within their borders which would also imply disassociation from Palestinian history and resistance. The contention regarding legitimacy takes on a complicated dimension as Israel keeps insisting upon recognition of the illegal state on behalf of Palestinians, while at the same time it claims legitimacy through the United Nations’ acceptance and recognition of the state of Israel. Netanyahu’s demands might garner a degree of recognition from the current Ramallah representation, but Palestinian people cannot be expected to comply with requests for oblivion to justify Israel’s security concerns rhetoric. Between the polarising expressions lies the Zionist self-legitimisation of the state of Israel, irrespective of its international law infringements and the constraints which it seeks to impose upon Palestinian memory.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.