Ami Ayalon, the focus of your March 14 “N.Y. Minute,” is an understandable choice to spearhead J Street’s national campaign for Palestinian statehood. Ayalon’s support for creating a Palestinian state presumably will impress his listeners because he has the credibility of having once headed the Shin Bet, Israel’s security services.
But according to your interview, Ayalon believes that Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state “is necessary in order to create a viable agreement. … it is very important for us that they understand and recognize us the way we understand ourselves.” In other words, Ayalon is a strong supporter of the leading condition for an agreement with the Palestinians advocated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has said repeatedly that he will never recognize Israel as a Jewish State. The Arab League, representing all 22 Arab states, recently said likewise. If Ami Ayalon stands up for the position he articulated in your interview, he is likely to soon find himself denounced as an “obstacle to peace,” ostracized by the elite media and academic circles that have adored him until now, and unable to find a publisher for his next book. That’s the price to be paid for speaking the truth.
Moshe Phillips, President
Benyamin Korn, Chairman
Religious Zionists of America, Philadelphia Chapter
