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The Case for a Larger Israel

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David Naggar

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“What do you think of Chin Peng?” Hagar asked him, pointing to the TV screen with the remote control. “Chin Peng? What about him?” “He wants to come home but he’s not allowed to.” “The war is over. We signed the Hat Yai Treaty.” “Does that mean he can come home?” “Why shouldn’t he? It’s been 27 years.” “Is that your opinion as a veteran? You were a soldier. You fought against the Communists.” Our father stopped to look at Hagar, his face serious. “The war is over,” he stressed. “We stood down.”

“Keeping your peace requires serious effort; you need to take precautions against everything that disturbs your peace! From a fly disturbing your peace while reading a book to the nonsense that happens in your country, you need to neutralize each and every disturber with a counter-move that is sometimes very simple and sometimes very complex! Yes, my friend, keeping your peace is an art!”

“I dissent from the systems not out of defiance, but from a vision for change. Through open conversations with those in power, I strive for reform. Here in this village, as everywhere, I see the flaws as clear as day. Yet, the fault isn't theirs alone. A community thrives or fails on the actions of its people, not just its leaders. If you champion free speech, embody that freedom in every word and act. Be the change, the 'X' you wish to see, not just in posts but in presence. Authenticity invites authenticity, fostering true freedom within our communities. Otherwise, we're just co-authoring a book of hollow tweets.”

“...I have a strong gut feeling that God won’t be giving us peace any time soon; we’re going to have to make an effort to achieve it on our own. And if we succeed, neither we nor the Palestinians will receive it free of charge. Peace, by definition, is compromise between sides, and in that kind of compromise, each side has to pay a genuine, heavy price, not just in territories or money but also in a true change of worldview. That’s why the first step might be to stop using the debilitating word “peace,” which has long since taken on transcendental and messianic meanings in both the political left and right wings, and replace it immediately with the word “compromise.” It might be a less rousing word, but at least it reminds us that the solution we are so eager for can’t be found in our prayers to God but in our insistence on a grueling, not always perfect dialogue with the other side. True, it’s more difficult to write songs about compromise, especially the kind my son and other kids can sing in their angelic voices. And it doesn’t have the same cool look on T-shirts. But in contrast to the lovely word that demands nothing of the person saying it, the word “compromise” insists on the same preconditions from all those who use it: They must first agree to concessions, maybe even more — they must be willing to accept the assumption that beyond the just and absolute truth they believe in, another truth may exist. And in the racist and violent part of the world I live in, that’s nothing to scoff at.”