The
Israeli Solution by
Caroline Glick exposes the flaws in global diplomacy related to the
“resolution” of the territorial conflict between Israel and the
Palestinians. If you, as a reader, are
interested in another viewpoint other than what you see regularly in
contemporary news, then this book is a must read. Why would I levy that claim? Simply put, do not miss the final words in
the tag line from the book: “a one-state
plan for peace in the Middle East.”
Glick adopts a pro-Israel position and hammers home her thesis throughout.
If you
choose to tackle this book, I do want to throw out two specific cautions: (1) Understand that this read is one that
will challenge your notions of foreign diplomacy, force an evaluation of the
news you watch, astound you with the even-handed manner at which American
presidential flaws are revealed, and shock you and how the United States
continues to fund Palestinians (which ends up funding terrorist acts against
Israel); and (2) Understand that reading it will take time to work through these
weighty matters; however, Glick does an amazing job at breaking this complex
issue down into language that is simple to understand.
One of the
strongest sections in her argument for the one-state solution is her debunking
of what she calls the “demographic bomb.”
She cleverly references it as a “dud.”
She shows how the Palestinian demographic study was completely flawed
through over-representation of actual Palestinians, inflated birth rates, and
counting of people that simply do not exist.
These findings were not put forward by the Israeli government but were
from an American-based group. To put the
inflationary figures in perspective, it would be akin to the U.S. Census Bureau
saying that American had nearly 200 million more people than anticipated.
Unfortunately,
these inaccurate numbers have been accepted by many in the Israeli government,
Arab world, and in the US Department of State.
President Obama has relied upon those demographic numbers, despite the challenge,
as his primary push for the two-state system.
The use of those falsified numbers compares Israel to South Africa and
assumes that Jews could be outvoted in the near future. As an interesting aside, the initial report
forecast that Palestinians would outnumber Jews by 2005. That did not occur, so the PLO shifted its
date to 2010. That did not occur, so it
shifted to 2015. It appears that will
not occur either, so a new date of 2020 is expected. Without a doubt, the credibility of the demographic
numbers is being undercut by these constantly shifting dates AND due to
internal Palestinian ministry data that conflicts with this report as well.
Although she
will be vilified by many, Glick provided significant evidence in the Endnote
section to bolster her arguments. Yes,
this is a totally one-sided and pro-Israeli position on the territorial and
settlement disputes between Israel and Palestine; however, it is a position
that must be stated. If you examine
media coverage on the disputes, then you could conclude that the press offers a
totally one-sided position in favor of the Palestinians. Balance must be achieved so that a true
understanding of the situational complexities can be acknowledged.
This has
been an enlightening read that I can assure you will be controversial. Regardless of what others think, study the
current direction of American foreign policy and then compare it with the suggestions
of this author. When it comes to
international engagement, American citizens often leave that up to the
government because they are the “experts.”
If you wish to shape policy in the ballot booth, then you need to be
able to ask the right questions based upon you beliefs. Maybe this book will shift your thoughts on
the Israeli-Palestinian situation and maybe it will not, but this is still
worthy of your time.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing
Group for this review. I was not
required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,
Part 25: “Guides Concerning the Use of
Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
