US Reform leader: unilateral annexations ‘dangerous for Israel’s future’

"A secure Israel side by side with a viable Palestinian state is in the best interest of American foreign policy," said head of the Reform Movement in the US Rabbi Rick Jacobs

By JEREMY SHARON
Rabbi Rick Jacobs (photo credit: JFNA)
Rabbi Rick Jacobs
(photo credit: JFNA)
The head of the Reform Movement in the US Rabbi Rick Jacobs has said that any unilateral annexations conducted by Israel would be “dangerous” for the future of the Jewish state, following the unveiling of the Trump plan for the Israel - Palestinian conflict.
Jacobs did not comment directly on the content of the plan, but said that all opportunities to make peace should be seriously considered, although adding that peace between the two sides should be negotiated directly.
“We are especially concerned about Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statement at the White House saying that he will establish, unilaterally, Israeli law over all of those West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley proposed for final status under the Trump plan,” said Jacobs in a statement to the press.
“We believe that this move toward annexation is dangerous for Israel’s future and for stability and peace of the region overall.”
Jacobs said that “a secure Israel side by side with a viable Palestinian state is in the best interest of American foreign policy and, of course, for the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.”
The phrase Jewish and democratic refers to concerns that without a viable Palestinian state, Israel would either have to absorb Palestinians into its population and either grant them the right to vote and lose, to a great extent, the Jewish character of the state, or deny them the right to vote and lose the democratic nature of the Jewish state.
“An opportunity to make peace is a holy act, one that must be considered and weighed with the deepest seriousness and attention,” said Jacobs, adding that “peace must be negotiated directly by the parties, with American support.”
The Conservative Movement in the US is yet to respond to the Trump proposals and it is thought that it may well refrain from doing so due to the politically sensitive nature of the issue within its community.


Related Tags
reform