It has been previously noted in this column that the old adage “the friend of my friend is my friend, and the enemy of my friend is my enemy” no longer has any relevance in today’s geopolitical world, where each country looks out for what best serves its own interests. The world has changed a lot over the past 80 years, and today, France, which voted in favor, and the UK, which 78 years ago abstained from the United Nations General Assembly vote on the partition of Palestine, are among the nations willing to recognize a Palestinian state.
Then again, one must remember that the resolution called for the creation of two states – one Arab and one Jewish, and the Arabs rejected the outcome of the vote. There is a strange coincidence in the fact that news stories about the decisions by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer were overshadowed by the Pacific Ocean tsunami, which affected people in several countries. One could almost say that the tsunami – at least for the foreseeable future – washed away the possibility of a Palestinian state.
However, if the issue is raised for voting purposes at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the Palestinians have a lot more support than did the advocates for a Jewish state in November 1947, when 33 nations voted in favor and happened to be in the majority.
There were far fewer members of the UN in those days. Some of today’s members were under foreign rule and did not have a state of their own. There were 51 founding states of the UN in October 1945.
By 1947, there were 57 member states, of which, as mentioned above, 33 voted in favor of partition. By 1948, the year in which Israel became a sovereign state, there were 58 members. Today, there are 193 members.
Several of the countries that voted against partition or abstained from voting subsequently established diplomatic relations with Israel, and in cases in which diplomacy has not always been on an even keel, economic relations have been the cement holding diplomatic relations together. Among the nations that voted against partition but later established diplomatic and significant economic relations with Israel are Greece, India, and Turkey. Despite all the vitriol that Turkey has heaped on Israel, and the recalling of ambassadors, diplomatic ties between Ankara and Jerusalem have not been severed. Nor under the circumstances that have prevailed since October 2023 has there been a break in diplomatic ties between Israel and Jordan and Israel and Egypt.
If and when official recognition of a Palestinian state comes to the vote at UNGA, it will be interesting to check the votes with those of November 29, 1947, lodged by those countries that were members at the time. For instance, Sweden, which voted “yes” to partition, is today one of Israel’s severest critics and would in all likelihood vote for a Palestinian state. Being critical of Israel does not make Sweden Israel’s enemy. Sweden is simply the friend of both Israel and the Palestinians, and maintains diplomatic delegations in Tel Aviv and Ramallah.
The Israeli constitution that never was
■ Israel’s founding prime minister David Ben-Gurion had envisaged that the nascent state would have a constitution by October 1, 1948. As any Israeli who is even vaguely interested in the subject knows – that did not happen, and still has not happened 77 years after Ben-Gurion had proclaimed that it would.
Had there been a constitution during the country’s 75th anniversary year, surmises legal expert Uzi Amit-Kohn, it might have been a better year for Israel and the Jewish people “than the annus horribilis it turned out to be.”
Writing in the latest edition of the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, Amit-Kohn presents a comprehensive history of the failed attempts to write and adopt a constitution. Another attempt by the Jewish People Policy Institute is in the process of creating what it calls a lean constitution – which, of course, is preferable to having no constitution at all.
Among the legal minds involved in the project is former deputy chief justice of the Supreme Court Elyakim Rubinstein.
Attorney Uzi Amit-Kohn is in private practice in Jerusalem. He was a senior advisory officer in the field of public international law in the IDF Military Advocate General’s Headquarters/International Law Branch (1984-89), where he held the rank of major (res.)
In the article, which is written in English, Amit-Kohn also deals with the proposed judicial reform and its negative impact in driving a wedge between different sectors of the population. He also examines how it might benefit the government and why a constitution is a more vital need today than ever before. Had there been a constitution, he suggests, the events of October 7, 2023, would not have happened.
■ The Orthodox Union has launched a campaign to aid the Druze community, in light of which its key figures met with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwafak Tarif and other Druze leaders to discuss the needs.
In an appeal to the Jewish public, Rabbi Moshe Hauer, the executive vice president of the OU, writes of the devastating stories he has heard about the suffering of the Druze community in Syria.
“I ask you to join the OU in showing appreciation to and compassion for the Druze community currently in crisis from attacks frighteningly reminiscent of the October 7 attack on the Israeli communities in the Gaza envelope,” he urges. “There is an evolving humanitarian crisis, with tens of thousands driven from their homes.
“The Druze shared shocking images and footage of the ongoing horrific attacks on their family members in Syria, drawn from the same grotesque playbook used to attack Israel. The sheikh further observed how the images of soldiers humiliating Druze elders by shaving their beards were eerily like pictures we’re familiar with of Nazis abusing rabbis.
“The attacks have triggered an overall humanitarian crisis, with tens of thousands of Syrian Druze driven from their homes, and roads and supply routes obstructed. There is a real need for food, medicine, clothing, and shelter. The OU is working with those coordinating assistance.
“The outstanding OU JLIC-TLV team is working in close partnership with long-time friends in the Israeli Druze community and has identified the most reliable and accountable channel working with [the IDF] to deliver vital humanitarian supplies to the Druze in Syria.
“The Druze community traces its relationship with the Jewish people to the days of Yitro [Jethro] and has regularly demonstrated outstanding loyalty to Israel, with a record of leadership in the IDF, including, most recently, the many Druze who gave their lives in defense of Israel, both on October 7 and since.
”It is our turn to show the Druze community, [which] has been so reliable in our defense, that we are there with them at their time of crisis. The Druze did not stand by when Israel was attacked. We must not stand by when they are attacked.”
■ Even though they may occasionally be disgruntled by Israel’s deeds and policies, this does not deter serial philanthropists from supporting the Israeli causes in which they believe.
One such person is Stephen B. Klein, the founder and CEO of the Klein Company, a real estate development firm that operates in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida.
A longtime donor to Haifa’s Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and a member of its Board of Governors, he is also a Technion guardian and fellow, and has been the recipient of a Technion honorary doctorate.
His most recent gift is the addition of a building to the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering. “I’ve donated to Israel for 50 years, and this is the most important project for me,” said Klein in an emotional address at the inauguration ceremony.
A plaque honoring the Klein family was unveiled by faculty member Prof. Beni Cukurel.
Aside from being a successful businessman, Klein is a pilot who has contributed greatly to the Technion, the Israel Air Force, and various institutions in Israel.
“I know the air force well and am aware of its hardships on families, which is why I’ve funded 14 civilian projects on air force bases – housing, clubs, and kindergartens,” he said.
“Over the past two years, we have witnessed the achievements of the air force and its air defense systems, many of which originated from the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Technion. That’s why I decided to contribute to the faculty’s development.”
Klein also spoke about the growing antisemitism in the US, and Israel’s obligation to strive for security and independence. “For me,” he said, “supporting the faculty means supporting education, research, innovation, and technology – but also the future security of Israel.” Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan said: “In 1949, as the State of Israel was recovering from the War of Independence, prime minister David Ben-Gurion, with farsighted vision, determined that the state would always depend on a strong air force, and, for that, an academic department in aeronautical engineering was needed. The mission was given to the Technion, which recruited two renowned experts: Sydney Goldstein, who joined the Technion and was appointed vice president for academic affairs, and Hungarian aeronautical engineer Prof. Theodore von Kármán.
“The strategy outlined by Ben-Gurion – based on the understanding that Israel is a small country with no strategic depth – has proven itself in the past two years, a time during which tens of thousands of rockets and missiles were fired at Israel. Despite the onslaught, industry and academia continued functioning thanks to the air force and advanced defense systems developed by graduates of the faculty: Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow, and more. This is a historic full circle, and I congratulate Stephen Klein – it is a great honor for us to name the faculty after you.”
Thanks to a generous donation from the estate of Stephen Grand and the lead gift from Stephen Klein, a new building for the faculty will be constructed next to its original, historic structure.
This academic year, the faculty has already seen a sharp rise in new students starting their first year at the Technion – a 25% increase compared to last year (2023-2024) and 42% compared to the year before that (2022-2023).
greerfc@gmail.com