Interview on Finnish TV: Only Israel West of the River

The first few minutes are in Finnish, so just wait them out – unless you are Finnish…

Dr. Mordechai Nissan, Middle East scholar and an oped contributor to Arutz Sheva, was interviewed recently for Finnish television about his provocative and thought provoking book: Only Israel West of the River.

Dr. Nissan is a well known lecturer in Israel, and in a laid back style, knows how to get his points across in an interesting fashion.

This is a concise, clear exposition of the history of the Israel-Arab conflict, Oslo Accords and their aftermath, with the speaker leading logically to why Israel must abandon all thoughts of two states in the area west of the Jordan River.

http://www.tv7.fi/vod/player/?program=18766

March 8, 2012 | 3 Comments »

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3 Comments / 3 Comments

  1. Ted, I think you misunderstand me. My point is that the success or failure of Oslo, as a basis for arguing the rights of Jews to the lands west of the river, is not the best argument and I believe it would be unconvincing to most europeans. Europeans have argued that the Oslo is unsuccessful because the Israelis didn’t fulfill it. To me Oslo is righfully buried because it seks to give away jewish land west of the river. He is saying that postulated solutions thus far, to the diplomatic process of redividing Israel west of the river,have failed therefore the goal of redividing that land should be abandoned. I am saying the goal of redividing Israel should be abandoned because it is illegal and immoral based on Balfour, San Remo, league of Nations. It is my understanding that the palestine mandate territories originally included Jordan, that the territories were barred from subdivision and that they were to be to the benefit of the Jews in a trust to be administered by the british. It is my humble opinion that there is no legal or moral argument for the creation of the JEW FREE state of Trans Jordan on 77% of the original Palestine Mandate territories. Since the world has accepted that creation it stands to reason that the remaining 23% should belong to the remaining population of Jews and were it to be treated equally with the creation of JEW FREE Jordan it should then be Muslim free. The creation of Jordan has set the precedent. Simply put there are 2 states east and west of the jordan river. One of these states has been JEW FREE since its creation. Therefore it is the defacto Palestine and any discussions which contemplate redividing the crumbs left to the Jews west of the JOrdan should not be discussed in any way. This is the answer to “where did you come up with that?” I never said kick the Jews out of Judea Samaria, exactly the opposite. I said that the Jews have been kicked out of the arab countries plus every area of the former mandate territory, including Jordan,gaza and west bank that is under the control of the muslim arabs. This is unacceptable and becomes the basis for the arabs to be moved east of the river to the already created JEW FREE state of JOrdan which sits on the former Palestine mandate territory. In other words if the world accepts the ethnic cleansing of Jews from arab areas then they must equally accept the movement of arabs to Jordan. IN diplomatic speak it can be justified as a swap of populations which has already been completed by the Jews and is awaiting the arabs to complete their side of the swap. I am not attacking Nissan, It is my humble opinion that his focus is wrong for convincing Europeans that west of the river should be Israel only. It is also my opinion that the best arguments for Jews to lands west of the jordan lie in the treaty of San Remo, League of Nations mandates and the illegal immoral creation of JEW FREE Transjordan on 77% of the original “British Palestine” jewish homeland. The best argument for the transfer of arabs to jordan lies in the ethnic cleansing of Jews from arab lands and the JEW FREE rule of muslims on all former Palestine lands under their control.

  2. I totally support Dr Nisan and keep in touch with him. His book “Only Israel West of the Jordan” is a must read. You should approach his work with a little more humility. Not only can I assure you that Israel has fulfilled her obligations under Oslo and had someone raised this point in the interview he would more than adequately answered it.

    Unbelievably, you write “Dr. Nissan appears short on historical knowledge as he originates the 2 state solution in 1937”. Firstly, Dr Nisan is a Mid East Scholar and knows his history better than you. Secondly he is right about 1937. That’s when a British White P{aper was presently which proposed for the first time that their be a two state solution. It was voted down by the Jews among others. Then came Res 181, The Partition Plan and it was accepted only by Israel.

    San Remo and The Palestine Mandate didn’t raise the subject of such a solution.

    He omits the argument that the only legal and moral arguments for the existence of trans jordan as a JEW FREE state, within the boundaries of the Palestine mandate,would be the simultaneous creation of a muslim free state in the remaining Jewish portion of the Palestine mandate territories.

    Of course he omits it because its bullshit. Where did you come up with that.?

    He omits the fact that the only legal and moral basis to remedy the cleansing of Jews from arab lands, both within and without the mandate territories, must be to view it as a population exchange and that the muslims must now complete their side of the exchange.

    What planet do you live on? There is no moral or legal basis to kick the Jews out of Judea and Samaria.

    You can make what ever arguments you like but why drag Nisan into it by criticising him for not making your arguments.

    You redeem yourself with the rest. But why attack Nisan.

  3. Dear Ted, I find this interview disturbing and damaging to the interests of Israel and the Jewish people. Dr. NIssans arguments emanate from the impracticality of the 2 state solution west of the river, that proceedings towards that end have not worked. If I were a Finn I would merely counter that it hasn’t worked because Israel has not fulfilled its obligations under Oslo. The Europeans have accepted the legal/moral arguments of the muslims and Israel, like Dr. Nissan, never provides the counter to these arguments. Dr. Nissan omits the main legal, and moral arguments for Jordan is Palestine, it is not just one of pragmatics. Dr. Nissan appears short on historical knowledge as he originates the 2 state solution in 1937 and he omits San Remo treaty, League of Nations mandate and the illegal and immoral separation of Trans-Jordan preceding 1922. He omits the argument that the only legal and moral arguments for the existence of trans jordan as a JEW FREE state, within the boundaries of the Palestine mandate,would be the simultaneous creation of a muslim free state in the remaining Jewish portion of the Palestine mandate territories. He omits the fact that the only legal and moral basis to remedy the cleansing of Jews from arab lands, both within and without the mandate territories, must be to view it as a population exchange and that the muslims must now complete their side of the exchange. Dr. Nissan has done what Israeli leaders have done, and continue to do: they do not advance the necessity to address the legal and moral rights of the the Jews to Palestine mandate territory or the absolute necessity of justice for the ethnically cleansed jews from any arab controlled territory. Idiotic Israeli political and academic leaders keep discussing the needs of the other. They should refuse discussion on any other issues until the world brings solutions to the breaching of Balfour, San Remo, League of Nations mandate, ethnic cleansing of Jews. At this moment there are no Jews in Jordan, west bank muslim areas or gaza. These are all muslim controlled areas of the former Palestine mandate territories. DUH???!!! What part of the words JEW FREE, JEW FREE, JEW FREE do jews not understand. Jews seriously need to observe their own actions, motivations and logic before condemning or seeking global approval.Israel should hold no discussions with any of these entities while they are JEW FREE and until Jewish ethnic cleansing is remedied. Ethnic cleansers of jews should be destroyed, not diplomatically engaged. It is Israel which should be threatening militarily the neighboring muslim jew killers. Time for a new paradigm which involves unilaterally seizing justice from a world who will never give it willingly. The world is afraid of Iran and North Korea; why is it not afraid of Israel?????