Quote of the Day

..one could attack the Brits and question how they could [vote for Brezit], but they made a democratic decision... there is an issue which has accompanied us in Israel for generations, and that is the Palestinian issue. I do not think that the elections necessarily reflected the approach to this issue... we need to ask the citizens of Israel if they want an Israeli-Palestinian state or an Israeli state. The public at large wants an agreement with the Palestinians, knowing that it includes risks, knowing that there are vital security needs. But let us take action - let the people decide and know what it is leaving to the coming generations.

  -- MK Yiztchak Herzog (Labour, Hamachane Hatzioni)

1. before he gets so excited about a referendum he might want to make sure that the results of it are likely to be what he hopes for. If we have a referendum, will he then accept whatever the results turn out to be? Will he promise to resign if they fall out the wrong way, as did David Cameron?

2. plenty will argue with him about the elections. I happen to agree and consider it difficult to consider the elections a referendum about any one specific issue, but plenty of people disagree and will say that the elections are the best referendum, and Herzog already lost that.

3. I am not sure what Herzog is arguing about or with whom about this, and why he thinks a referendum is necessary, Netanyahu himself has publicly embraced the idea of a Two-State solution. One could say that at least most people voting Likud are doing so with the acceptance that along with that comes a Two-State solution. If Herzog would consider this, he might reconsider the need for a referendum.

4. and if we held a referendum and the people overwhelmingly decided that we should have two separate states, then what? Could we then force Mahmoud Abbas to accept the results of our referendum and sign a peace deal?

------------------------------------------------------

Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------