Why referendum on West Bank is unlikely to change anything
Instead of going to the streets, the Israeli peace camp prefers an online campaign that is unlikely to change anything within Israeli public opinion.
On Sept. 9, the day that the “ethnic cleansing” clip by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made waves on both sides of the ocean, large banner ads reading "Decision at 50" appeared in the Israeli media. The website to which the ads directed readers says the campaign is being sponsored by Israeli men and women who think that after controlling the territories for 50 years, it is time to hold a referendum on their fate.
Activists involved in the initiative, who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, said the organizers do not really expect their campaign to result in a referendum; they are seeking to use the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War to restore the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the occupation and the settlements to the top of the national agenda. The site also explains that formulation of the referendum question would be part of the “public debate” to which the campaign will give rise.
It would appear that any attempt to raise the Israeli-Palestinian issue to its rightful place is welcome. The problem is that the Zionist left faces a master of public relations, an alchemist who can in one breath turn occupier into victim, and a world chutzpah champion. Netanyahu swims through the diplomatic swamp like a fish in fresh water. The initiative that the Peace Now movement and additional partners on the left are seeking to impose on him comes just in time for Netanyahu — between a multitude of reports about police investigations against him and the fiasco of banning maintenance work on the country’s railways on the Sabbath.
Want a referendum? Go ahead. He will ask the people whether they favor or reject an ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem’s Old City, the Jewish Quarter in the Palestinian city of Hebron and the Etzion bloc of West Bank settlements. The question could also be phrased this way: “Are you for or against turning Judea and Samaria Judenrein [German for 'clean of Jews']?” After all, the Knesset will decide the language and there Netanyahu is assured of a majority.
