J Street leader outlines long and short prospects for peace

“If you kill the two-state solution, you kill the prospect of ever having peace.”

This was the overarching perspective voiced by Alan Elsner, J Street’s vice president of communications and senior adviser to J Street’s president, during a presentation on April 26 at Providence’s Temple Emanu-El.

J Street is a political group that, according to its website, “advocate[s] policies that advance shared U.S. and Israeli interests as well as Jewish and democratic values, leading to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Emanu-El and the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island jointly sponsored the event, which was attended by about 60 people. It was the second in a series of community-wide programs dealing with aspects of the Middle East conflict.

Prior to Elsner’s address, Emanu-El’s rabbi, Wayne Franklin, briefly introduced the context, acknowledging that there are many theories about how to solve the conflict, and “we must be open-minded and willing to discuss them.”

Following Franklin was Sam Hainbach, secretary of J Street U’s Brown University chapter. He outlined his personal struggles with his Jewish identity in Israel, and his ultimate conclusion that he wasn’t going to make everyone happy whether he expressed his Judaism proudly or obscured it. Upon his return to Rhode Island, he said, he decided to further develop his Jewish identity, pursuing a deeper relationship with J Street U Brown.

Elsner began his talk by recalling some of his experiences in developing his views about Judaism and Israel. Elsner lived in Israel collectively for nine years; he saw the wars of ’67, ’72 and ’82, and served in the Israel Defense Forces during the last. He spent part of his youth working on a kibbutz, and started a 35-year career in journalism at the Jerusalem Post. 

Over the years, Elsner has seen a lot of changes in policy, administration and popular opinion in Israel. Right now, he says, is not a viable time for a solution because of who is in power in both Israel and Palestine.

“We’re in an ebb right now, no doubt about it,” he said. He highlighted crucial communication flaws in both administrations, saying that neither side is enthusiastic about reinitiating negotiations. 

“There’s no question that both sides are disillusioned and fearful of each other. They’ve both been through a lot,” he said.

Elsner concluded that both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas, president of the State of Palestine, have essentially given up on working with each other. He predicted that negotiations probably won’t resume until new administrations are in place. However, he also noted that this does not mean that Israel and Palestine are at an impasse.

“There are many shorter steps that Israel could take without taking unnecessary security risks,” he said. 

His suggestions included freezing settlement construction, compensating settlers in far-flung settlements who agree to leave, allowing and encouraging economic development for Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank, and giving Palestinians in Jerusalem a voice in municipal affairs.

“We need to think in terms of short-, medium- and long-term actions that can be taken,” he asserted, adding that humans tend to put an overly heavy focus on addressing short-term problems.

Once Elsner had finished speaking, he took questions, including one about a poll that showed that 60 percent of Palestinians want a one-state solution. Elsner’s response highlighted the difficulty of advocating for a two-state solution: “I’m surprised that only 60 percent feel that way,” he said.

ARIEL BROTHMAN is a freelance writer who lives in Wrentham, Massachusetts.