The Secret Jews

While Jews being forced into hiding during the reign of totalitarian regimes is nothing new, who would've imagined that many Arabs today are concealing their Jewish ancestry - practicing the faith of their fathers in secret - away from the watchful eyes of Islamic leadership and PA factions? Still more fascinating is that this has been going on for quite some time, apparently.

I was, quite frankly, shocked by the content of this eye-opening video (which was recently linked in the comment section of a disturbing post on RPP). I'm still digging into the research and thought behind what this discovery could mean for Israel and its inhabitants - and while I'm not sure I agree with everything The Engagement is working towards, it's primarily (and perhaps, simply) because I have a lot more reading to do about it. So no endorsements quite yet, but I think you'll agree that the concept, at least, is certainly interesting and may be the closest thing to a plan lacking any agenda but peace. Mideast plans that inspire what both sides desperately need - hope for the future - are few and far between. Some would say that they're altogether non-existent. We'll see where this leads.

from The Engagement:

The entanglement of the United States in Iraq, the nuclear developments of Iran, the rise of Hamas and Hezbollah, and the disengagement from Gaza – all encourage terror. A tiny Palestinian state, fragmented and ruled by terror, will not enable conditions of living suitable for the 21st century. The Two States Solution in the Holy Land will only bring renewed violence, harsher than before. Iran, that is becoming the world center of terrorism and extortion, will orchestrate the violence and lead it. After all past attempts to bring peace to the Middle East, based on existing conventions, failed, time is ripe for changing these conventions. As all attempts failed as a result of objection by extremists, the new convention must propose a solution acceptable to most extremists.

A series of genetic and historical studies reinforce earlier work of David Ben-Gurion (the first prime minister of Israel) and others, in their finding: a solid majority of the Palestinians (80%-90%) are descendants of Jews who remained in the country following the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple. The ancestors of most of the Palestinians were forced to convert to Islam.

The Engagement plan proposes that both the Jews and the Palestinians undergo a process of consciousness change. It requires both parties to accept the fact that while the Jews were living in exile, preserving their identity as a nation through an uncompromising adherence to their religion, the majority of the Palestinians, whose ancestors belonged to the people of Israel, clung tenaciously to the soil of the homeland. The Palestinians ended up loosing their national identity as a result of forced conversion by foreign conquerors.

In the same way that the Jews did the unbelievable by returning to their homeland, the Palestinian will leave their false identity and return to their roots. The process will start with Palestinians who know their real roots and chose not to hide it. This will encourage others, who know and fear, to join. Together they will spread the knowledge to those who lost it. Others will join as a result of their desire to become first class citizens in a highly developed country.

Read more about The Engagement here.