Edgar Bronfman Sr. Quotes
A lasting two-state solution requires two credible partners, and not just one side - Israel - taking superficial steps simply to placate world opinion.
Bronfman, Edgar M. "The Palestinian Choice." HuffPost, 2011.
In the complicated and arcane Middle East, substantial majorities of Israelis and Palestinians both favored a two state solution, thus creating a Palestinian State out of the West Bank and Gaza. However, the Hamas terrorist organization won the majority of seats in the Parliament and formed the “government” of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas opposed Israel’s right to exist at all, as that position as well as virulent Anti-Semitic threats to all Jews in the world. Many called for Hamas to change their charter and crease their opposition to the right of Israel to exist. The President of the Palestinian authority called for new elections but Hamas refused. Thus Blair and other diplomats the world over were in a very difficult situation.
With this statement, Sadat did what no Arab had ever dared to do—offer to negotiate with Israel. It led to the great peace breakthrough which produced the Arab-Israeli peace.
Edgar Miles Bronfman was a Canadian-American businessman. He worked for his family distilled beverage firm, Seagram, eventually becoming president, treasurer and CEO. As President of the World Jewish Congress, Bronfman is especially remembered for initiating diplomacy with the Soviet Union, which resulted in legitimizing the Hebrew language in USSR, and contributed to Soviet Jews being legally able to practice their own religion, as well as emigrate to Israel.
