"We ought to stand with Israel and everyone else in the region genuinely seeking freedom — uncompromisingly, resolutely, vocally." Elan Journo, What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2018).
Elan Journo is a free-thinking Ayn Rand objectivist. He advocates for free market economics, freedom of speech, and Capitalist values. Journo values human life, liberty, and progress.
Journo released a book this year entitled What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
Quite honestly, this book is outstanding. From easy-to-digest history lessons on the people involved, to taking a stance outside of a religious basis of correctness, to calling out terrorist monsters for what they are, Journo puts forward a researched, ethical, and rational response to the conflict. Journo also critiques America’s previous approach, explaining the errors of Washington and our presidents.
After objectively reviewing Israeli and Palestinian history, analyzing the behaviors of both parties, and applying a universal moral standard of individual freedom to the analysis, Journo comes to the logical conclusion that we need to support Israel and everyone else in the region who is genuinely seeking freedom.
Journo elucidates the Palestinian movement as a type of Islamist Jihad that is opposed to freedom— “a movement to liquidate a free society through conventional war, subversion, shootings, bombings, suicide attacks, rockets.” The underlying goal is to overthrow Israel, and so a two-state solution has never been, and will never be, accepted by the Palestinians, Journo explains. The fundamental underpinning of the book is that the Palestinian movement has shown that they do not want to live in peace with the Israelis. Instead, they want to destroy Israel and its free society and replace it with a totalitarian Islamic state.
The Palestinian movement is differentiated by Journo from the community of people who identify as Palestinians. "Many Palestinians are aligned with the ideological-political movement and they support its goals, but not all of them do, and indeed many are unrecognized victims of it," he explains.
I asked Journo why he decided to write this book. "I observed that there's a link between America’s Mideast policy and the rise of jihadists. Our irrational policy encouraged them," he replied.
America's policy in the region has been to disregard the moral difference between freedom (Israel) and tyranny (Palestinian movement). Our policy sells out Israel, Journo argues. This approach has strengthened the Palestinians and whitewashed the monstrosities committed by the Palestinians against the Israelis.
"America's unjust policy has sold out our ally Israel—along with genuinely freedom-seeking individuals across the region—while enabling, strengthening, and empowering our enemies.
Our flagrant moral weakness encourages them in the belief that their faith-based doctrine is somehow viable, that Allah has their back against the materially stronger but spiritually corrupt infidels."
In a time of a President who is approaching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a fresh set of eyes, this book is particularly relevant.
I asked Journo what he would say to President Trump about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Journo responded that he would tell the President that "the conflict is solvable—but only by taking justice seriously." He went on to explain, "it’s not about 'settlements' or the lack of a Palestinian homeland, so it's pointless to reboot another peace initiative that's predicated on those notions." Journo proves in his book that the conflict is fueled by the Islamist movement and a desire to eradicate Israel, and for this reason, the "two-state solution" always discussed by U.S. Presidents needs to be scrapped.
"The 'two-state solution,' the prevailing model for solving the conflict, has greatly aggravated the conflict. We need a fundamental re-think of our approach. That's what I offer in my book."
Elan Journo speaks in the language of freedom, something President Trump understands very well. I can only hope that President Trump takes an opportunity to read Journo. I believe he will agree and adopt Journo's rationale.