In its succession to the Ottoman Empire, Britain received sovereignty over a Semitic population in a unified territory called Palestine (yes, it was…).

When the collapsing British Empire acceded to the wishes of one Semitic tribe to sever the previously unitary sovereignty, it found that it could not be troubled with the nicety of a vote by the previously subject population.

This, of course, is not how we do things today. (cf. East Timor).

The failure to honor the principle of popular sovereignty continues to create tsooris to this day.

Let’s have the vote: We could define the electorate either as:

All the inhabitants of Mandatory Palestine in May 1948 still alive, plus one vote for each deceased inhabitant, cast by his/her heirs. Or,

All the present day inhabitants of Mandatory Palestine plus all those who would be eligible to return to Mandatory Palestine under the standards by which persons in the Jewish Diaspora qualify to return to Israel.

This should solve all the problems.

If a majority of the total vote for partition, then, and only then, we discuss the boundaries. (remember, the burden is on those wanting to change the status quo to get the majority agreement for partition before enforcing the partition…..Oh, I’m sorry—did I just challenge Israel’s right to exist??

One of my few media moments of fame came from standing during the anti-apartheid demos at Cal side by side with some technician from KQED,. As a result, the voiceover for numberless teasers for the resulting documentary had me chanting “Hey hey; ho-ho, apartheid has got to go.”

I share this personal tidbit to vouchsafe my credentials as an anti-apartheid maven (as it were…).

DIVESTITURE scares Israel shitless. It becomes an immediate zero-sum moral vote for every trustee, governing board, city council, blah blah blah.

It is time.