Netanyahu says committed to Palestinian stateAs I've written before, I heard him say very clearly, in English, that he thinks that as Prime Minister he must be a Centrist, and I totally disagree. That's not a visionary ideology; it's a cop-out! It's for someone without guts. It's not leadership. We need a visionary with guts, not a chameleon.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he was committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state, calling on the Palestinian leadership to return to negotiations unconditionally.
And no matter what conditions, Netanyahu tries to put on this "state," they will still be dangerous, uncontrollable Arab terrorists.
How can one lead from the center of a bagel?
11 comments:
Benjamin Netanyahu can put forth his conditions as the day is long - and the Palestinian Arabs will never accept them.
The man is an idiot. Naftali Bennett holds the opposite view but it doesn't go far enough for me.
Israel is a country lacking in men of courage who believe the land is ours - and unfortunately its left up to the women to say what the men can't bring themselves to say aloud.
And in my book, Netanyahu's cowardice is not exhibiting the essence of what a Jewish leader truly needs to be.
I totally agree with your words: ".... it's a cop-out! It's for someone without guts. It's not leadership. We need a visionary with guts, not a chameleon."
Sadly, he wants to be popular with the world and with everyone here in Israel at the same time, but that won't work. He's never learned that 'Jack of all trades is master of none." TOo many slick words but not enought guts. I just hope he doesn't do irreparable damage in the meantime. Great post as usual Batya!!
Norman, NG, yes, he's a coward, and there really isn't anyone on the political horizon whom I consider trustworthy and competent.
I kept thinking about it and Netivotgirl understands why he can say what he says: its cost-free and there is no Palestinian Arab Sadat waiting in the wings to trap him with his own words.
The Arabs are so blinded by their hate for the Jews that if they ever acknowledged Israel is the Jewish State, Netanyahu would be hoist on his own Palestinian Arab State petard.
There is no danger of that ever happening so he can tell Westerners what they want to believe in English and at the same time he knows full well in Hebrew before his own Israeli Jewish audience that since the moment of truth will never arrive, he does not have to be cornered into making a hard decision.
The man may or may not believe his own words but the Arabs are not going test him to see if he really means it. They do not want to say the words he and many Israeli Jews long to hear - to pay a political price to end the conflict.
With all due respect to Netivotgirl, as things stand, yes, Netanyahu is a fool but the folly of the fool is like Kohelet wrote thousands of years ago: vanity of vanities. That's why they're not likely to result in irreparable damage.
Both Norman & Netivotgirl are right about there ever being a pal state! It will not be; as Torah Jews we should outright understand that truth.
Netanyahu tries to put on this "state," they will still be dangerous, uncontrollable Arab terrorists.
It's very probable you couldn't come up with conditions that would work.
But, anyway, any conditions and anything less than the 1949-67 borders will be rejected, as long as the Arabs are rejectionist. Some important Arab states do not want any people to get even the idea that there will be a long term settlement, because that might have some immediate internal effects, and they will block it.
There is also the matter of Arab rivalry between factions. None of them want some other faction to inherit "Palestine."
The conditions that are being put forth - e.g. no "natural growth" to any settlements or East Jerusalem is a settlement - are designed to be rejected by every government of Israel but, at the same time, to not seem too impossible, or too far from something possible, to a third party - an American or European government. And also resolving this is then made a condition for further co-operation on something or other and an excuse for not having it. So you get American presidents pushing this thing.
Of course what all that means is if an Israeli government took a more right-wing position, the Arab side would follow, as their goal is to seem as reasonable as possible while ensuring there would be no chance that an Israeli government could agree to their proposals. The goal is to blame Israel for the lack of agreement.
Asking that Arabs recognize Israel as a Jewish state is agood condition, because to do so undermines the basic case for opposing Israel. It would be valuable to get it, and it does not give the arabs anything except there would then be public negotiations.
The fact is this can't end until there is massve change in the Arab and Moslem world, any more tahn the CVold war did not come to an end until the collapsxe of Communism.
Political, and actualy cultural change, is a pre-requisite for beginning to think seriously about any of this.
By agreeing to a state to be called "Palestine" sic, Bibi has only increased the pressure on Israel. At some point there wily be a wily enough Arab leader to agree to some tongue-twisting formula similar enough to Israel's conditions, and then the knife will enter our jugular, and it will all be Bibi and the Israeli Left's fault.
Of course if the Arabs were ready to end the conflict, Israel wouldn't even need conditions.
There would be real peace. That is not in the offing any time soon.
Amen!
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