Amir Peretz: the next Israeli prime minister? If Benjamin Netanyahu beats Ariel Sharon in the Likud primaries next spring, then Amir Peretz will have a better chance of becoming prime minister. Netanyahu will take with him a large part of the right-wing voters, but will alienate the centrists of Israel. Centrists would much prefer to vote for Sharon, thus leaving Amir Peretz with the center, Left and Arab votes altogether; and in today's Israel, that is enough for a clear win.
Netanyahu would undoubtedly continue with Sharon's appeasement and disengagement policies and would continue to subject Israel to America's demands. Will not Amir Peretz do the same? Certainly he will, but he will have to face right-wing opposition; while if Netanyahu does the dirty deeds, the opposition is smaller and more limited. Why?
Many right-wingers will use the same rhetorical question they used when they originally voted for Sharon: "Is there anyone better we can vote for?" This self-destructive reasoning allowed Menahem Begin to sign the disastrous Camp David Accords in the 1970s, Yitzchak Shamir to attend the Madrid Talks in the early 1990s, and Netanyahu to relinquish Hevron to the Palestinian Authority and much of the precious water of the Kineret to Jordan in the late 1990s. Last. but not least, Ariel Sharon and his generous gift of Gaza and the northern West Bank to the PA, who repaid by committing hundreds of terrorist attacks against Israel.
Israel has never had a real right-wing government. It could be because Israelis were not ready to face the reality that a separation with the Arabs of our land is a necessity. Many hoped for peace, co-existence and unity. Today, those who dream of such an Utopian society are self-destructive "intellectuals" who have lost touch with reality, but voting for Peretz will continue to legitimize their dreams and illusions.
The first real proposition to separate Israelis and Arabs did not come from the Left, as it does today. It came through a controversial American-born rabbi who got a seat in Israel's Knesset (parliament) - Rabbi Meir Kahane. He came to power by espousing the idea that Arabs needed to be removed from Israel in order to preserve not only a Jewish majority, thus ensuring a Jewish character to the state, but also he understood that Arabs wanted to destroy Israel more than they wanted a state of their own. The National Charter of the Fatah (PLO) still calls today for the destruction of Israel. Hamas, which through elections among the Palestinians has become a major role player, calls for Israel's destruction by means of violence at every level possible.
Israel's Left, now being led by Amir Peretz, who supports the removal of Jewish settlements from their rightful historical land (the idea of separation), would like to see the creation of a Palestinian State that could bring an end to the current conflict. Regarding the growing number of Arabs within Israel that do not fall within the borders that would allow them to call themselves Palestinians, he would like to integrate them into Israeli society. "I think many in the Arab sector will support me because I think I bring some of the remedies to... the severe feeling of growing separation between Israeli Arabs and their country. We cannot allow this." Peretz told Reuters.
Being that the Galilee's population is a bit over 75% Arab and the Negev is 65% Bedouin, Peretz's rationale is both illogical and dangerous, buying Israel only a few years before it must deal with the demographic problem. Will Netanyahu or Sharon be different? No, and Israel once again is at the mercy of foolish leaders, international pressure and suffering from a lack of an alternative.
What would a right-wing leadership provide Israel with that the current Likud and Labor leadership cannot and will not provide? Aside from a real solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, a chance to re-educate the thousands of Israeli children who, due to the current secularist education system, are devoid of Judaism, have a complete lack of understanding of Israeli history and of their reason for being. Even for the controversial Rabbi Kahane, the education of our Jewish youth was much more important than dealing with an Arab problem that had a much easier and faster solution. Unfortunately, Israel is still not ready for a real right-wing government; and even if it was, there is no one ready to lead.
Netanyahu would undoubtedly continue with Sharon's appeasement and disengagement policies and would continue to subject Israel to America's demands. Will not Amir Peretz do the same? Certainly he will, but he will have to face right-wing opposition; while if Netanyahu does the dirty deeds, the opposition is smaller and more limited. Why?
Many right-wingers will use the same rhetorical question they used when they originally voted for Sharon: "Is there anyone better we can vote for?" This self-destructive reasoning allowed Menahem Begin to sign the disastrous Camp David Accords in the 1970s, Yitzchak Shamir to attend the Madrid Talks in the early 1990s, and Netanyahu to relinquish Hevron to the Palestinian Authority and much of the precious water of the Kineret to Jordan in the late 1990s. Last. but not least, Ariel Sharon and his generous gift of Gaza and the northern West Bank to the PA, who repaid by committing hundreds of terrorist attacks against Israel.
Israel has never had a real right-wing government. It could be because Israelis were not ready to face the reality that a separation with the Arabs of our land is a necessity. Many hoped for peace, co-existence and unity. Today, those who dream of such an Utopian society are self-destructive "intellectuals" who have lost touch with reality, but voting for Peretz will continue to legitimize their dreams and illusions.
The first real proposition to separate Israelis and Arabs did not come from the Left, as it does today. It came through a controversial American-born rabbi who got a seat in Israel's Knesset (parliament) - Rabbi Meir Kahane. He came to power by espousing the idea that Arabs needed to be removed from Israel in order to preserve not only a Jewish majority, thus ensuring a Jewish character to the state, but also he understood that Arabs wanted to destroy Israel more than they wanted a state of their own. The National Charter of the Fatah (PLO) still calls today for the destruction of Israel. Hamas, which through elections among the Palestinians has become a major role player, calls for Israel's destruction by means of violence at every level possible.
Israel's Left, now being led by Amir Peretz, who supports the removal of Jewish settlements from their rightful historical land (the idea of separation), would like to see the creation of a Palestinian State that could bring an end to the current conflict. Regarding the growing number of Arabs within Israel that do not fall within the borders that would allow them to call themselves Palestinians, he would like to integrate them into Israeli society. "I think many in the Arab sector will support me because I think I bring some of the remedies to... the severe feeling of growing separation between Israeli Arabs and their country. We cannot allow this." Peretz told Reuters.
Being that the Galilee's population is a bit over 75% Arab and the Negev is 65% Bedouin, Peretz's rationale is both illogical and dangerous, buying Israel only a few years before it must deal with the demographic problem. Will Netanyahu or Sharon be different? No, and Israel once again is at the mercy of foolish leaders, international pressure and suffering from a lack of an alternative.
What would a right-wing leadership provide Israel with that the current Likud and Labor leadership cannot and will not provide? Aside from a real solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, a chance to re-educate the thousands of Israeli children who, due to the current secularist education system, are devoid of Judaism, have a complete lack of understanding of Israeli history and of their reason for being. Even for the controversial Rabbi Kahane, the education of our Jewish youth was much more important than dealing with an Arab problem that had a much easier and faster solution. Unfortunately, Israel is still not ready for a real right-wing government; and even if it was, there is no one ready to lead.