"I'm sure someone is pointing a gun at Sharon's head" we are being told by people on the Right trying to explain the dichotomy between the Sharon that we know and his current actions.
Is there really an external threat that prevents Sharon from taking action? Is there an Iranian or Iraqi nuclear missile pointed at Israel, which will be launched the minute Sharon destroys the buildings from where Arab terrorists shoot on Gilo?
Of late, senior Defense officials have been dropping hints along these lines. One deputy minister even took the trouble to tell me after a Zo Artzeinu demonstration, "You just have no idea what Sharon is up against." I really have no idea. The deputy minister seems to have forgotten that ever since the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the public just doesn't buy this kind of security hush-hush anymore. History has shown that every time information is concealed from the public, and we are asked to accept illogical decisions based on supposed security considerations that cannot be revealed, the real reason for the silence has always been to conceal the blunders of the decision makers.
Let's assume, for argument's sake, that we don't know all the facts. Let's examine the worst case scenario and attempt to refute the claim of "You can't judge the situation because you don't have all the facts". Let's assume that Israel is indeed facing an Arab nuclear threat, and an absolute embargo by the US and Europe, and an inevitable conventional war. Since this is the situation (it isn't, actually, but let's assume it is), Sharon is implementing his current policy of restraint to buy time by sacrificing lives of settlers and other Israeli citizens.
These sacrifices do not neutralize the Iranian bomb, nor do they create the sought-for love in the Christian world (on the contrary, anti-Semitism is on the rise and Sharon is accused of genocide), nor delay the arming of Egypt and Syria with conventional weapons. What is actually occurring, rather, is that Israel is losing any remnant of national dignity. The conflict is becoming increasingly internationalized, and Israel is enchaining itself by creating an irreversible precedent. This escalation will inevitably lead to a situation where we will beg the Americans and Europeans to protect us. The Sixth Fleet will come to our aid and brave American sailors will rescue those who succeed in swimming out to them and who have a valid US passport. This isn't a joke, this is how America acted in the past towards Jews, South Vietnamese, and every other ally who thought that "war is a mistake".
But we have no right to complain: what Sharon is currently doing to the settlers is no different than what Barak did to the South Lebanese Army, and there's no reason to expect the Americans or Europeans to be holier than us.
Since it seems unlikely that the Iranians or Americans are going to change their nature in the near future, the spilling of Jewish blood will not put off Judgment Day, but rather cause us to be that much weaker when it inevitably comes.
Sharon's supporters will of course say: "Yes but... Unity! -Thanks to our policy of restraint, we will go to war united to defeat our enemies". Unity is of course important ?so important in fact, that we are completely confused by it. At the time of the sin of the Golden Calf, the Children of Israel were very united. In contrast, the Hashmonaim whom Jewish history venerates, were an extremist, militant, war-mongering group. Yes, "unity" is a beautiful buzzword, but it is meaningless if it is not clear around what we are united. Are we united around the concept of simply existing? No thanks. We can also exist in New Zealand or on the Seychelles Islands.
The champions of unity assume that in a situation where there is no alternative, the nation will close ranks and fight for its life. Problem is that there is no such thing as "no alternative". Our enemies, from Eichman to Arafat, always knew to leave us a glimmer of hope. The Judenrat will always claim that there is something to be gained by going along with the process, and Shimon Peres will always find new avenues to explore. Unity will never be achieved around the notion of mere existence, and the country?s ability to fight for its life will deteriorate even further. If however, Sharon faced the nation and presented the actual facts, then there would be a chance to achieve the sought-after unity. But on condition that Sharon be able to present a vision for which it would be worth going to war.
The National Camp and the settlers who are hoping that Sharon will, at any moment now, come to his senses and bravely lead the nation at this critical time, are doomed to deep disappointment. Because the truth is that there is no external gun pointed at his head. There is a gun, but it is an internal one.
Sharon, like most of the Jewish people, is locked into basic notions that are no longer valid. The "Operating System" with which he was programmed is that of classical Zionism where the fundamental aim of the State of Israel is to be accepted into the family of nations. The dream is to become a "normal" nation like all the others ?or, to put it more bluntly, a nation of Hebrew-speaking Gentiles.
To achieve this aim, we must be recognized by the world, and we need peace. Israel has thus become the only country in the world for which peace is not just a desirable consequence of its national aims, but rather the national aim itself. The key to peace lies with Arafat, so we cannot defeat him. Victory over Arafat, and the destruction of the Palestinian Authority, or the implementation of a real solution for the problem of the Arabs on both sides of the Green Line, would mean the abandonment of the Zionist dream of being embraced into the family of nations.
It is impossible to abandon the basic ethos upon which the State of Israel was founded as long as we have not replaced the old vision by a new dream. Unfortunately Sharon has no other dream, and therefore doesn?t and will not have a solution to the current crisis.
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Moshe Feiglin, founder of Manhigut Yehudit, The Jewish Leadership Movement, led the Zo Artzeinu campaign of mass civil disobedience against the Oslo accords. Feiglin heads the Mekimi Institute, a think-tank for Jewish-based policymaking. Currently Feiglin is championing the registration of thousands of new members to the Manhigut Yehudit bloc in Likud to create a Judaism-based leadership for the State of Israel.
Is there really an external threat that prevents Sharon from taking action? Is there an Iranian or Iraqi nuclear missile pointed at Israel, which will be launched the minute Sharon destroys the buildings from where Arab terrorists shoot on Gilo?
Of late, senior Defense officials have been dropping hints along these lines. One deputy minister even took the trouble to tell me after a Zo Artzeinu demonstration, "You just have no idea what Sharon is up against." I really have no idea. The deputy minister seems to have forgotten that ever since the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the public just doesn't buy this kind of security hush-hush anymore. History has shown that every time information is concealed from the public, and we are asked to accept illogical decisions based on supposed security considerations that cannot be revealed, the real reason for the silence has always been to conceal the blunders of the decision makers.
Let's assume, for argument's sake, that we don't know all the facts. Let's examine the worst case scenario and attempt to refute the claim of "You can't judge the situation because you don't have all the facts". Let's assume that Israel is indeed facing an Arab nuclear threat, and an absolute embargo by the US and Europe, and an inevitable conventional war. Since this is the situation (it isn't, actually, but let's assume it is), Sharon is implementing his current policy of restraint to buy time by sacrificing lives of settlers and other Israeli citizens.
These sacrifices do not neutralize the Iranian bomb, nor do they create the sought-for love in the Christian world (on the contrary, anti-Semitism is on the rise and Sharon is accused of genocide), nor delay the arming of Egypt and Syria with conventional weapons. What is actually occurring, rather, is that Israel is losing any remnant of national dignity. The conflict is becoming increasingly internationalized, and Israel is enchaining itself by creating an irreversible precedent. This escalation will inevitably lead to a situation where we will beg the Americans and Europeans to protect us. The Sixth Fleet will come to our aid and brave American sailors will rescue those who succeed in swimming out to them and who have a valid US passport. This isn't a joke, this is how America acted in the past towards Jews, South Vietnamese, and every other ally who thought that "war is a mistake".
But we have no right to complain: what Sharon is currently doing to the settlers is no different than what Barak did to the South Lebanese Army, and there's no reason to expect the Americans or Europeans to be holier than us.
Since it seems unlikely that the Iranians or Americans are going to change their nature in the near future, the spilling of Jewish blood will not put off Judgment Day, but rather cause us to be that much weaker when it inevitably comes.
Sharon's supporters will of course say: "Yes but... Unity! -Thanks to our policy of restraint, we will go to war united to defeat our enemies". Unity is of course important ?so important in fact, that we are completely confused by it. At the time of the sin of the Golden Calf, the Children of Israel were very united. In contrast, the Hashmonaim whom Jewish history venerates, were an extremist, militant, war-mongering group. Yes, "unity" is a beautiful buzzword, but it is meaningless if it is not clear around what we are united. Are we united around the concept of simply existing? No thanks. We can also exist in New Zealand or on the Seychelles Islands.
The champions of unity assume that in a situation where there is no alternative, the nation will close ranks and fight for its life. Problem is that there is no such thing as "no alternative". Our enemies, from Eichman to Arafat, always knew to leave us a glimmer of hope. The Judenrat will always claim that there is something to be gained by going along with the process, and Shimon Peres will always find new avenues to explore. Unity will never be achieved around the notion of mere existence, and the country?s ability to fight for its life will deteriorate even further. If however, Sharon faced the nation and presented the actual facts, then there would be a chance to achieve the sought-after unity. But on condition that Sharon be able to present a vision for which it would be worth going to war.
The National Camp and the settlers who are hoping that Sharon will, at any moment now, come to his senses and bravely lead the nation at this critical time, are doomed to deep disappointment. Because the truth is that there is no external gun pointed at his head. There is a gun, but it is an internal one.
Sharon, like most of the Jewish people, is locked into basic notions that are no longer valid. The "Operating System" with which he was programmed is that of classical Zionism where the fundamental aim of the State of Israel is to be accepted into the family of nations. The dream is to become a "normal" nation like all the others ?or, to put it more bluntly, a nation of Hebrew-speaking Gentiles.
To achieve this aim, we must be recognized by the world, and we need peace. Israel has thus become the only country in the world for which peace is not just a desirable consequence of its national aims, but rather the national aim itself. The key to peace lies with Arafat, so we cannot defeat him. Victory over Arafat, and the destruction of the Palestinian Authority, or the implementation of a real solution for the problem of the Arabs on both sides of the Green Line, would mean the abandonment of the Zionist dream of being embraced into the family of nations.
It is impossible to abandon the basic ethos upon which the State of Israel was founded as long as we have not replaced the old vision by a new dream. Unfortunately Sharon has no other dream, and therefore doesn?t and will not have a solution to the current crisis.
-----------------------------------------------
Moshe Feiglin, founder of Manhigut Yehudit, The Jewish Leadership Movement, led the Zo Artzeinu campaign of mass civil disobedience against the Oslo accords. Feiglin heads the Mekimi Institute, a think-tank for Jewish-based policymaking. Currently Feiglin is championing the registration of thousands of new members to the Manhigut Yehudit bloc in Likud to create a Judaism-based leadership for the State of Israel.