[The following is an English translation and adaptation of excerpts from Nadia Matar?s Hebrew radio program on Arutz Sheva from Thursday, October 31, 2002.]
The break-up of the unity government by Labor, raises an important question for the ?National Camp?. Should the parties forming the ?National Camp? join with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in forming a new narrower government, or should they instead insist that new elections be held?
Anyone familiar with the political savvy of Ariel Sharon understands that his actions are directed towards the upcoming primaries in his own Likud party. Sharon could not have survived in his race with former Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu for leadership of the Likud had he given into the latest demands of Labor?s Benyamin (Fuad) Ben Eliezer. Yet, there are many in the ?National Camp? who believe that ?Sharon is a hero because he did not give into Fuad?s demands with regard to the budget for the settlements.? Such people call upon the parties making up the national camp to join with the government led by Sharon because ?Now Sharon has proven that he really belongs to the ?National Camp? he is the champion of the settlements.?
We wish to suggest that MK Avigdor Leiberman and the other members of the National front should by all means enter into coalition negotiations with Sharon, but that they should insist that cvertain reasonable minimum conditions be met in order for them to join a Sharon-led government. It should be made clear that we are not here talking about what we all intensely desire; that is, the cancellation of the Oslo Accords, the expulsion and elimination of the entire Palestinian Authority, and the imposition of Jewish sovereignty over all of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza District. Rather, we are talking about three reasonable, minimal conditions that are a pre-requisite for the National Camp to join with Sharon, which are as follows:
1. The new government opposes the establishment of a Palestinian State in the historic heartland of the Land of Israel. The condition is an extremely reasonable one since a majority of the Likud Central Committee opposes the establishment of a Palestinian State.
This condition was part of the fundamental platform of the Netanyahu Government and of the Rabin Government as well. The Labor Party?s official platform included the opposition to the creation of a Palestinian State. Only under Ehud Barak did Labor take away that clause.
Sharon himself wrote dozens of articles against the establishment of such a state (see, for example, the two hour interview with Ariel Sharon published in the Wall Street Journal on February 10, 1989 in which Sharon expressly states: "There are some things that must be stressed. One is that Jerusalem will be united. Second that there will not be a second Palestinian State west of the River Jordan. Third that (under) any arrangement that will take place, Israel will be responsible for security in Judea, Samaria and Gaza- will be responsible and have its forces in Samaria, Judea and Gaza?. Unless the Jews and their friends around the world unite, the situation might lead to the creation of a Palestinian State very soon, and that will bring a war, not peace. It will bring a war."
2. Security responsibility will be solely in the hands of the Israel Defense Forces, not to be transferred to any foreign body.
The Jewish People has learned that as long as the IDF remains in the cities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, there are hardly any terror attacks; as soon as the IDF leaves, terror returns to Netanya, Hadera, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, etc., and on a large scale. Therefore, the IDF must return to, and retain control of, Bethlehem and Hebron, and other key cities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza that are currently under Arab occupation. This too is a logical and reasonable condition, which a majority of the Jewish People favor knowing that it will save many Jewish lives.
3. An end to the settlement freeze.
This is not a demand to establish new settlements (which, by the way, we favor). It is merely the reasonable, moral and moderate condition that the freeze be lifted, and the natural growth and development of the present settlements be permitted.
If Ariel Sharon will agree to include these three conditions into the platform of a new government, then the ?National Camp? should join him. If, on the other hand, Sharon refuses to agree to them, then the ?National Camp? should urge new elections, ensuring that Sharon will leave the political arena for good.
The refusal by Sharon to accept these basic conditions would confirm the fact that Sharon has sold his soul to United States President George W. Bush, and to the Israeli Left, at the expense of the People of Israel, the Land of Israel, and the Torah of Israel. Sharon?s refusal to accept these basic conditions would indicate that Sharon is prepared to go along with, and eventually implement, the devilish US ?Road Map?. The entire purpose of this ?Road Map? is to establish a Palestinian state, a move that would endanger the very existence of the State of Israel.
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Nadia Matar is co-chairwoman of the grass-roots activist organization Women for Israel?s Tomorrow (Women in Green).
The break-up of the unity government by Labor, raises an important question for the ?National Camp?. Should the parties forming the ?National Camp? join with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in forming a new narrower government, or should they instead insist that new elections be held?
Anyone familiar with the political savvy of Ariel Sharon understands that his actions are directed towards the upcoming primaries in his own Likud party. Sharon could not have survived in his race with former Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu for leadership of the Likud had he given into the latest demands of Labor?s Benyamin (Fuad) Ben Eliezer. Yet, there are many in the ?National Camp? who believe that ?Sharon is a hero because he did not give into Fuad?s demands with regard to the budget for the settlements.? Such people call upon the parties making up the national camp to join with the government led by Sharon because ?Now Sharon has proven that he really belongs to the ?National Camp? he is the champion of the settlements.?
We wish to suggest that MK Avigdor Leiberman and the other members of the National front should by all means enter into coalition negotiations with Sharon, but that they should insist that cvertain reasonable minimum conditions be met in order for them to join a Sharon-led government. It should be made clear that we are not here talking about what we all intensely desire; that is, the cancellation of the Oslo Accords, the expulsion and elimination of the entire Palestinian Authority, and the imposition of Jewish sovereignty over all of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza District. Rather, we are talking about three reasonable, minimal conditions that are a pre-requisite for the National Camp to join with Sharon, which are as follows:
1. The new government opposes the establishment of a Palestinian State in the historic heartland of the Land of Israel. The condition is an extremely reasonable one since a majority of the Likud Central Committee opposes the establishment of a Palestinian State.
This condition was part of the fundamental platform of the Netanyahu Government and of the Rabin Government as well. The Labor Party?s official platform included the opposition to the creation of a Palestinian State. Only under Ehud Barak did Labor take away that clause.
Sharon himself wrote dozens of articles against the establishment of such a state (see, for example, the two hour interview with Ariel Sharon published in the Wall Street Journal on February 10, 1989 in which Sharon expressly states: "There are some things that must be stressed. One is that Jerusalem will be united. Second that there will not be a second Palestinian State west of the River Jordan. Third that (under) any arrangement that will take place, Israel will be responsible for security in Judea, Samaria and Gaza- will be responsible and have its forces in Samaria, Judea and Gaza?. Unless the Jews and their friends around the world unite, the situation might lead to the creation of a Palestinian State very soon, and that will bring a war, not peace. It will bring a war."
2. Security responsibility will be solely in the hands of the Israel Defense Forces, not to be transferred to any foreign body.
The Jewish People has learned that as long as the IDF remains in the cities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, there are hardly any terror attacks; as soon as the IDF leaves, terror returns to Netanya, Hadera, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, etc., and on a large scale. Therefore, the IDF must return to, and retain control of, Bethlehem and Hebron, and other key cities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza that are currently under Arab occupation. This too is a logical and reasonable condition, which a majority of the Jewish People favor knowing that it will save many Jewish lives.
3. An end to the settlement freeze.
This is not a demand to establish new settlements (which, by the way, we favor). It is merely the reasonable, moral and moderate condition that the freeze be lifted, and the natural growth and development of the present settlements be permitted.
If Ariel Sharon will agree to include these three conditions into the platform of a new government, then the ?National Camp? should join him. If, on the other hand, Sharon refuses to agree to them, then the ?National Camp? should urge new elections, ensuring that Sharon will leave the political arena for good.
The refusal by Sharon to accept these basic conditions would confirm the fact that Sharon has sold his soul to United States President George W. Bush, and to the Israeli Left, at the expense of the People of Israel, the Land of Israel, and the Torah of Israel. Sharon?s refusal to accept these basic conditions would indicate that Sharon is prepared to go along with, and eventually implement, the devilish US ?Road Map?. The entire purpose of this ?Road Map? is to establish a Palestinian state, a move that would endanger the very existence of the State of Israel.
--------------------------------------------
Nadia Matar is co-chairwoman of the grass-roots activist organization Women for Israel?s Tomorrow (Women in Green).