By Moshe Feiglin
Everyone is talking about ‘peace’ talks. The basic assumption is that peace talks are supposed to bring peace. The ‘problems’ that ‘peace’ is supposed to solve are common knowledge: There is the security problem, the demographic problem, the problem of Palestinian nationalism competing with Israel over the same piece of land, the international – particularly US- pressure, and some add the economic problem. But even a superficial analysis of the ‘problems’ reveals that none of them are motivating Israel’s ‘peace’ talks.
Peace cannot be defined as the goal of a state. Peace is the result of the proper definition of a state’s goal and the achievement of that goal. If peace is our goal, then it can be achieved more easily in other locations (Australia, or Uganda, for example), by surrendering our sovereignty (what’s so bad about the British flag?) or by assimilation.
Security cannot possibly be the problem we are trying to solve: The more that we progress in the ‘peace process’, the more our national and personal security deteriorates. Suicide bombers were not blowing up buses and restaurants and missiles were not crashing into Tel Aviv and Jerusalem prior to the ‘diplomatic process’. Our cumulative experience proves that our desire for security should distance us from any diplomatic process. If we continue to sacrifice our citizens ‘for the sake of peace’, then security is not what is motivating our participation in the ‘peace’ process.
Demography is not the problem, either. The average Tel-Avivian no longer has fewer children than her neighbor in Ramallah. Just the opposite is true. According to the American Israel Demographic Research Group, if the current birthrates continues in conjunction with a proactive aliyah policy, the Jewish majority in Israel will upgrade from 66% currently to 80% by 2035. In other words, even without a diplomatic process, the Jewish majority between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea – including the Arabs of Judea and Samria – will be 80% within the next 20 years.
‘Palestinian’ nationalism was artificially constructed in response to Zionism. When this land was under Arab sovereignty – Jordanian or Egyptian – the problem did not exist. If Israel would disappear off the map, G-d forbid, ‘Palestinian Nationalism” would disappear with it. On Feb. 18, 1947, British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, not an ardent Zionist by any stretch of the imagination, addressed the British parliament to explain why the UK was taking “the question of Palestine,” which was in its care, to the United Nations. He opened by saying that “His Majesty’s government has been faced with an irreconcilable conflict of principles.” He then goes on to describe the essence of that conflict: “For the Jews, the essential point of principle is the creation of a sovereign Jewish state. For the Arabs, the essential point of principle is to resist to the last the establishment of Jewish sovereignty in any part of Palestine.” There isn’t really ‘Palestinian’ nationality. There is the Arab Nation that does not accept Jewish sovereignty over any part of Israel. Thus, solving the (non-existent) ‘Palestinian’ problem will not solve the fundamental conflict; Arab opposition to any Israeli sovereignty. This is also the reason that a ‘Palestinian’ state has not yet been established and will never be established, despite the fact that never in history has a state been offered to any group on a platter more silver than what is being offered to the ‘Palestinians.’ They simply do not want a state.
International pressure is also not the problem, for it always increases in direct proportion to Israel’s participation in diplomatic processes. Before the Oslo Accords, there was a major question mark hovering over the legitimacy of the PLO and its leaders. No such question mark existed over the right of the Jews to have their own state. Today, after twenty years of ‘diplomatic processes’ the situation is reversed. We recognize them, but they do not recognize us. The Americans, however, are not willing to demand recognition of Israel as a condition for negotiations. In other words, the diplomatic process intensifies international pressure and cannot be an excuse for its existence.
This brings us to the supposed economic problem. The diplomatic process will not solve it. On the contrary: As we learned the hard way, the Oslo Accords consume 10% of our state budget annually; approximately one trillion shekels since they were signed. Over the past years, Israel is approaching the status of an economic superpower – not because of the diplomatic process, but despite it.
So if it is not peace, not security, not demography, not ‘Palestinian nationalism’, not international pressure and not economy, what exactly are we negotiating about? What are we trying to achieve? Hint: It has to do with trying to flee our identity and destiny.
@ NormanF:
Feiglin doesn’t know what he is talking about. The talks are not about any peace, even though plenty a politician has walked away with a Nobel peace Prize for it. The world has decided that Israel has no right to exist any longer. It was okay when we were skeletons coming out of concentration camps, even socialist and communists coming out of Russia. But now that we have shown what we are capable of doing, the world is out to push us into the sea. Netanyahu is just doing his best to stave off the worst, which is yet to come. The international boycotts, sanctions, blockades and whatever else the world sees fir to do to us. Neither Feiglin nor anyone else standing in Netanyahu’s shoes could do a better job. Luckily we have people sitting on the other side of the table who are determined to never sign a peace agreement with us, so they are not the problem anymore. The problem is the world. Anyone who claims to believe in God should know that God has His plans, and as the world turns against us, they turn against God as well. Those countries will pay the price for turning on us. In the meantime, Israel needs to prepare itself to be as self-sufficient as possible. To distance ourselves from dependency on items outside Israel. The gas finds off the coast are no coincidence. They are God’s answer to the world threat to cut off our oil supplies. We need to make sure we can feed ourselves without importing. All the boycotts and sanctions will just make us stronger from within. We will continue to mesmerize the world with our technological advances and when we no longer are selling it cheaply to buy the west’s favor, we will make them pay big time for it. It’s all about faith and being able to look at the macro. BTW, Feiglin is a phoney who would be crapping in his pants if he was PM today.
Israel is negotiating so as not to get blamed that she is at fault for not negotiating to end the conflict. We are negotiating not to incur the rath of the EU and USA. Not doing too well here. The EU is a near lost cause. They view us as the stronger party so we must take all the risks. Aside they buy oil from the mideast and many are not to found of Jews.
That is the current main thing we are doing.
Just as we must look for the reasons behind Arik Sharon’s turnaround regarding Gush Katif to understand what is going on here,
we have to analyze the motivations of the leaders of the GOI. If a government doesn’t have the courage of its convictions or
possibly has NO convictions, they are doomed to remain mired in the no-win situation that the TSS entails. However, on the
other hand, if said government could simply say our claim is just and true, this is our land, you are waging war against us
so we have no option but to fight you. My mentors tell me that peace is only possible when one side to the conflict gives
up and is prepared to accept terms. As long as the palis feel they have a chance they will not be interested in anything less
than their entire agenda (Israel’s destruction). You just have to listen to Abbas’ comments. The solution does not lie with Kerry
but with annexation.
@ NormanF:
Absolutely correct.
To point out the absurdity of the current “peace process”, “peace” isn’t even on the agenda. This is not a secret. Everyone knows it. So what exactly is there to negotiate? Why is Israel participating in this recipe for self-destruction?
How will this process make a rump-state with indefensible borders more secure? To that no one has a plausible answer. If it doesn’t end the conflict, why in the world would Israel abandon existential vital assets?
Bibi wants to “rent” our land from our pali implacable enemies? Excuse me while I go and vomit!
Moshe Feiglin is right – Jews are not accustomed to the exercise of national sovereignty and being a free people in their own land.
They feel guilty about being “liberated” so they try put themselves back in the ghetto they escaped from. That explains Israel’s frantic quest to surrender the heart of its homeland to the Arabs at any price.
Its doomed because neither G-d – nor the Arabs who hearts He has stiffened – will ever allow it to happen. The Jewish nation has a destiny to fulfill and cannot shed its covenant with Heaven. It will never know true peace until it accepts it must serve the Only One, forever.