Netanyahu: “Don’t give up on peace”

Bibi sent this Op-Ed to the Chicago Tribune because it is in Obama’s home state. Read between the lines. It is an attempt to talk the language of the left to make himself more acceptable to Obama and his camp.

By Benjamin Netanyahu, Chicago Tribune
December 14, 2008

The dream of peace, anchored in the vision of our prophets, has given hope to the Jewish people for over three millenniums and to Israelis for the past 60 years.

For nearly three decades, that dream seemed impossible. Then, suddenly, the Likud Party’s Menachem Begin signed a peace agreement with Egypt. Fifteen years later, Labor’s Yitzhak Rabin made peace with Jordan. For a time, it looked as if the dream would be fulfilled. [If Begin could do it, so can Bibi.}

But in the past decade, many have lost hope. Israelis have witnessed escalating suicide attacks and rocket barrages in the aftermath of well-intentioned diplomacy. Palestinians have seen their everyday situation worsen. Many now believe that peace is beyond our grasp. I disagree. I believe that peace is possible, but achieving it requires a new approach.

Rather than building peace exclusively from the top down in political agreements, this new approach must also focus on building peace from the ground up with economic development.

We must fundamentally improve the lives of our Palestinian neighbors so that they have a stake in peace. We need to help Palestinians expand their middle class, strengthen their civil society and provide hope for a better future. That is why in parallel to conducting political negotiations, my government will stress the need to help Palestinians rapidly develop their economy. [Bibi doesn’t want to say “no” to the peace process. Not good politics.]

By initiating large-scale infrastructure projects, by bringing jobs closer to Palestinian population centers and by taking steps to ensure that Israel’s legitimate security concerns do not seriously impede Palestinian economic growth, I believe we can make enormous progress in a short time. This has become all the more important in the wake of the economic turbulence sweeping the world. [Sounds like Obama]

Many billions of dollars have been given to the Palestinian Authority over the last 15 years with scant results. Much was lost to corruption and bureaucracy. We must ensure that this money reaches the Palestinians themselves, creating jobs and improving living standards. If I am elected prime minister of Israel, my government will assist this international effort by making Palestinian economic development a top priority and by investing in security systems that could improve the movement of people and goods. [Bibi the team player.]

I have been working for some time on a plan to couple political negotiations with economic development.

Economic development will not be a substitute for political negotiations but rather complement them. We will continue the political negotiations for a peace settlement with our neighbors, and by changing the situation on the ground we can create the context for their success. Until now, we have focused solely on the political track and have largely ignored the economic track. This will change under my government.

While there will surely be many skeptics, I intend to prove them wrong. Other intractable conflicts were ultimately resolved by economic and social development. Our conflict with the Palestinians can be tempered and resolved by pursuing a similar course.

I believe that if we proceed in the next few years down this new path of an economic peace intertwined with political negotiations, we can move rapidly toward peace and confound the skeptics.

Reaching out to our regional peace partners, Jordan and Egypt, to expand cooperation will also be critical to the success of these efforts. This should be done in trilateral forums (Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian and Israeli-Palestinian-Egyptian) and broader multilateral forums that can address the many regional issues (security, economy, water, etc.) that need to be resolved to reach a political settlement. [Bibi hints at changes in the peace process.]

I am confident that a determined effort to move forward can create a completely new reality that facilitates the achievement of a political settlement and a qualitatively different environment in which a return to war and violence seems inconceivable.

This approach can win the backing of a large majority of Israelis and can win the peace for us and our Palestinians neighbors.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the ninth prime minister of Israel, is the Likud Party’s candidate for prime minister.

December 21, 2008 | 22 Comments »

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22 Comments / 22 Comments

  1. what is it that yamit is alledgedly accused of doing.?

    Speaking the truth about Peskin. He’s very sensitive but shows a masochistic behavioral personality.

  2. what is this guy smokin?

    Comment by bugsy — December 21, 2008 @ 2:55 pm

    Me or Bibi or both?

    Comment by Ted Belman — December 22, 2008 @ 8:34 am

    I would think it would depend on whether you agree with Beebster’s Leftist Lunacy or not. He’s a proven liar, just like Sharon. Sharon was Beebs on steroids, and Beebs is Sharon lite. But for Israel, neither were any good as political leaders.

  3. Yamit: It seems that the charges lodged against you were just too much for the Spammeister. I shall try to reformat my post and submit it again.

  4. Yamit: With any of your retorts it seems you must include some particularly nasty rejoinder.

    I suppose you would opt for the killing scenario like most of your leftist fascists think alikes.

    I was not likely to allow this to continue for long.

    A couple of months ago you provided some details about your residency and personal data. Using this information, I enquired with some of my Israeli contacts which resulted in the uncovering of your identity. In addition what surfaced was a personal scandal that might knock the socks off any and all of the readers of this post.

    On February 15th of 2008, it is alleged that you Yamit did the following,
    1.

  5. Yamit you wrote :How? any different manner of tactics or all of them together, I have spelled out under many other threads some of my ideas but there are I am sure other methods other than what I have suggested in the past. Not so many as in the past and by now they are a minority. Left against on moral grounds? I suggest they recheck their morality. I would not be upset overly to transferring the extreme left out first before taking on the Arabs, Transfer is the most humane way to solve the conflict, don’t you think it is preferrable than having to kill them and be killed in return? I suppose you would opt for the killing scenario like most of your leftist fascists think alikes.
    ————————————————————–
    You are particularly skilled in blowing a lot of hot air. May I remind you the decision on whether or not to arrange the transfer of Arabs or anyone else does not rest solely in your hands. You are not the Emperor of Israel or any other entity, including your own household. That position is firmly the domain of your wife and she is not likely to surrender that authority any time soon.
    You might be making a good impression on Belman-I remain very much underwhelmed.

  6. your are very long and loud in making grand pronouncements. The desired aim of TRANSFER has been enunciated by the early revisionists and currently by a few M. K.’s and other far Right proponents. My question to you is HOW, I repeat HOW? There is a large segment of the Israelis public, call them leftists or liberals, who are bitterly opposed to such a move on purely moral , philosophical lines. It might be necessary to transfer them out of the country first, before moving on to the Arabs.For too many Jews, expelling the Arabs out of Israel and or the territories is reminiscent of the Nazi expulsion of Jews out of Germany. The sound of S.S. jack boots is still in many people’s consciousness to make this a feasible option

    How? any different manner of tactics or all of them together, I have spelled out under many other threads some of my ideas but there are I am sure other methods other than what I have suggested in the past. Not so many as in the past and by now they are a minority. Left against on moral grounds? I suggest they recheck their morality. I would not be upset overly to transferring the extreme left out first before taking on the Arabs, Transfer is the most humane way to solve the conflict, don’t you think it is preferrable than having to kill them and be killed in return? I suppose you would opt for the killing scenario like most of your leftist fascists think alikes.

  7. Yamit:

    Understand a few simple concepts. Peace should stand on its own positive value and Should never require having to pay extortion for same. Peace between implacable enemies is only possible once one side or the other is totally devastated by war and has no other options. It can never be imposed from the outside. The Arabs have demonstrated so many times and ea. day that peace as you envision it will never be and can never be. Transfer is the only logical and workable solution or its alternative: the Grave there you can find the kind of Peace you seem so desirous of. I have a great suggestion for you- YOU FIRST!

    your are very long and loud in making grand pronouncements. The desired aim of TRANSFER has been enunciated by the early revisionists and currently by a few M. K.’s and other far Right proponents. My question to you is HOW, I repeat HOW? There is a large segment of the Israelis public, call them leftists or liberals, who are bitterly opposed to such a move on purely moral , philosophical lines. It might be necessary to transfer them out of the country first, before moving on to the Arabs.For too many Jews, expelling the Arabs out of Israel and or the territories is reminiscent of the Nazi expulsion of Jews out of Germany. The sound of S.S. jack boots is still in many people’s consciousness to make this a feasible option.

    Yes I know your countering argument, provide monetary incentives to encourage such a development. Call it the soft option. There is no real evidence to indicate that this will work. Yes but both you and Belman can always come up with a fake poll indicating that this is really what the Arabs want. WE can have a poll that will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the earth is flat, and the moon is made up of swiss cheese (made in Quebec,Canada). Belman just the other week came up with a “study” that the Arab population of Israel and surrounding areas are practically evaporating into thin air.

    I will not bring up the whole question of world opinion. Why bring up irrelevancies.

    Yamit, enough of your pipe dreams, deal with reality as it is not what you wish it to be.

  8. Peskin we don’t want Peace agreements(Code name for Israels destruction) We desire Peace not agreements. All Presidents sought agreements and not peace thats why they have all failed and will continue to fail. In Truth nobody really wants Peace at least your vision of it I suspect but for various reason continue to push for a very irrational and self defeating efforts to get all of the parties to subscribe to concepts and ideas that nobody really wants, nobody really believes in and if carried out to it illogical conclusions will bring that which fools like you say they don’t want ARMAGEDDON!

    Understand a few simple concepts. Peace should stand on its own positive value and Should never require having to pay extortion for same. Peace between implacable enemies is only possible once one side or the other is totally devastated by war and has no other options. It can never be imposed from the outside. The Arabs have demonstrated so many times and ea. day that peace as you envision it will never be and can never be. Transfer is the only logical and workable solution or its alternative: the Grave there you can find the kind of Peace you seem so desirous of. I have a great suggestion for you- YOU FIRST!

    Or is that asking too much from an OMNISCIENT DIETY.

    YES IT IS.

  9. Yamit:

    : Only G-d can protect us from what Sharon,Olmert, Livni, Barak and BB has,done or will do.

    And only the Almighty can protect us from what you (Yamit) has written and or will write. Or is that asking too much from an OMNISCIENT DIETY.

  10. Yamit:

    What key players? Most are out of office or dead and in foreign relations attitudes from time to time change ( That’s a word you like Peskin remember recently the word used; CHANGE) We have a saying here that only a jackass doesn’t ever change his mind and lets add Peskin who would never consider changing embedded set in stone preconceived ideological ( extreme left, radical) views.

    Every American President from Carter onward was committed, to varying degrees, in achieving a peace agreement. We all know (except yourself) that Obama regards mid -east peace as essential. Certainly the E.U. is as enthusiastic as ever to achieve that very same goal. It is self delusional to think otherwise.

  11. There has been too much invested in the peace process by the key players for it to be aborted by stalling and diversionery tactics

    . What key players? Most are out of office or dead and in foreign relations attitudes from time to time change ( That’s a word you like Peskin remember recently the word used; CHANGE) We have a saying here that only a jackass doesn’t ever change his mind and lets add Peskin who would never consider changing embedded set in stone preconceived ideological ( extreme left, radical) views.

    So called investment is peanuts: they are paying off the Mafia ( Terrorists ) to leave them alone and if they weaken or manage to take down the Jews all the better for them. Investments? Do you want me to list for you the bounty these investors have received in return for investments? I won’t list as I know you won’t read and if you do read it won’t register with you as it would a normal reader. Bah Humbug Grrrrrrrr, Shit you are dumb.

    With BB he will say and do anything first to get hold of political power and if he succeeds he will do anything say anything to keep it. Do not flatter yourselves that BB cares about any of us or the country. In this he is partnered with Barak his dead Brothers best friend and a BB past and maybe even today current confidant. They are all molded from the same clay. If they do have a vision for Israels future it is very similar. Labor for Barak and Likud for BB are only tools for acquiring power. Neither care about the parties nor the constituents they are a necessary burden to be uses and endured but when no longer of use to be cast away.

    Q: What is the difference between G-d and Sharon, Olmert , Livni, Barak and BB?
    A: G-d doesn’t think he is Sharon,Olmert, Livni,Barak or BB

    Q: What is the difference between G-d and Sharon, olmert, Livni,Barak and BB
    A: Only G-d can protect us from what Sharon,Olmert, Livni, Barak and BB has,done or will do.

  12. Belman: Sorry but I think you are missing the message.

    Netanyahu is trying to sidetrack the peace process by using the language of Obama. He is trying to coopt them into his thinking. He is trying to substitute a totally different approach to fend off the pressure. He doesn’t want to say “no” to the peace process. He wants to pursue a different peace process from the bottom up and not top down. This means avoiding the PA.

    Avoiding the P.A. is the equivalent to the other side trying to avoid Israel. It is an illusion a la David Copperfield theatrical performance. There has been too much invested in the peace process by the key players for it to be aborted by stalling and diversionery tactics.

    It will not happen.

  13. I fully understand what Netanyahu is trying to do. My point is that he will fail because Palestinian “economic development” is not the objective for the Arabs, the Europeans, the Obama Administration, or the Israeli AG+SC (see my post on the other Netanyahu thread).

    There have been ongoing efforts in this area for years (recall the Gaza greenhouse fiasco) and the international community will continue to try to bribe and placate the Arabs into benevolence with various funding projects whether or not the GOI makes it a priority.

    The players want something very different from Israel, and Netanyahu will have to deliver — or else.

  14. Sorry but I think you are missing the message.

    Netanyahu is trying to sidetrack the peace process by using the language of Obama. He is trying to coopt them into his thinking. He is trying to substitute a totally different approach to fend off the pressure. He doesn’t want to say “no” to the peace process. He wants to pursue a different peace process from the bottom up and not top down. This means avoiding the PA.

  15. Tony Blair has been working this angle for over a year now “in preparation for statehood”.

    The economic development trial balloon will be shot down by the Obama Administration before it gains altitude.

    Neither the Arabs nor the Europeans are interested in swapping Israeli land and security concessions for economic development.

  16. Politically astute is how I would describe Netanyahu’s plan and so too is his presenting same to the American people.

    If Netanyahu does win enough votes and support to form the next government, Israel and the rest of the world will find out soon enough whether the answers for a peace solution or the devil is hiding in the details of Netanyahu’s plan.

    Netanyahu notes that billions of dollars given the Palestinians over the last 15 years have gone to fund corruption and bureaucracy.

    Strange he did not say such funding went to finance Palestinian munitions and rockets used by Palestinians to conduct their terrorism including suicide bombers against innocent Israelis.

    Maybe that too was politically astute.

    It appears Netanyahu did not want to undermine the point of his article being that Palestinians with the help of Israel, Egypt and Jordan have the ability to build a stable political and economic society starting with the next billions of dollars in welfare benefits, by pointing to Palestinian bankruptcy when it comes to a society’s capital in the coin of leadership, values, laws, morality, competence, honesty, decency and humanity.