Right wingers make peace
There have been reports in the media (that are not particularly sympathetic to Israel to say the least) that Jewish leaders in the Diaspora as well as others are concerned about dealing with a "right-wing" Government in Israel (or in some cases they say "hard right-wing"). This is of course nonsense, leaders may be concerned, but they need not be.
Although the final coalition government has not yet been announced, and it might be a National Unity Government including Tzipi Livni's Kadima as well as Netanyahu's Likud, it seems most likely that Netanyahu will be PM of a center-right Government (I can also invent adjectives).
It should be remembered and noted that it is mostly right-wing governments and leaders that have made peace with Arab countries. It was PM Menachem Begin who made the crucial step of withdrawing from the whole of Sinai in order to obtain a peace agreement with Pres. Sadat of Egypt in the Camp David Accords of 1979. It was PM Moshe Shamir who agreed to the breakthrough conference of Madrid in 1991 that lead to Israel-PLO talks. The relatively hawkish PM Yitzhak Rabin signed the Israel-Jordan peace agreement in 1994, and it was PM Bibi Netanyahu, the same one as now, who made the Hebron (Wye) Agreement with the PA in 1998. It is generally agreed, as stated this week by the leftist Yossi Beilin, architect of the failed Oslo Accords, in an interview that right-wing leaders of Israel are more likely to be able to make peace than left-wing ones.
Further, there have been articles in the foreign press labelling Avigdor Lieberman, Head of Israel Beitanu (Israel our Home), as a "racist." This is hype and over-statement. I am not a strong supporter of Lieberman, whom I regard as an opportunist and a demagogue, but then which politician isn't. What has got Lieberman into trouble is his statements during the election campaign about making Israeli Arabs sign a loyalty oath to the State.
Why has this become a "hot button" issue. Because one Arab member of the Knesset, Azmi Bishara, broke the law numerous times by travelling to Syria and Lebanon and making statements there against the State of Israel, and finally he was caught phoning Hizbollah in Lebanon and giving them targets in Israel to fire at. If that isn't traitorous what is? He managed to escape the country and the charge of high treason and now resides in Lebanon or Syria. Another MK, Ahmed Tibi, was an advisor to Yasir Arafat and is seated next to PA Pres Abbas in negotiations with the Israeli Govt., advising him on how to respond. If that isn't disloyalty to the State, what is?
MKs do take an oath of office, but it is not an oath of loyalty to the State, like the one that US representatives take. Lieberman not only wants to introduce such an oath (for MKs of all origins) in Israel, but also for all citizens, similar to the oath that immigrants take when becoming US citizens. In that case it would then become a crime to act in any way to undermine the existence of the State of Israel (a similar oath has been discussed in Britain). Many loyal citizens don't see great harm in this, only those who wish to remain Israeli citizens but at the same time deny the right of the State to exist are the ones who cry "racism." And of course this cry is taken up by the sympathetic leftist press and foreign organizations.
But, Lieberman is not the PM, he has not yet been appointed to the Government and it is quite unlikely that Netanyahu would agree to a general loyalty oath, which might even be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (we do have due process), but he might go for changing of the oath of office for MKs. However, this issue was not one that Lieberman considered essential to Beitanu joining the coalition, those issues were electoral reform and more lenient conversion procedures. These issues are evidently not controversial. So what it's all about, a storm in a teacup.
Although the final coalition government has not yet been announced, and it might be a National Unity Government including Tzipi Livni's Kadima as well as Netanyahu's Likud, it seems most likely that Netanyahu will be PM of a center-right Government (I can also invent adjectives).
It should be remembered and noted that it is mostly right-wing governments and leaders that have made peace with Arab countries. It was PM Menachem Begin who made the crucial step of withdrawing from the whole of Sinai in order to obtain a peace agreement with Pres. Sadat of Egypt in the Camp David Accords of 1979. It was PM Moshe Shamir who agreed to the breakthrough conference of Madrid in 1991 that lead to Israel-PLO talks. The relatively hawkish PM Yitzhak Rabin signed the Israel-Jordan peace agreement in 1994, and it was PM Bibi Netanyahu, the same one as now, who made the Hebron (Wye) Agreement with the PA in 1998. It is generally agreed, as stated this week by the leftist Yossi Beilin, architect of the failed Oslo Accords, in an interview that right-wing leaders of Israel are more likely to be able to make peace than left-wing ones.
Further, there have been articles in the foreign press labelling Avigdor Lieberman, Head of Israel Beitanu (Israel our Home), as a "racist." This is hype and over-statement. I am not a strong supporter of Lieberman, whom I regard as an opportunist and a demagogue, but then which politician isn't. What has got Lieberman into trouble is his statements during the election campaign about making Israeli Arabs sign a loyalty oath to the State.
Why has this become a "hot button" issue. Because one Arab member of the Knesset, Azmi Bishara, broke the law numerous times by travelling to Syria and Lebanon and making statements there against the State of Israel, and finally he was caught phoning Hizbollah in Lebanon and giving them targets in Israel to fire at. If that isn't traitorous what is? He managed to escape the country and the charge of high treason and now resides in Lebanon or Syria. Another MK, Ahmed Tibi, was an advisor to Yasir Arafat and is seated next to PA Pres Abbas in negotiations with the Israeli Govt., advising him on how to respond. If that isn't disloyalty to the State, what is?
MKs do take an oath of office, but it is not an oath of loyalty to the State, like the one that US representatives take. Lieberman not only wants to introduce such an oath (for MKs of all origins) in Israel, but also for all citizens, similar to the oath that immigrants take when becoming US citizens. In that case it would then become a crime to act in any way to undermine the existence of the State of Israel (a similar oath has been discussed in Britain). Many loyal citizens don't see great harm in this, only those who wish to remain Israeli citizens but at the same time deny the right of the State to exist are the ones who cry "racism." And of course this cry is taken up by the sympathetic leftist press and foreign organizations.
But, Lieberman is not the PM, he has not yet been appointed to the Government and it is quite unlikely that Netanyahu would agree to a general loyalty oath, which might even be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (we do have due process), but he might go for changing of the oath of office for MKs. However, this issue was not one that Lieberman considered essential to Beitanu joining the coalition, those issues were electoral reform and more lenient conversion procedures. These issues are evidently not controversial. So what it's all about, a storm in a teacup.
posted by Jack Cohen at 8:48 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home