A lot is missing from this article. Debka gave all the details of the deal in May under the title White House set for Obama-Netanyahu-Abbas summit. Israel downbeat. Eitan is just confirming it.
Could it be that when Lauder told Bibi to get a plan earlier this week and Cotler advised Bibi to accept Obama’s principles, they were paving the way for Bibi to do so in coordination with Bibi? I think so.
Without such a deal in the offing, would the Quartet and Turkey be cooperating so much? Ted Belman.
For perhaps the first time, a minister in Binyamin Netanyahu’s government has admitted that the Prime Minister plans to give away most of Judea and Samaria to an incipient Arab state, with Israel retaining only the settlement blocs. During a tour of Gush Etzion, Michael Eitan, whose title is Minister for Improvement of Government Services, said that “enacting the Prime Minister’s policies will lead to the annexation of the settlement blocs, including Gush Etzion, with the intent of giving up other parts of Judea and Samaria for the benefit of a Palestinian state.”
Gush Etzion Council head Shaul Goldstein, who accompanied Eitan during the tour, said that he appreciated the minister’s vote of confidence in the future of the Gush, even if he disagreed with Eitan on surrendering other parts of Yesha.
In his comments, Eitan was referring to a speech by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to the Knesset in mid-May. In the wake of that speech, several right-wing MKs expressed concern over the fact that Netanyahu stressed that Israel would keep the settlement blocs in any final-status settlement with the PA – but that “painful concessions” would need to be made. This was taken by many as a sign that Netanyahu was prepared to give them away to the PA for establishment of an Arab state in Judea and Samaria.
After the speech, government Minister Benny Begin said in several interviews that he “knew for certain” that Netanyahu had not intended to imply an Israeli withdrawal from non-bloc areas of Yesha. A report on Arutz 7 said that following the speech, Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely approached Netanyahu and said, “The rule that you set implies the exception to the rule,” meaning that his insistence on retaining the settlement blocs means that the other towns are expendable. Netanyahu responded, “That is not the intention.”
Although Eitan seemed to imply that he was speaking for Netanyahu in his statement, he is considered to be one of the Likud’s left-leaning MKs. Speaking at a Likud faction meeting earlier this year, for example, Eitan advised against an Israeli annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria, saying it would “boomerang” against Israel. “All Likud Prime Ministers have been against such a move, which would further isolate Israel and cause great damage. It would act as a boomerang, and prevent further Israeli development in the settlement blocs,” he said.
If what Eitan says is accurate, tens of thousands of Jews could be evicted from their homes, says National Union Chairman MK Ya’akov Katz (Ketzaleh). In a recent interview with Arutz 7, Ketzaleh said that based on his analysis of the speech, the Prime Minister would likely seek the removal of over 120,000 Jews from their homes. In his analysis, Ketzaleh named dozens of towns that are outside the settlement blocs he believes Netanyahu is referring to – with large towns like Beit El, Karnei Shomron, Givat Ze’ev, Kedumim, Kiryat Arba, and many others on the “chopping bloc,” since they are outside the “settlement blocs.”
In a way, Israel today seems something like France in the 1950s and 60s; and the Jewish villages in Judea and Samaria somewhat resemble the former French neighborhoods in Algeria. That puts Israel in the “colonial” model, that its detractors have been trying to put her into. There was even a somewhat parallel situation to Judea and Samaria, in that Algeria was once a Romance-speaking, Christian country like France before being overrun by the Moslems. The French had been, in a way, taking back their own country since 1830; but by 1962, with an empire crumbling on all fronts, the French had run out of steam.
Israel, too, seems to have run out of steam after only 60 years. The great disappointment there is not that Judea, Samaria and Gaza have not been annexed; the disappointment is that even if and when they are annexed, where are the millions of Jews that were supposed to make paths from modern Babylon to rebuild the ancient ruins?
The Christian Right in the US has been supporting the Israeli government against its enemies; but Israel’s big problem — namely, that the millions of Jews outside of Israel (the vast majority of them living in the US) don’t want to go there and claim it as their own — remains. The Christian Right would actually more effectively help Israel, if they all donned sheets and hoods, and burned crosses in front of Jewish homes and establishments; but there’s a fat chance of that happening, and the ones who would squeal the loudest against it would be Israeli Jews.
Do the Jews of the world really want a homeland? It doesn’t look as though they do. There are two kinds of Jews in the world today:
1. Galut Jews, mostly in the US, who do not want to live in a Jewish Homeland, and
2. Israeli Jews, who live on the OUTSKIRTS of the Jewish Homeland, at arms length from the Temple, from Machpelah, from Rachel’s tomb, etc.
If this is to be the permanent state of things, the Israeli Jews will have to settle for half a country. If they have any sense, they will do some shifting around, transfer population and live in Judea and Tel Aviv, abandoning Haifa and Galilee. At least, that division has historical precedent and makes geographical sense. They would lose their gas fields in the Mediterranean, though, so this will not happen. The alternative, is to split the land north-to-south, along the Auschwitz line
The Jews of Israel have some tough decisions to make in the coming years. Their American brethren have deserted the cause, in the way that matters: They haven’t moved to Israel. Before getting too hard on their Galut relatives, though, the Israeli Jews should consider whether THEY really want to reclaim their homeland; or if they want to content themselves with camping out, as it were, on the front lawn. The Israeli Jews haven’t really done an “aliyah”; they’ve done a “HALF-aliyah”, leaving to the Arabs all the places that matter. How can the American Right, or anyone, for that matter, help such a people — a people who haven’t even decided whether or not they even want to BE a people?
As I said, the Jews seem to have run out of steam, just like the French and British before them; and all the talk lately seems to be about how much to give up to whom, and when.
The Likud has never been the likud,meaning they have lost their Herut core, and their right wing ideology. They became a centrist party with left of center and right of center but the leadership were mostly non ideological in so far as their willingness to ignore or compromise on all the right wing principles and ethos of Herut. When Begin surrendered Yamit and the Sinai to Egypt. The Likud ceased to be a right wing party and except for rhetoric. Mapai was more right wing than the Likud since Begin.
The whole land for peace concept began with Begin and the Likud. The precedent of destroying Jewish permanent settlements is a Likud invention. It was the weak demented Begin who caved in the the weakest President and American administration in modern history.
The Likud is the problem and not the cure for Israels problems. For the Likud to gain administrative power they had to dilute the ideology in order to appeal to the lowest common denominator meaning they accepted anyone and most who flocked to likud meaning mostly Sephardim were never ideological right wing. They just hated Labor ho they blamed for racist discrimination. The also at that time hated Arabs but didn’t care about the land of Israel.
Mr. Eytan is no different than Mr. Netanyahu who is no different than Mr. Olmert who is no different than Mr. Sharon.
The Likud’s members and central committee have to decide whether they want to be Kadima II or Labor II or go back to their roots and throw out all of the bums and crumbs who have faked their way to the top.
Are we sure Mr eytan is a likudnik?
His stance stinks “meretz” !
Trumpeldor
Author: Israel Rising
Comment:
I wouldn’t call his blustering fake (he probably wants to annex everything, but is weak without faith). I think this is what will happen and the international community will stop Israel short of annexing everything and instead settle for everything west of the security barrier.
It could be they will keep a safe road to Kiryat Arba similar to what was going on with Mount Scopus between 48 to 67. If they do that ( I believe that is in the cards) then the Nationalist camp would be too weak to oppose it since Bibi and company will say that we tried and got almost everything.
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I agree.
I believe a civil war may be our only option. unless enough Jews assert themselves and begin to plan to actualize the beginning steps for a 2nd Jewish State. Fighting and killing Arabs is more acceptable to National Jewish camp,than killing other Jews.
Author: Israel Rising
Comment:
I wouldn’t call his blustering fake (he probably wants to annex everything, but is weak without faith). I think this is what will happen and the international community will stop Israel short of annexing everything and instead settle for everything west of the security barrier.
It could be they will keep a safe road to Kiryat Arba similar to what was going on with Mount Scopus between 48 to 67. If they do that ( I believe that is in the cards) then the Nationalist camp would be too weak to oppose it since Bibi and company will say that we tried and got almost everything.
________________________________________________________________________________________
I agree.
I believe a civil war may be our only option. unless enough Jews assert themselves and begin to plan to actualize the beginning steps for a 2nd Jewish State. Fighting and killing Arabs is more acceptable to National Jewish camp,than killing other Jews.
test
These settlers will be the vanguard towards establishing a second Jewish State: “Judea” It can be federated to the state of Israel once established.
Author: Israel Rising
Comment:
What I believe will happen whether intentional or not will be a Palestinian State in September and Israel annexing everything West of the security barrier. A small conflict will occur, but the govt will leave the rest of Yesha (perhaps not the Jordan River Valley in the PAs hands. Settlers (like myself) who are located in the potentially abandoned areas will be given a short time to decide to stay or go as the gov’t will insist that they can no longer defend them. The majority of the country will see this maneuver as a success as the West will accept the outcome and in their view Bibi was able to keep more than those on the Left. In this sense we will have a split in the Nationalist camp and be unable to politically stop it. The only issue would be whether to remain or go.
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All we need is 10-30,000 Jews willing to stay put and after renouncing Israeli citizenship apply to UN for protection as stateless refugees.
I wouldn’t call his blustering fake (he probably wants to annex everything, but is weak without faith). I think this is what will happen and the international community will stop Israel short of annexing everything and instead settle for everything west of the security barrier. It could be they will keep a safe road to Kiryat Arba similar to what was going on with Mount Scopus between 48 to 67. If they do that ( I believe that is in the cards) then the Nationalist camp would be too weak to oppose it since Bibi and company will say that we tried and got almost everything.
So all that blustering and pretending to stand up to Obama during Bibi’s American tour in May was him putting on a show. Bibi turns out to be a fake, a phony and a fraud. What else is new. Is it any wonder the public is so cynical. Politicians cannot be trusted.
What I believe will happen whether intentional or not will be a Palestinian State in September and Israel annexing everything West of the security barrier. A small conflict will occur, but the govt will leave the rest of Yesha (perhaps not the Jordan River Valley in the PAs hands. Settlers (like myself) who are located in the potentially abandoned areas will be given a short time to decide to stay or go as the gov’t will insist that they can no longer defend them. The majority of the country will see this maneuver as a success as the West will accept the outcome and in their view Bibi was able to keep more than those on the Left. In this sense we will have a split in the Nationalist camp and be unable to politically stop it. The only issue would be whether to remain or go.
Andrew, I would metaphorically compare Netanyahu to a second-time rapist.
Yamit, Oscar Wilde said a second marriage is “a triumph of hope over experience”. For this little black duck, believing in Bibi, second time around, was “a triumph of hope over experience”.
Yamit, you can copy and paste your comment, #8, over here – and then some!
BB came into office with every intention to continue Israels divestment of Y&S. His only problem is how to spin it so that his coalition will not bring him down. Seeing how is coalition has performed to date I don’t think he has much to worry about.
I really hate saying i told you so. Anybody who believes a word spoken by BB is lacking grey matter inside their cerebellum.
“He that deceives me once, it is his fault; if twice, it is mine.” BB is known in Israel as being the great deceiver (liar).
A Government saying “Victory = surrender”; “might = appeasement” is probably what it means.
BINGO!
Now, think what does it mean that Israel’s government is Orwellian.
“Minister for improvement of Government services” sounds like something Orwellian. What next? The Ministry of Truth?
The only way to make any of these titles worse is to change the title “Minister” to “Czar”.
🙂
Minister For The Improvement Of Palestine.
I think that’s a more fitting title for Michael Eitan’s task!
Let those words linger on your mind for a few moments.
One of the problems of placing your destiny in the hands of a Judenrat is that it can be difficult to know in advance which of them are Juden and which ones are rats. In fact, all too often, you only know after they have sold out the Jewish nation.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI