I HAVE LONG PREACHED THAT OUR PR IS DOOMED TO FAILURE BECAUSE WE DON’T PROCLAIM OUR RIGHT TO THE LAND. EITHER WE ARE OWNERS OR OCCUPIERS. HAVING SAID THAT, I DON’T HANG MY HAT ON “THE BIBLE IS OUR MANDATE” AS HE DOES. IT IS OURS BECAUSE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW; SAN REMO RESOLUTION, THE PALESTINIAN MANDATE AND OUR VICTORY IN 67. ‘NOUGH SAID. TED BELMAN
Op-ed: Israeli PR effort will fail as long as we don’t declare that land belongs to the Jews
Naftali Bennett, Yesha Council’s director general, YNET
Some people claim that the Judea and Samaria public relations effort, which is premised on our historical right in this land, is doomed for failure. This is also the perception that dominates Israel’s PR establishment.
Our diplomats say that we must not speak of the Bible and history, because it’s primitive; rather, we must only explain our security needs and point to the murderous behavior of the Palestinians. The enlightened world, say the diplomats, has no interest in irrational issues, but rather, only wishes to see practical arguments such as water, topography and security.
Yet there is no greater mistake. Those who seek an answer to the perpetual question of Israel’s PR failure should not resort to budgetary or tactical explanations. The problem is that the Palestinians have been arguing for dozens of years now that this land is theirs, while we have been responding with “true, but we need security.”
Amos Oz described it as follows: We, the Jewish people, drowned at sea, and found a lifesaver in a Land of Israel that belongs to the Palestinians. As we were facing an existential distress, we have the right to take part of the land from them.
Bible is our mandate
If this is our moral basis, we are undoubtedly doomed for failure. There is no wonder that the nations of the world would see us as robbers who pushed the Palestinian people out of their home. Regardless of how many PR campaigns we present regarding the Tel Aviv beach and our glorious high-tech industry, we shall remain robbers.
However, this is not the truth. This land is ours.
David Ben-Gurion expressed it well when he was asked by the Peel Commission about the Jewish people’s right for the land of Israel. He responded simply: The Bible is our mandate. He did not explain our right only by saying that we have no other shelter.
As long as we keep on utilizing practical arguments while leaving the arena of justice to the Palestinians, we shall lose. The time has come for the Israeli government to go back to the simple truth: The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel.
Either way Israel belongs to the Jews.
The Palestinian Mandate, as a legal document, was terminated on May 14, 1948, when Israel proclaimed its independence, since it fulfilled its objective with the end of the Mandatory period, and it reached the natural outcome of any Mandate, i.e. the sovereignty of the beneficiary of the “trust”, in this case, the Jewish people.
However, the provisions contained in the Mandate – specifying the national rights of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel – are valid to this day. These provisions have not been revoked, and the acquired rights of the Jewish people survive the lifetime of the document in which they were spelled out. This is clearly specified in Article 80 of the UN Charter and in Article 70 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
Therefore, the UN has no authority to unilaterally break the “sacred trust of civilization” which is the basis of all Mandates when referring to the rights of the beneficiary. For more details, please read this book.
Was the Palestinian Mandate ever officially ended? I know the British unilaterally quit the country, but it seems there never was an agreement in the UN about transfering authority. Israel is the de facto Mandate authority west of Jordan, except for Hamas-controlled Gaza. I wonder whether the UN could assign a new authority, or whether the British would have a legal right to resume their role.
As of this month, of course, the mandate is irrelevant: The US is occupying the place. I wonder whether our troops will sit happily with having a 9-mile-wide country for a base, surrounded by American-hating terrorists continually firing rockets at them. They might even insist on, horror of horrors, “secure borders”!
We’ll see. The borders do not actually exist on the ground per se; they exist in the minds of men and in the mind of God. Whether those two are in harmony or not, will determine the ultimate disposition.
I wish I had the answer. More than one big reason it seems that it is a fatal combination of factors. Some are well known. Some overlooked clues are universal. For example, why would the US Congress ease rules for national and international corporations, bail them out after those corporations commit fraud, and then squeeze working citizens and ruin the national economy? Of course they are not being misguided. They know what they’re doing, and they’re looking after themselves and their friends.
On David Bedein’s latest show on Israel National Radio, “A Direct Appeal to PM Netanyahu” (second half of the show), he again denounces the government for its silence and inaction regarding the virulent anti-Jewish and anti-Israel propaganda on PA TV and PA school textbooks. It is horrifying, but this and past governments of Israel have done nothing about it. Why?
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/Author.aspx/4286
Bedein says Israel could put conditions before handing over tax money to the PA, such as the elimination of such propaganda and incitement. Then he goes on to explain how Israeli corporations get funds through the PA for all kinds of businesses. He mentions the Nesher corporation in particular, which builds PA schools that teach Nazi-inspired curriculum. Recently Nesher was asked by the government of Israel to provide the material for the construction of 170 buildings in Gaza itself. Israeli intelligence revealed that Hamas uses that cement for military purposes.
http://www.iris.org.il/blog/archives/2923-Hamas-Seizing-Humanitarian-Cement-for-Military-Purposes.html
Israeli trade with PA/Gaza is significant. Now, why would the government want to upset the PA or Hamas by demanding changes in school curriculum when there is such close and profitable financial relationship between PA/Gaza and Israeli corporations?
And that’s one of the many factors. So unless Yesha residents empower themselves by uniting and organizing – their government will continue to look after other priorities.
It’s all very well faulting the pols for being cowards, debasing themselves to the world, or simply being “wrong,” but there must be some underlying (perhaps rational) reason for these pols and the leftist crew that’s no doubt always in their faces, to want to totally undermine their country, and hence risk their lives and the lives of their fellow Israelis. Some big reason. Aside from monumental stupidity.
I’d love to know this reason (as I’m sure we all would).
Yesha’s political self-disempowerment may lead to its demise.
1) WRONG LOCAL LEADERSHIP. A leadership that keeps Jews busy building shacks and making pointless demonstrations – or getting angry and vandalizing things. But, have you noticed how that same leadership steers clear from advocating for effective Yesha political unity and organization? It’s as if it’s all a show to make sure that the population’s energy and good ideas will get sidetracked and never go anywhere.
2) MISPLACED FAITH. That leadership exists because of Yesha residents’ irrational faith in their coalition MKs and local leadership in general. Visiting coalition MKs are treated with undeserved deference. Jews listen to their speeches and choose to forget their frequent anti-Yesha, anti-Israel, and generally anti-Jewish voting record.
Example: February 23, 2011 – All government coalition MKs either voted against, or left the Knesset before the vote on the National Union bill for establishing full sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. Coalition MKs, along with the Arabs and the Left, put it on record that either Israel does not own the land or does not want it.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142492
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142500
3) LACK OF UNITY. If they united as a YESHA PARTY with an agenda focused on Yesha’s political goals, they’d at least be heard.
Right now government’s regard for settlers is as low as it can get. They see them as a burden, as troublemakers, and as a general annoyance. They are treated literally as second class citizens. Why? Because politically speaking Yesha Jews are taken for granted. Likud knows that they can count on their votes, no matter how many times their MKs have voted against their interests.
4) STATE OF DENIAL. Kadima almost handed over much of the country to the Arabs. Almost, because (thank you PA) Arabs rejected the offer.
The possibility of partition is real. It is not a game that politicians play. Expulsions have already occurred. Israel has surrendered the Sinai and Gaza. The idea of giving up the Golan under the euphemism of “peace with Syria” was in the news until a few months ago.
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DAVID BEDEIN wrote an article recently about rumors that a 2005 plan for retreat from Judea and Samaria is going to be implemened by this government a little at the time, starting with smaller communities.
The 2005 Unknown Retreat Map
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/11065
“The Israeli government retreat map has never been posted or discussed in the Israeli public domain – not in the media, not in the Knesset and not in the current Israeli government.
“Rumors abound that Israel is about to order the IDF to implement the next stages of the February 20, 2005 Israel government retreat decision , beginning with small outposts, leaving most people under the assumption that the government of Israel does not intend to destroy any more than a few hill top communities.
“The February 20th, 2005 retreat decision empowers the Israeli Security Establishment to implement surrender of almost all of Samaria, Judea, Hebron and the entire Jordan Valley to an entity which remains in a state of war with the state and Israel.”
I’ll add an Amein to that prayer Bert!
The problem is not a shortage of facts but rather a shortage of backbone among our secularized Jewish leaders. Some of them have fallen so low that they even accept the Arab lie. Our bible says ‘If I forget thee O Jerusalem … many my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.’ Notice that the secularized Jewish leaders always stutter when confronted with accusations that they occupy Arab land.
When Obama pressed Netanyahu it was pitiful to see the Prime Minister of Israel squirm and be forced to agree to accepting a two state solution. Instead he should have challenged Obama, who claims to be a Christian to consult his own bible on who owns the land. Netanyahu could also have told Obama to open up his Koran to Sura 5, verses 20 and 21 which also declares that the land of Israel belongs to the Jews.
I hope and pray that some day soon Israel will have leaders who are true Jews rather than Hebrew-Speaking gentiles.
That is EXACTLY the point.
San Remo and international law are indeed sufficient proof of Israeli sovereignty. But whether you are secular or believe in the word of God, the bible as well, in both cases does document a 3’000 year attachment of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel. Throughout this period, the Jewish people lived in the land of Israel.
Even during the Diaspora period when the land was practically desolate, Jews continued to form the majority of its major cities and continued to produce great works of culture. The academies creating the Jerusalem Talmud flourished into the 5th century. About 1’000 years ago the Tiberian system for writing down vowel sounds in Hebrew was codified, which is still in use today in modern Israel. Seven hundred years before the six day war, the Ramban synagogue was founded in Jerusalem. There, theologians as Isaac of Acre laid the groundwork for Kabala as we know it today, and later during the 17th century, present day religious Judaism was structured according to the Shulchan Aruch.
The result of all of this has shaped our lives in modern times. Importantly, the influence of Jewish tradition on the Founding Fathers can be seen in the American Constitution. Such influence should come as no surprise given John Adams’ view expressed in a letter to Thomas Jefferson: “I will insist that the Hebrews have done more to civilize man than any other nation.”