Peloni: Please watch this video and share widely. Naomi Kahn presents a review of achievements made by Regavim this past year, and the results are nothing less than shocking. The work pursued by Regavim challenges the govt to change the paradigm on matters which are of a key existential nature to Israel’s exercise of sovereignty, and they do so while also providing the pathway by which this change might be acted upon successfully.
I was a little skeptical about watching this video as described, since many previous Regavim videos were painful to watch, seeing the various ways the Palestinians were exploiting every possible method to destroy the land, e.g., destroying archaeological sites by paving roads through them, etc.
But @Peloni you were right. This discussion by Naomi Kahn of Regavim was an inspiring celebration of very longstanding efforts to address wrongs in land use/abuse that have existed for 19 years. All these years, as we look back, we can see that eventually those efforts paid off.
Why did they pay off now and not before now?
It is not because Regavim just suddenly became vocal and informative about the problems of land stealing by the Palestinians. Regavim had been publicizing these issues for the last 19 years. And it is not because Netanyahu is Prime Minister now. Because Bibi was Prime Minister from 1996-99, 2009-2021, and 2022-present, so he was in office as PM during part of the last 19 years prior to now.
So what changed?
I think what changed is the Israeli people. The Israeli people experienced widespread grief, shock, and terror all at once on the 7th of October that left them psychologically changed. Gone were the idealized hopes for some kind of getting along and making some kind of peace with the Palestinians. Those who derided Bibi as if Bibi were more of a threat to Israel than the Palestinians themselves now were seen by the Israeli public as very wrong in their perceptions and were seen as basically destructive to the State of Israel. Those who believed they could jettison support for Bibi with lawfare are similarly seen as having a bankrupt approach to governance. Now the people of Israel are more behind Netanyahu and his government than ever before, especially while so many young people are fighting in the war. Their families believe Bibi, this government, and the armed forces of Israel together have the best chance of creating a secure and safe Israel than any other leader or combination of leaders currently in Israel today.
So it is THIS government backed by THESE ISRAELI PEOPLE that have changed. The information from Regavim over the years has finally broken through to government and political leaders who are responding to the call for help in making sure the land of Israel is protected for Israelis and not chipped away at inch by inch by the Palestinians looking to steal the land.
I once said Naomi Kahn was a national treasure. I stand by that statement.
The entire Regavim group should be congratulated for working so hard and long and for being determined to solve so many complex legal problems along with their efforts to understand the responsibility of Israel under treaties that have been violated totally by the Palestinians.
What she said towards end of the video was priceless. In response to a question about the 2 state solution: “Everyone listening to this webinar is a grown adult. Please don’t allow this issue to be infantilized and what I mean by that is we’ve been told for years “either it’s two states or it’s war, or it’s two states or Israel will cease to exist as a Jewish state, and all these things we’ve been told are more like schoolyard ultimatums than realistic political solutions. Issues of this type are solved everywhere in the world and the one thing you need to make reasonable political arrangements is the will to do so on each side.”
Israelis have finally understood the will to do so is only on their side and thus armed with that knowledge, the Israeli people can now start dealing with reality in a way that was not really envisioned by the majority of Israelis prior to the 7th of October.
Thanks for recommending and posting this video.