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Peace Process

Netanyahu to the Arabs: Accept us as a Jewish state


By Stan Goodenough
June 16, 2009

In a televised policy address watched by millions around the world Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stretched out his hand for peace and called on the enormous Arab world to accept comparatively tiny Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.

As he did when visiting the White House earlier this month Netanyahu, who during the previous week had been under the most intense international and local pressure to buckle to the insistence of the world, held his own.

Looking calm but determined, the Israeli wove his way carefully through minefields laid by both friend and foe, refusing to go along with American dictates, sidestepping the demands of his own party members that he not even allude to a Palestinian state, and squarely, but without rancor, laying the blame for the failure to end the conflict on the Arab side, especially on the so-called Palestinians.

After first echoing what he said at his inauguration when becoming prime minister two-and-a-half months ago about the need for national unity in the face of the challenges confronting his nation, Netanyahu listed them as "the Iranian threat, the financial crisis, and the promotion of peace."

Despite viewing the former as the most critical issue, which on Saturday was boosted by the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election to a second term, the prime minister directed only a few sentences its way.

"The greatest danger to Israel, to the Middle East, and to all of humanity, is the encounter between extremist Islam and nuclear weapons," he said, adding that he had been working for many years to form an international front against Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.

He likewise devoted just one paragraph to the Israeli economy, reminding the nation that his government had immediately acted, upon election, to stabilize the situation with the passage of a two-year budget.

Moving to the area of most intense international interest, Netanyahu offered to meet with Arab leaders "at any time at any place" to make peace.

He called on these leaders "in Damascus, in Riyadh, in Beirut" to join together with the Palestinian Arabs and with Israel to forge an "economic peace."

Contrary to what skeptics thought, this economic peace was not meant to be a substitute for "real peace" but "an important component for achieving it."

Reaching the main thrust of his message, Netanyahu said Israel was prepared to make considerable concessions to the "Palestinians," most significantly giving them for the first time in history a homeland of their own in part of the Jews' historic homeland, provided that:

  • They recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people.
  • Any part of the Land of Israel given to them for self rule be demilitarized; "in other words, without an army, without control of airspace, and with effective security safeguards" for Israel.
  • Jerusalem, the 3,000-year-old capital of the Jewish people, will remain Israel's eternal and undivided capital.
  • The 'Palestinians' made refugees as a result of Arab aggression against the Jewish state be resettled outside of the borders of the State of Israel.
  • And they finally abide by their commitments in earlier agreements to totally end terrorism and incitement to hatred of Israel.

Netanyahu said he wanted Israel and its enemies to speak of "the huge challenge of peace [using] the simplest words possible."

It was essential for the parties to have their feet on the ground, "firmly rooted in truth.

And the simple truth, the prime minister said, "is that the root of the conflict has been - and remains - the refusal to recognize the right of the Jewish People to its own state in its historical homeland."

The Arabs had rejected the United Nations Partition Resolution in 1947, and for more than 50 years before an Israeli soldier entered the "West Bank" Arabs had been attacking the Jews.

"Whoever thinks that the continued hostility to Israel is a result of our forces in Judea, Samaria and Gaza is confusing cause and effect," he said.

While Egypt and Jordan had "let this circle of hostility" and made peace with Israel, this was not happening with the Palestinians.

"The closer we get to a peace agreement with them, the more they are distancing themselves from peace. They raise new demands. They are not showing us that they want to end the conflict."

Scoring the "land-for-peace" formula, Netanyahu said that while "a great many people are telling us that withdrawal is the key to peace with the Palestinians....all our withdrawals were met by huge waves of suicide bombers."

Israel had tried "withdrawal by agreement, withdrawal without an agreement; partial withdrawal and full withdrawal."

"In 2000, and once again last year, the government of Israel, based on good will, tried a nearly complete withdrawal, in exchange for the end of the conflict, and were twice refused."

After Israel's withdrawal from every last centimeter of the Gaza Strip, during which it uprooted dozens of settlements and turned thousands of Israelis out of their homes, it received in exchange "missiles raining down on our cities, our towns and our children."

No, the argument that withdrawal would bring peace closer had not stood the test of reality.

As he was speaking, "with courage and honesty" he wanted to hear the "Palestinian" leadership speak with courage and honesty, saying "the simplest things" to their people and to the Israeli people: "We have had enough of this conflict. We recognize the right of the Jewish People to a state of their own in this Land. We will live side by side in true peace."

But "even the moderates among the Palestinians are not ready to say the most simple things."

Netanyahu went on to stress the Jews' ties to the Land of Israel, in which Israel was formed as a nation; and then to offer to share this age-old Jewish land with the Palestinian Arabs. (See separate story).

Notwithstanding the claims that he had done so, Netanyahu did not articulate the three words "two-state solution" which all the world wanted to hear. And he rejected the American demand for a total settlement freeze.

"[T]here is a need to have people live normal lives and let mothers and fathers raise their children like everyone in the world. The settlers are not enemies of peace. They are our brothers and sisters," he said.

Netanyahu also made short shrift of the Arab propaganda concept - so strongly supported by President Barack Obama during his Cairo speech - that Israel's existence was legitimized by the suffering of the Jewish people. (See separate story.)

Turning to the "international community headed by the USA," the Israeli leader appealed for their support of his demand that a future Palestinian state be demilitarized.

"Without this condition, there is a real fear that there will be an armed Palestinian state which will become a terrorist base against Israel, as happened in Gaza. We do not want missiles on Petah Tikva, or Grads on the Ben-Gurion international airport. We want peace."

Ending his speech, Netanyahu again addressed Israel's Arab foes:

"Let us go in the path of Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat, Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein. Let us go in the path of Prophet Isaiah, who spoke thousands of years ago: 'they shall beat their swords into plowshares and know war no more.'

"Let us know war no more. Let us know peace."

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