Begin explains himself and Likud
One on One: ‘We need to defer the differences’
RUTHIE BLUM LEIBOWITZ interviewed Bennie Begin.
He confirms that Likud intends to form a coalition with Kadima
[..] That is indeed the policy of Likud leader Mr. Netanyahu today, and I do agree with the necessity of forming a broad coalition. Because of the complexity of the issues, we need a wide shoulder. And we need people with experience and talent. Such people can be found in other parties, as well, though the Likud has demonstrated recently that it has assembled quite a formidable team.
Experience and talent of particular politicians aside, isn’t Likud becoming a party with a “mish-mosh” of ideologies - and wouldn’t this be exacerbated by forming a coalition with Kadima?
My conclusion, for quite some time now, has been that ideological differences - mainly in regard to the permanent solution of the borders of the state of Israel, in the context of peace with our neighbors - are irrelevant today, and will be irrelevant for quite some years. I derived this from a simple observation, which many people share, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate, our president, the honorable Mr. Peres, who commented that he doesn’t see peace as arriving in the foreseeable future.
This being the case - mainly because the Arabs have not relinquished their main aim, and never neglect to stress their need to bring all refugees back to their original homes in Israel - an agreement cannot be reached, even by a leftist government, such as the one led by Kadima and Labor today. Conclusion:
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We have to concentrate in the next few years on the common basis of coping with the immediate threats, the security situation, a branch of Iran in Hamastan in Gaza, a branch of Iran in Lebanon through Hizbullah and Syrian ties with Iran.
He was also asked about his thoughts on a two-state solution.
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We’re not there yet. I have my ideas; other people have theirs. It is irrelevant to the current situation. There’s a very wide consensus in the country regarding the utmost necessity of having IDF forces and general security personnel in Judea and Samaria. What is the difference between me and my friends on the Left? The difference is that I insist that our forces not be withdrawn from “Judea and Samaria,” and they insist that our forces not be withdrawn from “the territories” or “the West Bank.” But everyone understands that in the foreseeable future, if the IDF doesn’t remain there, terrorism will be perpetrated by Hamas and others against our cities.
He also comments on his differences and points of agreement with Dan Meridor and Daniel Friedman.
The message I get from reading Netanyahu and Yaalon and this interview is that the new government will abandon the short term peace process in favour of rebuilding Palestinian society, institutions and economy.
They just have to convince Obama to go along. My guess is that Obama will first want the shelf agreement.
I cannot support anyone in Israel who believes the Supreme Court should be strengthened.
On the other hand, perhaps Begin views this as a way to neatly dispose of Netanyahu after forming a coalition.
Comment by Charles Martel — November 29, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
That bothered me also.
Comment by Ted Belman — November 29, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
Kadimaniks dressed in Likudnik’s clothing.
Netanyahu, Meridor, Begin, Dayan, Hefetz, Regev, Silvan Shalom and other at Netanyahu’s side have for a long time dropped the Likud’s core of ideology and embraced anything that will get them in charge of the country. They are the same drek that Sharon and Olmert are.
Comment by Shy Guy — November 29, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
Likud may not even need Kadima:
The “truce” with Hamas has fallen apart. An IDF soldier has had his legs blown off by Hamas trying to show Israel they won’t be pushed around. Meantime, that captured nerd soldier Gilad Shalit continues to rot in a Gaza prison.
That makes the Livni/Barak strategy of being nice to Hamas look pretty lame. And if they opt to continue the truce they will be viewed as appeasers and cowards. And if they opt to attack Hamas they will be held responsible for a second failed policy after the fiasco in Lebanon.
So Netanyahu just needs to kick back and watch Livni/Barak self-destruct (and it cannot happen fast enough to a more deserving pair).
Comment by Samuel Fistel — November 29, 2008 @ 6:15 pm
uh, if you go to bed with dogs, you wake up with fleas.
Comment by bugsy — November 29, 2008 @ 8:03 pm
Here in Israel, the pols seem to follow the instructions “rinse and repeat”.
Comment by Shy Guy — November 30, 2008 @ 12:39 am
Israelis are a very conservative slow to learn stiff necked bunch. They seem to prefer tried and true established failures to new can-doers with newer and maybe better ideas than the previous losers. Maybe it’s the devil you know syndrome or maybe its a biblical genetic malady (inbred stupidity) Of course our pseudo form of democracy denies most of us the choices for leaders so it usually a choice between twedle dum and tweedle dee which in the end isn’t much of a choice unless you protest vote and elect some unknown octogenarians. Well we saw how that one worked out. Some like to credit Jews with some superior intelligence but if you look at all of our history you couldn’t prove it. Yea, some Jews are very smart some are average but most seem really stupid where and when it counts.
Begin, got elected based on his namesake but I can’t recall a piece of legislation with his name on it. I can’t recall any mass Likud support for him as a potential leader. After BB drove him out of the Likud he returns after obligatory kissing ass and promising not to rock the boat or raining on BB’s parade. I remember he refused to sit with Benny Alon because Alon was too radical? That’s funny as Benny seems today to be even more passive then Begin, maybe the cancer has something to do with Benny’s current dementia. The only good thing I can say about Begin was that once a long time ago he talked the talk, but folded when it came to walking the walk. We got plenty like him here , maybe they are exportable?
Comment by yamit82 — November 30, 2008 @ 5:59 pm
Thats a strange thing to say (CORE IDEOLOGY) Begin created the Herut Party later with Sharon added the Ind. Liberals and more or less defacto at that time put Heruts core ideology in mothballs.(They just didn’t tell all of the Herutniks) Later when again with Sharon they created the Likud, they kept on paper the ideology to differentiate themselves from the Left and Labor and to keep most of the north African Jews in the camp. This group was not ideological they were just anti Labor(mapai) who they blamed for being done over by. So 2/3ds of Likudniks never knew what core ideology was that they weren’t Labor and even for a time anti Labor via rhetoric was enough for them. They had Demagogues like Begin, Shamir, BB , and Sharon who ea. in turn told them what they wanted to hear but that wasn’t Likud ideology. Jobs, political appointments etc carry the day not Y&S who most of these people couldn’t care less as they feel discriminated all over again when they see what they are not getting but helping to pay for. You know and I know that Feiglin uses that card with the ideology to both justify his existence in the likud and to beat BB over the head with it at the same time. They sound good on paper though.
Comment by yamit82 — November 30, 2008 @ 6:23 pm