Lieberman: 'Land for Peace' Will Lead to Certain Failure

Arutz sheva ^ | 09/06/07, 11:19 AM | Hillel Fendel

[Esther Ruth]

Published: 09/06/07, 11:19 AM

Lieberman: 'Land for Peace' Will Lead to Certain Failure

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beiteinu party have taken the unique step of releasing a "party platform" in between national elections - in what some see as not only a promotional endeavor, but also a well-timed political ploy.

Named the party's "vision," the paper begins by terming itself a "sincere and genuine effort to present Yisrael Beiteinu's outlook, without using worn out phrases or vague terminology that leave room for misunderstandings."

The paper deals with issues such as the clash between Islam and the West, personal and national security for Israelis, the expulsion and unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, Israeli economics, education, the Jewish character of the State, and more.

Released as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is negotiating with Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas the terms of an Israeli withdrawal from nearly all of Judea and Samaria, the paper appears to be an attempt by Yisrael Beiteinu to curb Olmert politically. However, the party only has two ministers in the Cabinet, and will therefore not be able to vote down Olmert's proposals.

In addition, Yisrael Beiteinu's 11 Knesset Members are not a critical force in the coalition. The current Kadima-led coalition has five parties and a total of 77 MKs; the loss of 11 would still leave the coalition with a comfortable majority of the Knesset's 120 members.

Pressure to leave the coalition is being brought to bear upon the 11-member Shas party as well. However, Shas appears to have no plans to vote against the coalition at this point.

Among the main points of the Yisrael Beiteinu document is that the "principle of 'land for peace' is mistaken and misleading... and will lead to certain failure."

"The assumption that the root of Israeli-Arab dispute is territorial," the report continues, "stems from the hope that an era of peace can finally be brought about via Israeli territorial concessions. This conception does not jibe with our accumulated experience, however... as can be seen from the two latest instances in which we ceded territory down to the last grain of sand - in Lebanon and Gaza. Not only do territorial concessions not bring peace, they actually lead directly to an escalation of terrorism."

This mistaken conception, writes Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman, the Minister for Strategic Affairs, leads to basic errors in Israel's foreign policy. "Israel must explain its positions on an intellectual level, and not with Messianic slogans such as 'Not one inch.' Israel must explain [for instance] that the anti-Israeli positions led by the leaders of Israel, and which are prevalent in many Western circles as well, are a direct carry-over from classic anti-Semitism."

"Israel must explain that the demand for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the 'right of return' are a camouflage of the attempt by extremist Islam to destroy the State of Israel. It must explain that their demand for self-definition is just a way of prettifying this, and that 'two states for two peoples' does not mean one and a half states for one people [the Arabs] and half a state for the other."

Yisrael Beiteinu has long favored an exchange of territory assigning Israeli-Arab population centers to a Palestinian state to solve the Israeli-Arab dispute. The document cites Cyprus and the exchange of populations there as an example: "In the early 70's, the intermingling of Turks and Greeks created constant friction that developed in time into a dispute saturated with blood and suffering. But since 1974, when the two nations were separated, with the Turks being concentrated on one side of the island and the Greeks on the other, life has returned to normal. True, there is no peace agreement, but there is security, stability, and growth. If we, too, would have that - it would be sufficient."

Lieberman repeats the frequently-repeated position that the Arabs' dispute with Israel is not the main expression of Islam's struggle against the West.

What should be done about the incessant firing of Kassam rockets at Sderot and the western Negev? Lieberman has an answer: Israel should "hit" Rimal, a wealthy neighborhood in Gaza, every time Sderot is rocketed, "at least to the same extent that Sderot is hit." He also implies that Israel should stop supplying electricity, water, fuel, port services and other resources to Gaza.

[NonValueAdded]

n what some see as not only a promotional endeavor, but also a well-timed political ploy.

or perhaps a plea for survival? This is not a low-stakes issue, certainly not one to fool around with. It isn't a tax cut that the next legislature can reverse. Once given away, the land can only be re-secured militarily.

Sounds like another Lieberman has a clue!

[SJackson]

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[dennisw]

Land for war.
Land for Jihad

[Tolik]

From a blog called Desert Peace (Active Peace/Civil Rights Worker.. Aiming to establish a just and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, while at the same time continue the struggle against racism and for peace throughout the world. Email me at.. manopeace@gmail.com)

 http://desertpeace.blogspot.com/2007/09/peace-is-road-to-war-says-israels-house.html

'PEACE IS THE ROAD TO WAR'.... SAYS ISRAEL'S HOUSE NAZI

(Ben Heine © Cartoons) (the image that got Ben Heine banned from Daily Kos)
Why the man was chosen to be in the Israeli Cabinet is a question I do not have an answer to. No one agrees with him, no one listens to him... so why is he there?

Is Olmert that desperate to maintain his position that this nazi's rantings are tolerated? Has the so-called Labour Party, that supported his appointment, fallen to that same level? Just how long will it take for us to see the removal of this Neanderthal from the government and see his party put on the banned list as was done to his predecessor herr Kahana's party??

Following is a report from YNet on the latest rants of Israel's House nazi....

Lieberman: Territorial concession concept failed

Yisrael Beitenu head releases document aimed at countering potential withdrawal initiatives ahead of regional peace conference in November. Lieberman claims past experience proves territorial concessions lead to terror, escalation

Ronny Sofer

"The land for peace principle is wrong and misleading," Avigdor Lieberman, the minister for strategic affairs, wrote in a policy document published Thursday against the background of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over a declaration of principles leading to a Palestinian state.

The document, entitled "Yisrael Beiteinu's Vision", was compiled in light of Lieberman's concern that the US-sponsored international peace conference planned for November may lead to significant Israeli withdrawals in the West Bank. "The presupposition that the root of the Israeli-Arab dispute is territorial, and that therefore territorial concessions would lead to peace… does not agree with past experience."

The Yisrael Beiteinu leader stressed that the pullouts from Lebanon and Gaza both served to prove that "territorial concessions... lead directly to escalation and an increase in terror."

According to Lieberman, "The State of Israel must explain that the anti-Israel views advocated by the extremist Islamic leaders, and that are widespread among many western circles, are a direct continuation of classic anti-Semitism.

"Israel needs to explain that the demand for an independent Palestinian state and the refugees' right of return is a cover for radical Islam's attempt to destroy the State of Israel," he stated in the document.

The minister further claimed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "is just one aspect of the struggle of the fundamentalist world against any way of life that goes against the spirit of Islam. Israel, as the representative of the western world, stands at the forefront of this confrontation."

Referring to the situation in Gaza, Lieberman called for the deployment of NATO and EU forces in the Strip. "NATO forces will work to enforce public order and maintain the security stability in the region. The European Union will carry the responsibility of establishing and developing alternative infrastructure and jobs for the residents of the Strip.

"The bottom line is: Gaza's final model must be based on the Hong Kong model (financial prosperity in a small territory), and without any affinity to the West Bank," he concluded.

Likud faction chairman MK Gideon Saar criticized Lieberman for staying in the government although his political views contradicted those of the cabinet.

Saar called on Lieberman to resign from the government, and work to topple it, push forward the elections and establish a new national government.

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If The Left calls Avigdor Lieberman a Nazi (the cartoon has him sharing a face with Hitler), he can't be too wrong, can he?