Chronicle of a preordained disgrace 1. It has become a permanent ritual. Every heretical statement by a major public figure against the doxa of peace nets him a barrage of condemnations and insults from much of the Israeli media and the left wing, which do not rest until they hear a condemnation from the Americans as well. The opinions of Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon angered the Americans, and he was speaking with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. The newspapers spoke of an apology, while Yaalon insisted that he had not apologized, but clarified. In any case, that is part of the ritual: The left wing both in Israel and in the United States refuse to recognize reality. Yaalons statements during his recent interview with television reporter Rina Matzliah were true and accurate. In fact, I wish to focus on Matzliahs questions. The journalistic left wing never deviates from the party line, and this is particularly true regarding journalists who are not tone-setters. Matzliahs text is a summary of the Israeli left wings fixation. The interview set up a symbolic debate between two members of the left wing, one formerly and one currently. Defense Minister Yaalon, with his dynamic worldview, did not hesitate to examine his opinions when reality confronted them. It was then that he changed them and crossed the line. Opposite him sat Matzliah, a representative of the old-time media establishment who, instead of adapting her views to the changing reality, blames the messenger. 2. When Matzliah asked why Israels governments did not succeed in solving the Gaza problem, Yaalon answered that he had learned from his experience that anyone who searches for a quick solution is misguided and misleading. Matzliah: What do you mean by there is no solution? Must we live by our swords all our lives here in this region? (No -- in the future we will give out chocolates to our enemies, as my mother likes to say.) Not every problem has a solution, Yaalon said, and throughout the interview, he moved between the contemporary and the historical. We have been living this way for 120 years, since the dawn of Zionism. Have we solved all the problems of medicine or of relationships? When it comes to such an existential issue, why are we in such a hurry? Matzliah: The purpose of the demand for the recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people is to sabotage the talks. Yaalon spoke of his change of heart regarding the Oslo Accords, which he had supported because at the time, he had believed that the conflict was about land. He discovered that it was not about land, but about the entire Land of Israel. This is reflected in their unwillingness to recognize our right to exist as a Jewish nation within any borders at all. Matzliah: And if they do not accept Israels demand? (Oh, dear -- will they run away?) Yaalon: Then there will be no agreement. Matzliah: Arafat gave such recognition. Yaalon: He did not give recognition. He spoke of acceptance, not recognition. Matzliah pressed: But he recognizes Israel! This is what is left of Israels left wing: they have become the Palestinians lawyers. Yaalon explained: It is a trick. They recognize Israel (not the Jewish peoples rights), but they oppose it. It is the Palestine Liberation Organizations strategy of stages: We will take all the territory they give, and from there we will keep on opposing them. Matzliah: You are looking for an excuse not to make progress. The first axiom is that Israel is to blame. The Oslo Accords and the disengagement from Gush Katif were progress. That is how they control the public consciousness. Matzliah: What are you willing to give up? Right away, here is the lesson Matzliah teaches Yaalon: For peace, we must make concessions.... This is an orthodoxy that refuses to look at reality. Yaalon goes back to basics: I supported the principle of land for peace. I was wrong. What did we gain? Territory for terrorism and rockets and more than a thousand people dead? What did the Palestinians give up? Nothing. Not even recognition, not the end of all demands and not the end of the conflict. Matzliah: Abu Mazen [Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas] said that he would not go back to his home in Safed. Besides, do not forget: They are the ones under occupation. Occupation. Of course. What occupation? asked Yaalon. They have political independence. They do not have to vote for the Knesset. They already have two governments, in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria. Let them run their own lives. And here, right away, is the popular claim: There will never be a partner as easy and as moderate as Abbas, so we had better sign an agreement with him before a radical leadership comes to power. Yaalon: On the contrary, if there should be a worse leadership, what is our hurry? Today, we are protecting Abu Mazen. If we are not in Judea and Samaria, Hamas will take over and Abu Mazen will become irrelevant. 3. Now comes the scare tactic. If we do not reach an agreement, we will be isolated and ostracized. Time is not on our side. Yaalon: Time is on the side of whomever takes advantage of it. Once more, he offers the historical view: what we dealt with several decades ago and what we have to deal with now. That is the secret of Zionism. Matzliah comes back with Demography! Yaalon answers: But we separated from them politically. Why do we count the Gazans and the Palestinian Authority? They vote for their own parliament. Matzliah: A binational state! Yaalon: We are not at that point. We need to deal with the delegitimization and fight for our just cause, and not by surrendering. We have something to fight for. Matzliah again: Is our just cause putting the Palestinians under occupation and not wanting to give them independence? It is beyond belief that this is the dominant line of the most-watched television channel in Israel. Yaalon: We occupied no one. The fact that my grandfather came here in the early 20th century for Zionist reasons and tried to live in peace with the Arabs does not prick my conscience. They started a war and massacred us. On what points has Abu Mazen budged over the past nine months? Attorney Matzliah: Why? They compromised. We are the ones who are not compromising. Yaalon: That is not correct. Matzliah comes back with another scare tactic: But he will go to the U.N. Yaalon: So what? A state is not established with declarations. Is what we are talking about a sustainable Palestinian entity that is self-supporting? Matzliah is suspicious. Is there no such thing as a Palestinian nation? she asks. I did not say that, Yaalon answers, but they have been dependent on us for many years, so the talk about a declaration does not frighten us. Let them make their declaration. Matzliah retorts: What are you talking about? That is because they have no state. Yaalon brings in a dose of reality: They have territorial contiguity in the Gaza Strip. They could have decided to export strawberries instead of rockets. Matzliahs stock of assertions is running low. Is there no hope? she asks. Yaalon, who thought in good faith that she was talking about hope for us, answered that there was a great deal: Zionism. You misunderstood me, Matzliah says. I was referring to hope for the Palestinians. Yaalon: That has to be managed. But, Matzliah insists, the children in Sderot go into shelters every few months. (Really? You and your colleagues supported the disengagement and silenced all critique of it -- and every single one of the critiques predictions has come true.) Yaalon is realistic: This struggle has been with us throughout the 120 years of Zionism. There have been times that were much worse. The right way is not to delude ourselves and not to think about shortcuts. So -- hope, yes; illusions, no. This was only part of the farce. We have been accustomed to this disgraceful state of affairs ever since television came to Israel. Not a single prime-time program host, on any channel, has a conservative or right-wing viewpoint. And after that, they will talk about the collapse of journalism in Israel. What are the questions of Matzliah (and her colleagues in countless radio and television programs) if not moral collapse? How long can we watch you spit on us?
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 21:41:31 +0000
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