An Israeli Mandela: of NATO, West Bank Settlements, and Golan Wine
“'There is no Palestinian Sadat, no Palestinian Mandela' Netanyahu's national security advisor says Israel must strive to join NATO if a Palestinian state arises….”
“That even in peace we must ensure that a large part of the Golan Heights remain in our hands?
"Yes
"Why?
"For strategic, military and land-settlement reasons. Needs of water, wine and view.”Ha’aretz (Israel, July 11, 2009)
Neither is there an Israeli Mandela, especially with the right wing Likud hanging on to power with precarious alliances with even more extreme groups. Joining NATO may be a good security option, but only AFTER the issue of West Bank settlements, and the Golan, is solved. Otherwise it will be NATO against the whole Arab and Muslim worlds. Nothing will re-invigorate al-Qaeda types more than NATO protecting illegal settlements in occupied territories. Nice try, really cute.
“I have not yet encountered an Arab personage who is capable of saying quietly and clearly that he or she accepts Israel's right of existence in the deep historical and conscious sense….”
I am not sure about that: there are many Arabs and Muslims who accept facts, and Israel is a fact, more so than many Arab ‘states’. But In Israel there is always that old fear, and a terrible history to overcome. The European nightmare. For others, for many of the settlers, there is the simple greed of holding on to the land….and of course, as he said above, there is the wine. Oy vey, the wine.
Cheers
mhg
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