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Suckers, get off your high horses!
By Yoel Marcus
Tags: Israel News 

Benjamin Netanyahu was endowed with a deep masculine voice, and he knows how to speak. He is so adept at it that he does not leave time for his audience to consider the real meaning of his words. So it was when the Likud held its New Year's toast and he devoted part of his speech to the settlers. This included two gems. The first was, "We'll compromise for the sake of peace but we won't be suckers;" and the other, "The settlers are loyal citizens and they have the right to live normal lives."

The first thought that comes to mind when hearing these gems is, what about the other five million citizens of the country? Don't they have the right to live normal lives? The logical failure in Bibi's words lies in the mixed salad that he serves up to his audience. On the one hand, he speaks of the danger of terrorism if the settlers are evicted. On the other hand, he does not explain why, if their lives are so normal now, the settlers are the targets of hatred and terrorist attacks.

It is regrettable that, even after the 10 years when Bibi was not able to sink into the comfortable prime minister's armchair, he is still repeating the same unfounded idle chatter and deceiving both the settlers and citizens within the Green Line. In reply to a question from one of his ministers, he said that he would not agree to talks whose results were determined in advance. How does this macho condition jibe with the conditions he himself is presenting, according to which a Palestinian state that would be established must be demilitarized and recognize Israel as a "Jewish state?" The idea that he alone can specify conditions and stipulate limitations, and that the Palestinians must agree and carry them out, is unfounded.
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There is no arrangement between two nations without the path of negotiations and their final destination being determined in advance. For our part, this means a change in the existing conditions through setting permanent borders. Arik Sharon made a mistake when he decided to evacuate Gush Katif without an agreement or international guarantee. Instead of turning the evacuated land into a residential area or tourist site, the Palestinians turned it into a base for terrorism and launching Qassam rockets.

After 42 years of control over the territories, we are beginning to understand Ben-Gurion's proposal made three days after the conclusion of the Six-Day War - to return all the territories and reach an agreement over Jerusalem and the north of the country. Following so many missed opportunities, and so many wars, there is no other way than to adhere, more or less, to permanent borders that will provide us with both security and normal lives.

This will not be easy since it is clear that any future agreement is tied up with returning territories. The significance of this is that not many settlements will remain beyond the 1967 lines. When Bibi says he will not agree to any arrangement whose results are defined in advance, he would do well to read the secret protocols of the peace treaty with Egypt. After the Yom Kippur War, thousands of dead, the affront to the Israel Defense Forces of which we were so proud, the acclaimed air force which was almost defeated, it was clear that in a peace arrangement Israel would withdraw to the international border, just as it was clear that it would evacuate all the settlements.

None of this was published in advance, of course, but during the 13 days at Camp David - when the entire White House was concentrated there with all the options and wordings that had been prepared in advance - Begin, the head of Beitar, even signed a "recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people." How did they dismantle that mine? In the Hebrew version, the words "the Palestinian people" were exchanged for "the Arabs of the Land of Israel." That is how the problem was swept under the carpet. But everyone knew that the day would come when we would not be able to avoid a confrontation with the Palestinians.

The Six-Day War brought us a Pyrrhic victory. We have since undergone war after war, and 42 years of control over the territories have made our lives not normal. The friendship of many countries with Israel has turned into bitterness, and they accuse us of strengthening extremist Islam and committing war crimes. And all we need now is to stick our noses into Iranian affairs by bombing its nuclear facilities and endangering our home front with the missiles that Iran and Hezbollah would fire at Israeli cities. We must not even dream of a move like that at a time when America is coordinating international pressure on Tehran.

And even though a great deal can be said about the Goldstone Commission, which accused Israel of violating international law and human rights, it is yet another milestone in the accumulated bitterness against Israel. The day will come when, heaven forbid, it will be legitimate even to punish Israel for its arrogance.

The difference between Obama and his predecessor is that Obama wants an all-encompassing peace and a Palestinian state. The idea that Bibi can bluff the Americans is foolish. There is no possibility that we would get aid from the Americans while, on the other hand, not paying attention to what they expect of us. Obama is not opposed to Israel, but he is against being misled by us. And so this is the time to say to Bibi: "Suckers, get off your high horses!"
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