I9: Israeli Politics

Issue Navigation:

Rinat: Fine, I'll start. You know my politics. I was behind Rabin and now I'm behind Peres. Making peace is a delicate process but we have to go all the way. Without giving them something real and substantial, the Palestinians will never stop attacking us and the Arab nations will always take their side. I want to live in a normal state without bus bombings and terrorists. I want Israel to grow into a prosperous, confident and healthy country and we need peace to do it. With Bibi everything has slowed down and still our soldiers are still dying. He hasn't achieved anything. We need to accelerate talks with the Palestinians and try to negotiate with Syria too, otherwise we'll soon be in very serious trouble.

Asher: I suppose I should go next, being a Likud-nik. Rinat, you are so wrong. Bibi getting into power is the best thing that could have happened. Everything was moving too fast. Arafat and his cronies were taking us for a ride. You lot were even going to talk about giving up Jerusalem! Of course we need peace, but without security what's the point? Unless Arafat can control his people and stop all this violence then there can never be peace. The Palestinians are untrustworthy and you know it. (Rinat and Leor try to interrupt) Will you let me finish! Their policemen fired at our soldiers! They don't respect us and they'll push us for everything they can get. Bibi on the other hand has got them scared. They know he won't give them a state on a plate...

Leor: (interrupting) It makes me mad just listening to you. I've stuck with CRM because they are the only ones who want peace for humane reasons. Rinat wants an economically rich state and Asher cares more about land than people. I think that the Palestinians should be given a state because they have a right to their own national homeland. Every human being has a right to chose their own destiny. No religion or country should be able to force a person to live in a way that they don't want to. You both talk about Bibi and Peres like they are the only ones making the decisions, but Government and politics are about people and their rights. How can we refuse the Palestinians what took us 2000 to achieve? I can't stand living in a country where our eighteen year olds have to go out and control a minority people in our midst. Control means authority and invariably, violence. We are becoming a violent nation, an immoral nation. Only with peace can we regain our morality.

Chaim: You are so passionate Leor, but you are also forgetful. True, it took 2000 years to achieve our state, but we were regaining it. We lived on this land thousands of years ago. God gave it to Abraham and his descendants and that's us. I hate all the violence too, but this peace process won't necessarily make it go away. As a religious Jew, I support the National Religious Party that stands for my beliefs. We try to be guided by the Torah, but it is very difficult. Murder and violence are clearly wrong, but peace at all costs is wrong too. We must defend ourselves against our enemies. God expects us to fight and not to rely on Him. How can we give up land that is rightfully ours? The Palestinians have a right to live freely and in peace, but not to do it on our land. You are over emotional and unrealistic Leor. We can achieve peace, but it's a very slow process.

Sharona: OK. That was clear and concise.

Rinat: Don't patronise us Shari.

Sharona: I'm sorry, it's just I'm trying to get a clear picture and not let this turn into a raging argument.

Asher: That would certainly make a change!

Sharona: Hmm, very funny. But it seems to me that you are all in favour of the peace process in some way or another, but for different reasons and with different conditions. The thing is though, you still haven't completely answered my question. I want to know what has been achieved so far and what's going to happen next.

Chaim: Yeah, well, everyone wants to know that, but with this country it's impossible. By the time we've all finished speaking the situation could have drastically changed.

Rinat: That's only true up to a point Chaim. Clear progress has been made. For instance, the agreements of "Oslo I" for mutual recognition are completed. Both Israelis and Palestinians recognise that the other has national rights. And now, the Government is trying to deal with "Oslo II".

Sharona: "Oslo II." Now that, I know about. It's a kind of half way agreement where Israel hands over territories where there is a large Palestinian population.

Asher: Yes, except for where there are Jewish settlements and where national security is at risk.

Chaim: And of course Jerusalem.

Asher: We'll never give up Jerusalem. The problem at the moment is Hebron. It has a very small Jewish presence surrounded by thousands of Arabs. According to Oslo II, the Government has to give it up, but continue to protect the settlers... Oslo II is a can of worms we never should have opened.

Sharona: What comes after Oslo II?

Asher: Well, I think that Bibi will try to slow down the peace process. He'll never give them a state and they'll have to accept some reduced level of autonomy.

Leor: That's crazy! It will kill the whole process and bring back the intifada!

Chaim: The fact is, Bibi will slow the whole thing down, and while he does there is nothing to stop more settlements being set up in the territories so that when a final agreement comes we'll have most of the land.

Leor: It's always land with you. What about living in peace.

Sharona: I think we're having an argument guys, I was just asking a few questions.

Rinat: Come on Shari! Don't be surprised! These are real issues here. Politics in this country is life and death, it's not interest rates and housing prices! The fact is that we have to find some kind of mutually acceptable agreement because the alternative is war and we can't handle that. After the Gulf War, the use of powerful missiles in this area is a real threat. Israel cannot cope with another war and neither can the Arab states. At the end of the day, it won't be peace that will bring us together, but it very well might be the threat of war that does.

Sharona: That's very depressing but I see what you mean. Look guys, thanks for talking about this stuff but I've had enough for one day. Let's eat...

Next Page