Israel’s hawkish Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has sought to reassure people today that hawkishness will not be going out of fashion, as he attacked those expressing hope for a peace deal in the near term and insisted there was absolutely “no chance” of that happening.
“Anyone who says that within the next few years an agreement can be reached ending the conflict simply doesn’t understand the situation and spreads delusions,” Lieberman declared.
Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu Party has been firmly against the peace process for years, insisting that peace is impossible with the Palestinians and that security and stability could be attained while continuing a perpetual but low level conflict with the Palestinians.
The platform won Yisrael Beiteinu a significant role in Israel’s coalition government, and Lieberman says he will make it clear in talks with US envoy George Mitchell that he doesn’t believe in a comprehensive peace deal. His advice to Israelis is to “learn to live with it.”
Well, I think he's right, but I'm not sure he understands the consequences. I wrote an article on the future of Israel, and I believe the current trends can suggest only one outcome: an eventual binational state (otherwise known as the "one state" solution):
http://watching-history.blogspot.com/2009/10/isra…
Apparently a lot of conservative Israelis belive the same thing, and I quote a couple. This kind of makes you wonder why they aren't pursing a real peace plan more vigorously.
I think he is saying what most Israelis want-the maintainace of the staus quo-where they possess all of Palestine and keep the Palestinians as an oppressed, subserviant people without rights, living under the Israeli boot. This is what Israel wants, and this is what Israel has. It is immoral and unjust, but that is of no consequence to them, because they do not care at all about the human rights of the nonJewish population.
I think you're right, but even from their own point of view, this approach is self destructive, assuming you value a religious state more than a democratic one. As I quoted, you have right wing people in the establishment (such as Michael B. Oren) saying things like this:
"Israel, the Jewish State, is predicated on a decisive and stable Jewish majority of at least 70 percent. Any lower than that and Israel will have to decide between being a Jewish state and a democratic state. If it chooses democracy, then Israel as a Jewish state will cease to exist. If it remains officially Jewish, then the state will face an unprecedented level of international isolation, including sanctions, that might prove fatal."
As a Canadian, I don't really worry about demographics. I believe white people are now (or soon will be) in the minority in my country, and I certainly don't care, nor does anyone I know. Likely Christians will be in the minority one day. So what? We have a great multicultural society where everyone (for the most part) gets along great.
I posted a comment about an hour and a half ago. Will it be posted? If not why not?
Paljustice
Hawkish Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman should speak more precisely:
More precisely he should say, " Anybody who expects peace is delusional, at least to the extent that I have any influence."
To neither have hope nor offer hope is not a healthy condition.
Of course, anybody who is expecting peace between Israel and Palestinians is delusionnal, but not for the reasons stated. Israel is the one who will never want peace with Palestinians, only the peace of death – when all Palestinians will be either dead or driven out and Israel firmly in possession of all the land. And even then there will be no peace, because Israel will then turn its greedy eye towards its neighbouring countries, for the pieces of land it thinks should be his. This is evil.
"Live with it", he said? He means "die with it", rather – especially for the Palestinians.