Israel Matzav

Was Netanyahu at 28 smarter than Netanyahu at 58?

Someone unearthed a tape of Binyamin Netanyahu as a witness in a mock trial in 1978 in which he discusses whether there should be a 'Palestinian' state reichlet. Let's go to the videotape and I'll have more discussion below (Hat Tip: Eliyahu P).



Here's part of the JPost summary of the tape:

In the show, he is called as a "first witness" in the mock court case scenario that the TV program employed. He is introduced as "a graduate of MIT, an Israeli and a man who has written widely on the question [of a Palestinian state]."

Asked whether the issue of self-determination is at the heart of the Middle East conflict, Netanyahu replied, "No, I don't believe it is. The real core of the conflict is the unfortunate Arab refusal to accept the State of Israel... For 20 years the Arabs had both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and if self-determination, as they now say, is the core of the conflict, they could have easily established a Palestinian state, but they didn't... What we're talking about here is not the attempt to build the state but to destroy one.

"Nobody wants peace more than Israel," he said.

"But the stumbling block to the road for peace is this demand for a PLO state which will mean more war... more violence in the Middle East, and I sincerely believe that if this demand is abandoned, we can have real and genuine peace."

After being quizzed by members of the studio audience, Netanyahu concluded: "I think the US should oppose the creation of a Palestinian state for several reasons, the first being that it is unjust to demand the creation of a 22nd Arab state and a second Palestinian state at the expense of the only Jewish state... I believe we should fight for our survival. If I have to, I will fight again, but I hope not to."

Four years later, Netanyahu was Israel's ambassador to the United Nations explaining Operation Peace for Galilee on Ted Koppel's Nightline.

Read the whole thing.

Deep down, I don't believe that Binyamin Netanyahu has changed his views since that day in Boston more than thirty years ago. I believe that Binyamin Netanyahu does not want to create a 'Palestinian' state. But I don't believe that he believes he has the power to stop it. We Israelis have to give him that power.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:33 PM