Israel Matzav

For the right price?

Our Leftist news media is having a field day with a cable released by Wikileaks in which Yesha Council Chairman Danny Dayan tells American officials that some Jews would be willing to evacuate Judea and Samaria 'for the right price.' The media is totally ignoring the fact that Dayan also told them that the 'two-state solution' will never be implemented (you have to read to the bottom to find that out).

His statements, which were made in closed-door meetings with U.S. diplomats in Israel in recent years, came in response to questions about a potential evacuation-compensation bill in the Knesset. When asked about the issue, Dayan replied: "I'm an economist, and I know that some people will take it if the price is right."

Dayan also told U.S. Embassy officials that he was aware of the Palestinians' attachment to the West Bank. He acknowledged that he was "shamed and embarrassed" by the desecration of Palestinian mosques and the vandalism of Muslim gravestones. Dayan added that settlers were guilty of "morally horrific" things, including attacks on Palestinian property as retribution for Israeli government efforts to rein in settlement construction, also known as the "price tag" policy.

The WikiLeaks cables report that Dayan told the U.S. officials that this policy was "a mistake that will not serve the interests of the settlement movement."

According to the documents, Dayan's sentiments were echoed by Elyakim Haetzni, a founder of the Yesha Council. Haetzni expressed concern that settler rabbis were not doing enough to dissuade the so-called hilltop youth in the West Bank from harming Palestinians.

Dayan also supported the removal of checkpoints and roadblocks in the West Bank so Palestinians could enjoy greater economic prosperity and human rights. During one meeting with U.S. diplomats, Dayan said he was "deeply attached" to the West Bank, adding that the settlers had a "moral right" to settle there. Dayan said he understood why the Palestinians felt a similar tie to the land.

...

In December 2008, Dayan and other settler leaders took part in a meeting with the U.S. consul general in Jerusalem, Jacob Walles. The meeting was attended by Haetzni and Shaul Goldstein, the chairman of the Gush Etzion regional council. The leaders discussed the growing settler violence against Palestinians.

At the start of the meeting, Dayan said the violence was the direct result of Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip as well as "outrageous" rulings by the Supreme Court.

The Israeli government's decision to remove residents from their homes in the Gaza Strip taught young settlers that "you can't play by the rules because the opponent will change them at the last minute," Dayan is quoted as saying.

The Yesha chief added that the disengagement was a "disaster" for Israel. During another conversation with diplomats, the contents of which will be revealed in tomorrow's edition of Haaretz Week's End, Dayan criticized his fellow Yesha leaders.

And way down toward the bottom, we see:

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a "situation without a solution," Dayan said in a meeting with U.S. diplomats on December 11, 2008. The settler leader rejected out of hand any possibility that a two-state solution would be implemented.

Dayan said that "the Gaza experience killed the two-state solution ... It's a shame they've taken the land and used it as a launching pad against Israel rather than building a state."

"The creation of a Palestinian state now will mean the end of Israel," he later added.

I don't think most of this is a big deal. I'm a bit bothered that he's so ready to open roadblocks, especially considering the results.

I'm less bothered by his remarks about the 'price tag' strikes. Taking revenge against the specific person who perpetrated a terror attack or those who shielded him is one thing. Taking revenge against random 'Palestinians' is stooping to their level.

And he's dead-on that the 'two-state solution' will never happen. Too many Israelis actually believed that the 'Palestinians' would set up a mini-state and stop attacking us if we withdrew from Gaza (not this Israeli - I wrote extensively against the Gaza expulsion in many forums). But today, Israelis know the truth. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Israelis are really good at avoiding shame - except for the ones who read Haaretz.

Labels: Danny Dayan, Gaza expulsion, two-state solution, Wikileaks

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:33 AM