Israel Matzav

The end of 'land for peace'?

Longtime Likud MK and cabinet minister Moshe Arens argues that Shaul Mofaz's win in last week's Kadima party primary signifies the end of 'land for peace.'

More and more Israelis, disappointed over and over again, have lost confidence in a policy based on the assumption that concessions would lead us to peace.

The advent of the Arab Spring, which is bringing Islamic fundamentalist rule to the Arab world, has only strengthened the skepticism of many Israelis regarding the presumed advantages of offering territorial concessions to our Arab neighbors. It seems that you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

The election that returned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power three years ago was a clear indication of a growing disenchantment with the much-vaunted "peace process" among many Israelis. Livni's defeat in the Kadima primary gave a stamp of approval to this trend, which has contributed to the surprising stability of the Netanyahu government. The current Knesset may yet set an Israeli longevity record. The strength of the political parties claiming that concessions will pave the path to peace is steadily dwindling.

...

Some of the parties in the opposition are beginning to realize that their endless insistence that Israel offer territorial concessions to the Arabs, and their unwavering support for the demands made by foreign governments on Israel, had opened an ever-increasing gap between them and the mainstream of Israeli public opinion and was eating away at their political support. Now socioeconomic issues are beginning to steal the limelight away from the "peace process."

Color me skeptical. Mofaz led the expulsion from Gaza, and while he may not be as shrill as the woman he defeated, he is definitely not a member of the "Eretz Yisrael haShelima" (Complete Land of Israel) movement.

I'm also not convinced that most Kadima members saw their votes for Mofaz as a vote against 'land for peace.' Rather, those votes were a vote against Livni's egotistical leadership of Kadima. Let's face it: The only reason that Kadima is not in the government is that Livni insisted on a 'rotation' with Netanyahu that would have given her two years as Prime Minister.

Read the whole thing.

Labels: Kadima, Shaul Mofaz, Tzipi Livni

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:28 PM