The transition seemed instantaneous. One minute the Israel Air Force was
carrying out round-the-clock sorties against Hamas targets in Gaza as part of
Operation Pillar of Defense, and the very next moment there was a negotiated
cease-fire, an aborted ground operation, and the country was full swing into
election mode.
With the January 22 elections just around the corner and
the mudslinging already in full force, it’s time as residents of Judea and
Samaria to take a step back and truly consider which party best represents our
community’s interests.
Before you argue that us “settlers” shouldn’t just
consider which candidate is best for Judea and Samaria but rather who is best
for Israel as a whole, let me attempt to clarify my thoughts, specifically from
a security perspective, while leaving all other internal issues
aside.
With the disastrous ramifications of the 2005 Gaza withdrawal felt
just last month with Tel-Avivians scurrying for cover from rocket fire, with
Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, our so-called peace partner,
essentially spewing a blood-libel against Israel from the United Nations General
Assembly podium, with Fatah coddling Hamas instead of dismantling it (didn’t we
give Fatah guns and allow them US military training in order to fight the
terrorists of Hamas?), what’s best for Judea and Samaria is what’s best for the
entire country.
So here’s the relatively easy part for us “settlers”:
Which parties should for sure not get our vote? All parties openly advocating
either the dismantling of communities in Judea and Samaria, or even those who
utter the phrase “painful concessions.” In other words, goodbye Meretz, Labor,
Livni, Yesh Atid, and any other parties labeled center- left or Left primarily
based on their positions when it comes to the peace process.
And let’s
leave the haredi parties out of the discussion for now, even though I’m sure
segments of our population living in places like Betar-Illit or Modi’in Illit
who decide to exercise their right to vote are part of their
constituency.
That essentially leaves us with Likud-Beytenu, Naftali
Bennett’s Bayit Yehudi, or perhaps the new Otzma LeYisrael party led by MK Aryeh
Eldad, although according to the latest Jerusalem Post poll, released last week,
Eldad’s party will not pass the two percent electoral threshold.
Those
with relatively solid long-term memories are probably calling on me to “stop
right there,” and add Likud to the above list of parties that shouldn’t even be
considered. That’s because Likud Prime Minister Netanyahu, in his 2009 foreign
policy speech at Bar-Ilan University, openly called for the establishment of “a
demilitarized Palestinian state side by side with the Jewish
state.”
Likud was also at the helm during the evacuations from Gush
Katif, Sinai, and most recently five buildings in Beit- El’s Ulpana
neighborhood, as well as the 50-family Binyamin community of Migron. Netanyahu
and his cabinet also issued the 10-month building freeze at the end of 2009,
throughout Judea and Samaria, as a gesture to try and restart
talks.
However, there are two counter-arguments. Number one, since they
are predicted to win the most Knesset seats in the election, many would
rationalize that it only makes sense to give the largest nationalist-leaning
party as many votes as possible so that their ballots remain relevant, while
simultaneously preventing an unlikely but still possible center-left
upset.
In addition, some argue that the best way to insure the
strengthening of communities in Judea and Samaria is to vote Likud-Beytenu and
bolster those MKs within the parties who would pressure their leaders not to
capitulate to the demands of the Palestinians and the international community on
the issues of building and land transfers.
On the other hand, since many
residents of Judea and Samaria feel betrayed by the various policies implemented
by Likud and even the mention of the words “Palestinian State” makes many
stomachs churn, the Bayit Yehudi has become the main
alternative.
According to a very creative video released by the party via
YouTube explaining its strategic positions, since a peace deal will never happen
with the Palestinians, the alternative is for Israel to annex all of Area C,
where there is already a strong Jewish majority, and give the Palestinians
self-rule in Areas A and B.
The Arabs living in Area C would be given the
option of citizenship on par with the Arabs living in Jerusalem, while at the
same time Israel’s borders would be bolstered militarily in the Jordan Valley,
and also surround Gaza in order to prevent terror attacks and immigration
attempts by so-called Arab “refugees.”
While many view this plan as an
acceptable alternative to Likud policies, there are surely those who feel it’s
not enough. Therefore, Otzma LeYisrael might garner some more votes. According
to the Otzma LeYisrael website, the party is calling for Israel to apply full
civilian law in “all areas of the country from the Jordan to the
Mediterranean... to cancel the Oslo Accords... and to dismantle the
‘security’ of the army of terrorists – ie PLO police.”
While those
positions are surely in line with many residents’ ideologies, it seems for now
that the formation of yet another party was a political blunder. Then again,
this is Israel and a lot can happen within a month that could propel the party
past the required two percent. And as election history has taught us since the
founding of the state, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try
again.
Without personally endorsing one party or another, my greatest
hope is that once the dust has settled following the election, the residents of
Judea and Samaria, along with all Israelis, will be safe and sound, as is our
right, regardless of whom is steering the ship.
The writer is a media
expert, freelance journalist, and host of Reality Bytes Radio on
www.israelnationalradio.com.
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