Ya'alon lashes out at radical Left

Accuses domestic forces of campaigning against the legitimacy of the State of Israel.

By HERB KEINON
yaalon office 311 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
yaalon office 311
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who sparked an uproar last year when he referred to Peace Now as a “virus,” lashed out at Israel’s radical Left on Sunday for making common cause with Islamic jihadists, the Arab nationalist movement and anti-Semites to delegitimize Israel.
Ya’alon said that the country’s enemies, opposed to the existence of a Jewish national home in Israel, have “since the dawn of Zionism” tired to prevent the existence of the state through violent means. “In addition,” he said, “they are trying intensively to harm the legitimacy of Israel and that national homeland for the Jewish people.”
“Domestic radical or naïve forces, some of them post-nationalist, certainly post- or anti-Zionist, have joined this campaign against the legitimacy of the State of Israel and look at the conflict between us and our neighbors – enemies – as only a human rights issue, while ignoring other elements of the conflict,” Ya’alon said. “Ignorance of Jewish or Zionist history, or ignoring it, makes it possible for these elements to mislead people in the world, and also inside Israel.”
Ya’alon said that while the Arabs have since the beginning of Zionism refused all offers to end the conflict through partition, Israel’s enemies – thanks to a widespread ignorance of history – have been able to blame Israel for the lack of an agreement.
“That is also an element in the external-internal campaign to delegitimize the State of Israel,” he said. “Unfortunately there are elements inside academia in Israel and around the world who have been recruited in this campaign against the State of Israel.”