What those Netanyahu speeches really mean…
Thankfully we have those nice folks over at Likud Party central to nicely document any clarification you might need to read Bibi’s lips at AIPAC and in the US Congress. From the Likud Manifesto (but according to commenter Emmanuel, this version is not the latest one):
Or try this (emph. is mine):Settlements
The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an important asset in the defense of the vital interests of the State of Israel. The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop these communities and will prevent their uprooting.
So now you know...Self-Rule
The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan river.
The Palestinians can run their lives freely in the framework of self-rule, but not as an independent and sovereign state. Thus, for example, in matters of foreign affairs, security, immigration and ecology, their activity shall be limited in accordance with imperatives of Israel's existence, security and national needs.
And now note also this bit:
Declaration of a StateSo it isn’t that Likud isn’t capable of updating its… dare I say Charter, it’s more that’s they’re not willing to update it in that particular way (accepting the creation of a Palestinian state). And with these the Palestinians are supposed to negotiate ‘without preconditions’?
A unilateral Palestinian declaration of the establishment of a Palestinian state will constitute a fundamental and substantive violation of the agreements with the State of Israel and the scuttling of the Oslo and Wye accords. The government will adopt immediate stringent measures in the event of such a declaration.
posted by Gert @ 4:02 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I'm no fan of Netanyahu and the Likud, and don't believe they're ready for peace. Having said that, this post totally misses its mark. If you're trying to demonstrate the Likud is unable to change its platform, you should first make sure you're using an updated version of it.
Look at the URL of the platform. It is from the elections to the 15th Knesset. That's the election in 1999 when Netanyahu, then in his first term as PM, lost in a landslide.
The latest Likud platform (which I couldn't find in English), from the elections to the 18th Knesset two years ago, is very different. It opposes unilateral withdrawals but is open to withdrawals as part of an agreement. It doesn't say a word about a Palestinian state one way or the other, which is better than a statement against a state.
So the Likud "charter" does change, and I'm sure that the platform for the next elections will include support for a two-state solution along the lines Netanyahu outlined in recent speeches. It still isn't what you or I would like it to be, but it has moved somewhat in the right direction.
Thanks, Emmanuel. I was under the impression that this was a slightly updated version, precisely because of the paragraph that refers to Palestinian unilateralism (which sounds very du jour).
The post will now be blurbed.
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