Don’t Listen to Beilin’s Broken Record
This is an Opinion Piece in response to Beilin’s Ynet Article, Don’t repeat mistake of 2000, on March 8, 2008.
Mr.Beilin it is hard to take you seriously when your advice seems to end with a punch line rather than a message. It is you, and your past that has brought the Israeli people to the current situation, and not, as you claimed, “The IDF’s harsh response to Palestinian violence in 2000.”
In your article, you had the audacity to ask that we do not “repeat mistakes” again. Your request is a joke because it is the mistakes we made during Oslo that we are now repeating. During the Oslo Accords our country was made to believe that shootings were not “real terrorist attacks.” Shootings became like roadblocks; somehow it was believed that we needed them in order to obtain peace. According to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the PLO (the Oslo Accords) on September 13, 1993, until September 2000, 256 civilians and soldiers were killed in terrorist attacks in Israel.
The quiet that you spoke of in 2007, was nothing more than a waiting period until the next uprising, war, or whatever term fits the crime. It was not as though in 2007, Fatah, Hamas and other terrorist groups thought to themselves, “You know the Jews aren’t that bad. This living side-by-side thing seems like a great idea. Let’s give peace a chance.” In fact, it is embracing the quiet of 2007, rather than interpreting its silence that has brought the days of relentless rocket fire to the South, and the Yeshiva shooting to Jerusalem (not to mention the other terrorist attacks that have happened in the past few years).
You stated that it is the government’s job to, “lower the height of the flames and prevent escalation…Sinking into a renewed cycle of violence is very possible at this time, and we must not lend a hand to this.” Wouldn’t you say that the government has already sunk low enough? The weak Gaza Operations and weaker Prime Minister have left an open door policy to terrorist attacks. By trying to put out the flames, we are burning ourselves in the process.
Mr.Beilin, the terrorist attack on the Yeshiva can not be fixed by controlling flames, as you suggested. We must unite as a nation and say enough is enough. Otherwise we will have another Oslo on our hands, and while some might win prizes for their accords and hand shakes-the rest of us will suffer in a bloodbath trying to put out those flames.
You claimed that since we already gave up territory, “we have nothing to lose.” However, it is the giving up of that territory that put us in this very position (and did so in Oslo, as well). The loss of the Gush Katif land was a gained launching ground for Kassam rockets. The loss of control over the Rafah border crossing was a gained opportunity for weapons smuggling. You must be joking when you say we have “nothing to lose”. As Israelis we stand to lose everything by repeating history. Mr. Beilin, the terrorist used you as a ladder to climb to the top of their destruction in the Intifada-and you want to do it all over again.
You stated, “If the ceasefire fails to be realized by the other side, we can violate it at any junction on our part as well.” Is that a solution, because it sounds more like a child fighting a bully, on the playground? You can not seriously suggest that we stoop to the level of terrorists and break ceasefires just because they do? Then should we also start shooting people, just because they have? Your words insight revenge, which I thought was exactly what you insisted we avoid.
Finally, as the punch line of your ridiculous piece, you proposed that, “the negotiations with the PLO should be managed with much greater vigor.” You went on to say that this steadfast approach will help the West Bank Arabs (and I assumed you also meant the Arab living in East Jerusalem that posted their Hamas flags) to accept Fatah’s leadership under Abu Mazen, and weaken Hamas. Well, that right there should make anyone laugh at loud. It is as though you are trying to relive your youthful days and punish the rest of us with old ideas.
Mr. Beilin, you and Prime Minister Olmert, Abu Mazen and Condoleezza Rice seem to have forgotten that a document, resolution or government fixture will never truly enforce peace. You will always need the people living in the land to support the peace plan. And Beilin, the people shouldn’t support another rush job just because you say so. We did that once and look where it got us. I think this time around you would be better off in Oslo-alone. The joke’s on you now!
The Big Felafel 
I don’t know if you’ll agree or not, but this character is just as foolish as the rest of them. There was an article in Haaretz last week that essentially said we need to step up the peace talks with Abbas/Fatah in order to weaken Hamas. Beilin pretty much said the same thing there in his final paragraph, that the faster we reach a peace agreement with Fatah, the faster we can prove to Gaza residents that a non-violent approach is better for them.
All these people misunderstand Gazans. They don’t want peace. Hamas doesn’t want peace, and they are thriving off the Gazan blood-thirstyness. My proof? That they captured a BBC journalist, a person known to be an Arab sympathizer for a sympathizing paper, and held him hostage. That’s not bad PR, that’s proof of insanity. Point: They don’t want pragmatism. They want spilled blood. Revenge. War.
| Posted 15 years, 3 months agoBeilin is an utter moron. He completely and intentionally ignores the Palastinian Charter calling for Israels destruction, which is the same for both Hamass and Fatah. These bogus Palastinians don’t want peace, only our demise!
| Posted 15 years, 3 months agoThis man should be in prison for the crimes he has committed against the state, including the death of hundreds of Israelis.
I do not think Beilin should be in prison, because it his not his fault he is so naive and still believing that there is a wonderful world outside.
The Arabs have only one thing in mind: It’s to destroy Israel and the west – we shall never forget it when talking about peace!
By the way a great site – added you to my Blogroll.
| Posted 15 years, 3 months agoIf you’d like to run for the Knesset, I’ll work on your campaign!
| Posted 15 years, 2 months agoThanks! But, I couldn’t become a politician- you can only be corrupt if you are a politician…in fact the words should be synonymous. One equals the other nowadays. I would rather stick on the people’s side and fight the government, until they hear our voices!
| Posted 15 years, 2 months agoWow. Molly, dear, if you don’t give up any territory, if a palestinian state is not established soon, then the palestinians will start demanding equal right within Israel. That will be the end of the jewish state and the beginning of a binational state. Sounds good to you?
| Posted 15 years, 1 month agoIf we don’t give up ANY territory? Uh, we gave up Gaza–and got an Iranian proxy army firing missiles at us daily, citizens and soldiers both under attack. We previously gave up big chunks of the West Bank and gave it to Arafat’s goons to police–and we got terrorism and a Second Intifada, many of whose militia were the very police the West armed. The point here is not to make the same mistakes again–fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I live in Jerusalem and would prefer not to see the West Bank become the latest launch platform for Iranian Grads, thank you.
All the starry-eyed Beilinists who think the Arabs are ‘just like us’ are idiots. You worry about no Palestinian state? I don’t — keep the West Bank, issue every Arab AND Jew who hasn’t served in the army or national service a ‘residence permit’ which allows him/her to live and work here but not vote. You want to vote? You want ‘equal rights’? Then assume equal responsibility–serve in the army, swear an oath of allegience to the Jewish state, send your kids to state schools, THEN you can vote, get Bituach Leumi, qualify for mortgages and university tuition grants and child allowances….until then, you’re nothing more than a guest, not a citizen.
No, I’m not worried–the chareidim will go to New York or France where they can collect welfare and the Arabs will move to Jordan or France, ditto……..
| Posted 15 years, 1 month ago