Israeli official: Buying off extremists with land doesn't work
Pastor Dale Morgan
Israeli official: Buying off extremists with land doesn't work*
Citing 10 Commandments, tells U.N. dispute is about values, not territory
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
(IsraelNN.com) In an address to the 62nd session of the United Nations
General Assembly on Monday, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni made reference
to the Bible, the festival of Sukkot and democracy. She also warned
against appeasing those she called "extremists."
Opening with a reminder of the Jewish historical link to the Land of
Israel, Foreign Minister Livni said...
Opening with a reminder of the Jewish historical link to the Land of
Israel, Foreign Minister Livni said, "Three thousand years ago, the
people of Israel journeyed from slavery in Egypt to independence in the
land of Israel. The Bible tells us that on their voyage to liberty they
made a crucial stop: the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.
As the General Assembly gathers this year, the Jewish people recall that
historic journey by marking the festival of Sukkot."
Livni then linked the Sukkot holiday to general democratic values: "And
every year, at this time, our people remember that the long march to
freedom requires the acceptance of humanity’s basic values. For sixty
years, since the rebirth of our State in our ancient homeland, with
Jerusalem at its heart, we have not lost sight of this principle. The
core values of tolerance, co-existence and peace that lie at the heart
of every democracy must be protected within societies and promoted
between them. This is the calling of our generation."
With this Biblical interpretation, she framed the Israeli conflict with
its neighbors as fomented by "those who reject these core values - those
who seek power without responsibility; those whose aim is not to realize
their own rights, but to deny those rights for others. At its heart,
this is a conflict not about territory, but about values."
As such, Livni told the assembled national representatives, the conflict
is not a local one. While "Israel may be on the front lines," she said,
the idea that it was a fight limited to the Middle East "collapsed in
this city with the twin towers on a September morning six years ago."
Fighting Democracy
"Democracy is a profound ideal, but it is also a vulnerable one,"
Foreign Minister Livni warned. "Today, in different parts of the world,
extremists - opposed to the very ideals of democracy - are entering the
democratic process not to abandon their violent agenda but to advance it."
In addition, Livni said, without naming nations, "There are some who
insist on high standards in their own country, but forget them when they
look abroad. Violent extremists who could never run for office at home
are treated as legitimate politicians when elected elsewhere. As a
result, we empower those who use democratic means to advance
anti-democratic ends. And we strengthen the forces of those who not only
undermine their societies, but threaten our own." She then quoted an
Al-Qaeda spokesman as saying, "We will use your democracy to destroy
your democracy."
Livni told the assembled national representatives [that] the conflict is
not a local one.
The Foreign Minister called for universal, international standards of
democracy and warned against dealing with totalitarian regimes. Again
without explicitly mentioning a single country, Livni said:
"I know that the temptation to engage with extremists can be strong. It
may seem to promise stability and quiet. We may hope that by feeding the
beast we can gradually tame it. As free societies, we pride ourselves -
rightly - on our respect for difference and diversity. But we do a
disservice to diversity when, in its name, we tolerate the intolerant.
Bitter experience has shown that buying off extremists is a short-term
fix – for which we will pay dearly in the long run."
The Israeli Arena
Turning more specifically to the Israeli arena, Foreign Minister Livni
made clear the distinction the Israeli government has made between
"groups such as Hamas and Hizbullah" and "the new Palestinian
government, committed to co-existence and seeking to build the
foundations of a peaceful and prosperous State," as she put it.
As for the former, and for Iran, Livni called upon the international
community to present them with "a clear choice - between the path of
violence and the path of legitimacy. They cannot have both."
Regarding the Iranian threat, Livni said, "There are still those who, in
the name of consensus and engagement, continue to obstruct the urgent
steps which are needed to bring Iran's sinister ambitions to a halt. Too
many see the danger but walk idly by – hoping that someone else will
take care of it. What is the value, we have to ask, of an organization
which is unable to take effective action in the face of a direct assault
on the very principles it was founded to protect? It is time for the
United Nations, and the states of the world, to live up to their promise
of never again. To say enough is enough, to act now and to defend their
basic values."
As for the Hamas-controlled half of the Palestinian Authority,
Foreign Minister Livni made clear the distinction the Israeli government
has made between "groups such as Hamas and Hizbullah" and "the new
Palestinian government."
Livni noted how "we see children's television programs in which a Mickey
Mouse puppet teaches the glory of being a suicide bomber and a seven
year old girl sings of her dreams of blood and battle." She failed to
note that such incitement has been a standard part of PA education under
the Fatah, as well, ever since the inception of the Authority in 1994.
Reiterating the current Israeli government's position, Livni called for
"two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and
security." She delineated two conditions for this vision to emerge: that
the new state of "Palestine" will absorb any Arab refugees; and that "a
secure Israel must be a Palestinian interest. The world cannot afford
another terror state."
Concluding with another reference to the Sukkot holiday, the Foreign
Minister said, "On this festival of Sukkot, Jews commemorate the journey
from slavery to freedom by leaving their homes to live in fragile huts,
like the shelters our ancestors lived in on their way to the Promised
Land. For three thousand years these temporary huts - open to the
elements - have been a reminder that stability and security are ensured
not only by the structures that we build but also by the values that we
share. Perhaps it is for this reason that the Sukkah, this fragile
shelter, has become the Jewish symbol of peace."
She then quoted in Hebrew from the Jewish prayer book, saying, "As we
turn to Jerusalem and say in our prayers every day: 'Spread over us the
tabernacle of your peace....' May it be in our days, and for all
nations. Amen."