Last week Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke at the UN. He insisted that Israel wants to carve itself up and create another Arab state called Palestine in its biblical heartland. He continued that he only wishes for Israel to give this state to the Palestinians instead of for them to take it unilaterally.
The following is the speech that Moshe Feiglin – who came in second to Netanyahu for head of Israel’s ruling Likud party at the last election – would have given if he were Prime Minister of Israel:
Honorable Representatives of the Nations,
I chose to come here today to tell you the truth. Since the miraculous war in which the G-d of Israel led us to redeem Jerusalem, the Temple Mount and Israeli territory until the Jordan River, a strange costume ball has been taking place in this building.
The Jews come to the ball masked as Israelis, the Arabs come masked as Palestinians and everyone talks about a land that does not exist and never did: Palestine. Today, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the day on which the Jewish Nation declares the Kingship of the Creator over themselves and the entire world, I have chosen to come here to remove the masks.
Beneath the Israeli mask is the Jewish Nation that went out of Egypt, received the Torah at Sinai and heralded the message of liberty to all humanity. The Israelis are those same Jews who traversed the Pharoahs, the Babylonians, the Chaldeans and the Greeks, the Romans and the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Mamelukes, the British and the Germans. All of those nations swept onto the stage of history and waged war in their way against the Eternal Nation chosen by the Creator to testify to His existence and to bring His message to the world. All of them faded away, while the Jewish Nation is not only still here, but has wondrously returned from all its exiles and hardships and has gathered in its Holy Land, just as the prophets had foretold. From its Land, the Jewish Nation will establish an exemplary, moral society and will fulfill its historic destiny.
Please forgive me for ruining the costume ball, but the time has come to remove the “Palestinian” mask: There is not and there never was a “Palestinian nation.” Can anyone here point to Palestinian history? A Palestinian archeological site? The name of a Palestinian scholar from the 19th century? The name of the Palestinian currency?
For nineteen years, Judea and Samaria were void of Jewish settlements, occupied by the Jordanian state established by the British to steal the East Bank of the Jordan from the Land of Israel. The Palestine Liberation Organization was established in 1964 – three years before Israel liberated Judea and Samaria. Back then, even the PLO stated they had no national claim on the territory on the other side of the Green Line because those territories were in the hands of their Arabic nation.
Please allow me to quote the most precise definition for the essence of the conflict. It is a definition pronounced from this very platform by former British Foreign Minister, Mr. Ernest Bevin, in April 1946, when the question of the Land of Israel was deliberated in the United Nations:
“For the Jews, the main point is the establishment of a sovereign Jewish state. For the Arabs, the main point is to oppose Jewish sovereignty in any part of Palestine, until the very end.”
Bevin is not suspect of over-enthusiasm for the Jewish cause. On the contrary. The British themselves gave the name “Palestine” to the Land of Israel in an effort to erase its true identity. At that stage, the British government did all that it could to ensure the victory of the Arabs, who had clearly announced that in the Land of Israel they intended to complete Hitler’s work. Nevertheless, if we look at the conflict from the perspective of its 60 years, it is impossible to understand it without Bevin’s precise analysis.
There is not and there will not be a “Palestinian” state. There are Jews who are returning to our Land, and there are Arabs whose entire purpose is to prevent a Jewish foothold in any part of the Land of Israel.
The Arab and international demand for Israel to retreat was fully implemented six years ago in the Gaza Strip. We could have expected that when Israel carried out precisely what the world had demanded of it for years, its international standing would have improved. We would have expected international anti-Semitism to dissipate and for the Arabs to respond quickly and positively to accelerated serious negotiations for a permanent peace treaty.
But just the opposite happened. Approximately one-half of Israel’s population – throughout both the north and the south – was exposed to rocket terror attacks. A more serious threat accompanied the physical threat: a vicious international attack on Israel’s legitimate right to exist.
But this cannot continue, ladies and gentlemen. This false costume ball, for which the United Nations provides center stage, will not go on. We will no longer take part in it. Practically speaking, we will not oppose the “Palestinian” proposal, because we will simply not be here.
The Jews have returned to their Land to herald the message of Divine liberty for all humanity. From now, we will focus on our historical goal; to bring about the historic and moral redemption and economic well-being of all humanity.
If the Arabs who live in the Land to which the G-d of our Forefathers kindly returned us desire peace, they are welcome to choose between the following options: Either they can fully recognize Jewish sovereignty over the Land and declare their loyalty to the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish nation, or they can realize their national aspirations in any one of the 22 Arab nations that surround them – or they can emigrate to anywhere else in the world that they wish. Any other decision is a declaration of war.
We do not put our trust in the nations of the world. We put our trust in He Who returned us to our Land and defeated our enemies in all the wars that they started since the State of Israel was established.
I turn from here to all the civilized nations, to the good majority of humanity represented by a minority in this house: Remember G-d’s blessing to Abraham: “And I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you.”
The way that you relate to G-d’s chosen nation will determine if you will merit His blessing or His curse.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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17 Responses
Way to go, Feiglin!
GEVALTIG!!! Beautiful… Mamesh a mechaye!
Theologically perfect…but jingoistic nationalism nonetheless, and no different in relevence to the the international reality than if it had been a theological address by, l’havdil ben elef havdalus, a Romnan Catholic or Muslim prelate.
You know, mark levin…it is not a “liberal” position to understand what is l’maisa in the cards and what is not…and it is not a “liberal” pouint of view to understand that one needs to act within negotiating norms the international community…in order to survive, no more than it was “liberal” for President Nixon to break bread with Communist China.
And it is neither “sane”, “normal” nor part of the Mesorah to denigrate other peoples, as you intimated earlier this week, in ways that we would correctly label as a bias offense if directed at Yidden.
Thats why he isn’t PM.
I love this speach…
There are many good reasons to oppose a Palestinian state. This idea that “there are no Palestinians” is not one of them. If the Palestinians weren’t violent animals they would deserve a state of their own. Who are they? Simple, they are the Arabic people who live in Judea and Samaria.
Who invented this idea that only ethnicities who can trace their heritage back for centuries get to have a state? Who were the Canadians before there was a Canada, for example? They were the Anglo Saxons who lived north of the US. Britain decided it was easier for them to have a country of their own, so voila, they got it.
There is no reason to expect the Arabs of Judea and Samaria to happily live in the one land in the entire world that calls itself the Jewish State, when they are not Jewish. If they were a peaceful nation, they would deserve a country of their own. It turns out that they’re murderers, so they don’t. But that’s the only reason.
It’s a good thing Feiglin doesn’t get a time slot at the UN. He would make a mockery of Israel and just set our cause back.
What Clarity!
Every word is a diamond.
A provocative speech that would have seriously alienated the Americans – which is probably why the Israelis didn’t elect him as their leader (remember,Israel does hold free elections). In the long run, a continued war will probably end up badly for Israel. At a certain point, most of the goyim will stop supporting Israel and do things such as ban trade, restrict tourism, prohibit financial transfers, etc. (things normally done to countries they disfavor). Given Israel’s fragile social structure with half the population at the throats of the other half, arguing for an Israel to “go it along” is either suicidal, or truely relying a an נס.
He’s ON THE BALL!!!
However he’s preaching to the wrong choir…
Were all here on the same page about this, we must get this message out there.
To Number 3:
Israel is already at a continious war ever since the signing of the Oslo accords. What is really suicidal for Israel is giving any of its G-d given land to these beasts to wet their apatate. Giving away land, with the example of Gaza, shows that it alianates world more and not less. I wish Moshe Feiglin was a prime minister of Israel. He is one of a few really Jewish leaders.
Feiglin your great, but nisht klug like BIBI IS B/C ” We welcome a Palistinian state ” means Feigline ,w/o a plan to destrow us i.e. give up terrorisim ,recognise Israel which they cant do. SO HE ACCOMPLISHES TWO PURPOSES AT ONE TIME #1 WE ARE HERE TO STAY, AND YOU AINT GETTING ANYTHING FROM US. YOU AINT PM b/c your not a diplpmat, you have a simple balebatishe brain , and not clever like he is. You speak streight to strieght people and clever to politicians .GOOD Y T
The first Rashi in Chumash explains why Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose to begin the Torah with Ma’asei Berashis (even though it should have begun from the first Mitzvah – Hachodesh Hazeh Lachem). Says Reb Yitchok “should the nations of the world say to Klal Yisroel ‘you are robbers – you stole Eretz Yisroel’ they will say to them ‘all the earth belongs to HKB”H, He created it and gave it to whomever He saw fit”.
Since the begining of time it has never happened that the Nations of the world should make this claim! Not the Plishtim, not the Bavli’im, not the Romans – not any of the many enemies of Klal Yisroel, ever made this claim of listim atem – you stole Eretz Yisroel.
Not until last week Friday approx 11:30am New York time, when the (United) Nations of the world, entertained Abbas’ claim of “listim atem” the Jews stole Palestine!
At that exact moment in Yershalayim, the place of the Beis Hamikdash, the point of the beginning of creation of the world, it was the beginning of Shabbos, the beginning of the 25th day of Elul, the MOMENT OF THE BEGINING OF MA’ASEI BERAISHIS! (Rosh Hashana was creation of Adam, brias Ha’olam was 25 Elul).
The vote of the Nations of the world to this claim is tomorrow Rosh Hashana – the day that celebrates the birthday of the world – Hayom Haras Olam! Hayom yamid bamishpat kol yitzurei olam! The ultimate plan of the world is coming to play – right before our eyes! Moshiach must be arriving any moment!
We pray that M’loch al kol haolam bichvodecha! And grant that Your awe be upon ALL your works, Your dread upon all You have created, and all Your works will fear You, and prostrate before You all created things! And may they all form a single band to do your will with a perfect heart!
aouman (#10)Israel “…is already at a continuous war ever since…” before statehood my friend, not just since 1993 (Oslo). And absent a peace born out of compromise it will continue to be.
Unless you advocate that we should rely on miracles, you need to sit back and reflect on the shifting sands in the Middle East and in the international community, and on the simple fact that the Arabs can outlast the Israelis.
I sincerely believe that the hardline positions here “feel good” and are driven 25% by theology and 75% by testosterone…a situation the Torah itself would not advocate.
I am 60 years old…I lost acquaintances in ’67 and a friend in Yom Kippur…my wife’s closest cousin is a veteran of Lebanon…I have family who fought in both ’48 and ’56…and I remember well the terrorism of the 60s and 70s, when names like Munich, Mishgav Am and Maalot were the currency of terror. I am no friend of the Arabs, and (mark levin’s ad hominum accusations aside) I am a Yid first. I merely think the hard-butted position taken by so many of you risks driving us to a calamity.
YonosonW, I am sorry, but you are not a Talmid Chocham to teach us about the Mesorah. You are certainly qualified to teach about liberalism political correctness.
About the etzem zach. It is a tough situation. we need Moshiach. Withdrawal to almost 67 lines is not going to help. It will hurt. Basing policy on denial and wishful thinking is a bad way to go.
Dan Daoust, according to your logic, the Jews of Boro Park deserve an independent state.
Dan Doust, the reason why they did not create Medinat Israel in Eastern Europe is because the Goyim would have said that it is not our land historically.
RE:”Unless you advocate that we should rely on miracles”
All our existence especially the last 2000 years was a PURE MIRACLE from Hashem. If all those years we relied on “human logic” or good graces from goym we would disappear from this world long time ago H.S.
Good Yomtov.