Marking 100 years since the birth of Menachem Begin, the cabinet on Sunday, 15 Menachem Av 5773 held its weekly cabinet meeting at the Begin Heritage Center in Yerushalayim.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commented “We are here today to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Menachem Begin. Menachem Begin of blessed memory was one of the greatest leaders of the Jewish People in the 20th Century. He was one of the greatest prime ministers of the state of Israel. He understood, in the 1920’s and 1930’s, the approaching destruction of European Jewry. He twice proved himself a student of Ze’ev Jabotinsky – in understanding opportunities and in understanding dangers.
“He joined the Polish army and later left it in order to join the real army – the army to liberate the Land of Israel in order to establish the State of Israel. He led the rebellion against the British, along with the other undergrounds.
“Afterwards, he served as leader of the opposition for many years, a leader of the loyal opposition, the principled and democratic opposition, who stood for the rule of law. Upon his rise to national leadership, when the Likud received a mandate, he realized several basic principles: First of all, he cancelled the second Israel, an expression which has two parts, one internal and one external. He cancelled the second Israel both symbolically and in practice. He championed equal opportunity; he opened the economy to competition. Of course, he clearly stood for those same principles that we call national and liberal. He deeply believed in this and also acted in accordance with this outlook.
“Beyond this, Begin’s great importance, in my view, was in his dual outlook of peace and security. He made history by making peace with Egypt, with President Sadat, but he also understood that he had to maintain security. The principles of security, demilitarization, and Israel’s defense were integral parts of the agreement. They are still before us today, decades later, as clearly important as always.
“At the same time, Begin understood that security takes precedence over everything. He did not hesitate to act in distant and near arenas alike. He attacked Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactor and I think that history teaches us how important a step this was. Neither did he hesitate to act against terrorist concentrations in nearby Lebanon, and not just there.
“I think that from the perspective of time, Begin is clearly seen in his strength, in his commitment to the nation, the state, the land and to Jewish existence. And there is no Jewish existence without the existence of a sovereign Jewish state in the Land of Israel. He understood this in the deepest way possible and he also dedicated his life to this goal.
“There was a dimension of tragedy in Begin’s life, both personal tragedy in the family that he lost in Europe and the tragedy that he experienced here. I was at his side in the US when the bitter news came that his wife had passed away. I saw the terrible blow that he suffered. I do not know if he ever recovered from it and afterwards, of course, came his great difficulty in hearing the daily reports about our fallen, about our losses in Lebanon. And therefore, I think that it is very appropriate at this time that we convene to mark Menachem Begin’s birthday. I thank the Begin Center for offering us this important venue.
“I would like to add two things. One, we are committed, to the same degree, to peace and security. We are now making an effort to resume the diplomatic process. I see this as a vital strategic interest of the State of Israel, first of all because we want peace. At the same time, I am committed to two goals, and it must be understood that they must also guide the result, should there be one. First of all, if it will be, it will be put to a referendum. I believe that this is necessary. I do not think that such decisions can be made, if indeed an agreement is achieved, by this or that coalition process; it must be put to the people for a decision.
“As for the goals that I am setting for the process itself, one is preventing the creation of a bi-national state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, alongside preventing the establishment of another Iranian-sponsored terrorist state. We will need to find a balance between these two things, an
d our negotiating partners will also need to make concessions that will allow us to maintain our security and uphold our vital national interests.
“Therefore, these will not be easy negotiations, but we will enter into them with integrity, sincerity and the hope that this process will be conducted responsibly, seriously and substantively, and, I must say, at least in the opening stages, discreetly. This will increase the chances that we will achieve results. Throughout this process, I will strongly uphold, as I already have, the security needs of the State of Israel and [our] other vital interests. We know what we stand for here and on what we are relying; we will continue to stand on these things in the future as well.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
He did much good but it must be remembered that it was Begin who set the stage for Oslo as he agreed to include the peace agreement with egypt clauses that recognized the Palestinians as a separate Arab people and granting them full autonomy.