Addressing the Bar Ilan Conference on Wednesday, 21 Tammuz, former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon addressed the ongoing situation between Israel and the PA (Palestinian Authority) and how the latter continues speaking of the “Israeli occupation of 1948”, the division between left and right and the fact Arab nations will not recognize Israel’s as the Jewish Homeland.

Ya’alon explained that from the point of the Palestinians, all of Israel is “a settlement”.

He added “’Hamastine’ and the Palestinian Authority refuse to recognize Israel, and we receive rockets in exchange for land.”

Ya’alon added “Any attempt to get rid of the Palestinians is an illusion, as they are dependent upon us for security and their economy. Without the IDF, the Fatah regime in Ramallah will not survive”.

Ya’alon added “Land concessions endanger lives and we may not remove a single Jew but we must permit the Palestinians to work in Israel. As Defense Minister I stood firmly on this, permitting them to continue earning a livelihood here and we must continue investing in this. No outside initiative will succeed and therefore, we must advance our joint interests and not be misled by other things”.

In his reference to the ongoing manslaughter trial of IDF Sgt. Elor Azariya, Ya’alon added “We must make a distinction between the command and judicial processes. I always preferred an operational inquiry and nothing more. I am in favor of the criminal route only in cases of malicious action and this is the case here. It is not the norm to dismiss a soldier but I did not speak of the criminal process. I have not spoken with the IDF Chief Prosecutor and I did not appear in court”.

In his veiled attack at his replacement, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Ya’alon stated “There is no need to talk but to do. The wave of terror ebbed as I heard slogans that we must strange them, and they should not work with us. These things are irresponsible”.

Ya’alon then turned to attack the policies of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, stating “It is improper to involve the IDF in politics. They attack factors that assist, for example, the media, the IDF and its values and the legal system. So I decided to run for national leadership… there is a sense of shame over what occurs. Investigations are opened and closed against the Prime Minister and a minister who is an ex-con. If there is no confidence in the leadership then there is no leadership”.

Ya’alon also mentioned in passing that PM Netanyahu was willing to give away the Jordan Valley.

“If you have a vision, you are not alarmed by talkbacks…political survival does not permit the establishment of a long-term vision for our children”.

“I do not give up full Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and Jewish settlements in the West Bank and all of Jerusalem. Yigal Alon and Yitzchak Rabin did not give up on this sovereignty and specifically among us in the right, there are leaders who are satisfied with a military presence. What have we come to?”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)