Love of the Land: The troubling single dimensional approach of PM Netanyahu’s Bar Ilan address

The troubling single dimensional approach of PM Netanyahu’s Bar Ilan address

Dr. Aaron Lerner
IMRA Weekly Commentary
14 January '10

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his team frequently cite his 14 June 2009 speech at the Begin-Sadat Center at Bar-Ilan University as his definitive policy statement.

So, in search of a better understanding of what Mr. Netanyahu ‘s goals are, I went back to review at the text he invested so much effort to prepare.

So here’s what he says about Judea and Samaria:

“Judea and Samaria – the places where Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, David and Solomon, and Isaiah and Jeremiah lived – are not alien to us. This is the land of our forefathers.”

And so?

Will this connection have any weight in policy making?

Will policy reflect, for example, our tremendous national connection to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron?

Consider this critical passage from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s presentation:

“I have come tonight to give expression to that unity, and to the principles of peace and security on which there is broad agreement within Israeli society. These are the principles that guide our policy, a policy that must take into account the international situation that has recently developed. We must recognize this reality and at the same time stand firmly on those principles essential for Israel.”

Get it?

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Love of the Land: The troubling single dimensional approach of PM Netanyahu’s Bar Ilan address