Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe “Boogie” Yaalon, during a visit to the Mount of Olives Jewish community of Maale HaZeitim to discuss Likud’s plans for the future of Israel, sat down with the Jewish Press’s Yishai Fleisher to talk about the state of Israeli security.
Yaalon, who earned the 8th slot on the last Likud party list, served as IDF Chief of Staff until then-Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz decided not to renew his contract due to Yaalon’s position against the Gaza Disengagement in 2005.
Yaalon told Fleisher that he is concerned that politicians like Tzippy Livni are manipulating Israelis by playing on their desire for peace. “Peace Now was an illusion, the Disengagement was an illusion,” Yaalon said, “It’s very dangerous to manipulate the Israeli people and to deceive them by creating hope and claiming the [ability] to bring about peace.”
“The situation in South Lebanon is brewing,” Yaalon said. He explained that Syria and Iran have armed the terror group with 50,000 rockets, but said he believes Israel has deterred the group from attacking.
“We should deter our enemies from challenging us, as we do,” Yaalon said.
Fleisher asked Yaalon about the future of Israel and a possible Palestinian state “Tell me straight, are we going toward a two state solution or not, in your mind?” Fleisher asked.
“The two state solution is a well-rooted paradigm which actually failed,” Yaalon answered. “You know, looking to our history – the history since the dawn of Zionism, actually, we haven’t witnessed… an Arab Palestinian leadership which was ready to go to the “two states for two peoples” final settlement. Any partition plan proposal which was proposed since the Peel Commission proposal in ’37 was rejected by the Arabs. But unfortunately, many people in the West, to include politicians and leaders, still believe that this is a solution, this is a final settlement. Abu Mazen rejected our proposal, Arafat rejected Barak’s proposal in Camp David, the Arab leadership in ’47 rejected the UN partition plan proposal, and the Arab leadership in ’37 rejected the Peel commission proposal. So how can you claim that the other side is a partner for the two states for two people solution?”
He said western countries were under the misconception that Arabs rejected the plans because of Jewish “occupation” of Judea and Samaria in 1967, but said leaders had already begun talking about Jewish “occupation” of Arab lands in 1948.
Yaalon also discussed his perspective on aliyah. “The only place in the world for Jewish people to live a Jewish life, according to my mind, is in Eretz Yisrael [the Land of Israel], and today the state of Israel. The combination of the [Land of Israel, the Torah of Israel, and the Nation of Israel], is to live a complete life as a Jew. .. The only place that I can feel Jewish –really Jewish – is in the Land of Israel.”
